It has only been a couple days since NASA successfully launched astronauts to the Moon for the first time in over half a century. The four-person Artemis II crew — commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — are on a planned 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard the Orion spacecraft, and they’ve already shared striking photos from the trip.
Many of the images released so far were taken by crew members inside Orion. Reid Wiseman photographed a view of Earth nearly eclipsing the Sun shortly after the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026. That image shows zodiacal light — sunlight scattering off dust that can form a triangular glow during an eclipse — plus two auroras visible at opposite edges of the planet. Wiseman also captured Earth’s terminator line, the dividing line between day and night, and other backlit views of Earth from one of Orion’s windows.
The crew has also shared behind-the-scenes cabin shots, including the four astronauts answering questions during a downlink event. NASA says the astronauts are working with the agency’s science team to identify additional targets and framing to capture as they approach and orbit the Moon.
Don’t just read about them — the photos offer both candid moments inside the spacecraft and jaw-dropping perspectives of our planet from deep space.
Image credits: Reid Wiseman/NASA via Getty Images; NASA