From their vantage point en route to the Moon, Artemis II astronauts captured a breathtaking image showing Earth’s full disk lit by moonlight, with visible city lights, auroras, and neighboring planets.
- Earth’s surface lit by moonlight with visible city lights
- Auroras glow near poles, and zodiacal light shines faintly
- Venus and zodiacal dust enrich the cosmic scene
What happened
After completing the translunar injection burn, the Artemis II crew aboard the Orion spacecraft captured an extraordinary photo of Earth. From this perspective, the planet appears fully illuminated by moonlight rather than direct sunlight, revealing nighttime features that are rarely seen from space. The image shows vibrant city lights across continents such as Spain, Portugal, northern and sub-Saharan Africa, and Brazil, highlighting human activity visible even from lunar distances.
The photograph also captures several solar system phenomena. Green auroras glow around Earth’s poles due to charged solar particles interacting with the atmosphere, while a faint zodiacal light—sunlight reflected from interplanetary dust, primarily sourced from Mars—appears nearby. Venus shines as a bright object close to Earth, providing depth to this cosmic tableau.
Why it feels good
This image offers a fresh and awe-inspiring view of Earth as a dynamic, living planet interacting with its space environment. It reminds us of the intricate beauty of the world we call home and our place within the broader solar system. Seeing city lights twinkle under moonlight emphasizes humanity’s presence and connection to the planet even from millions of kilometers away, nurturing a sense of wonder and unity.
Scientists and space enthusiasts alike appreciate this photo for its blend of artistry and scientific value. It captures phenomena like auroras and zodiacal light, usually invisible to the naked eye, and conveys the continuous interaction between Earth and the space around it. As one of the first images from Artemis II, it heralds new opportunities for exploration and broadens our understanding of Earth’s night environment from deep space.
What to enjoy or watch next
NASA continues to invest in nighttime and low-light Earth observations, like the Black Marble project, which tracks human activity and environmental changes from orbit. Following Artemis II, these observations may be enhanced with future missions bringing even more detailed views of Earth’s reflective and illuminated night features.
Space enthusiasts can look forward to upcoming Artemis program milestones focused on lunar exploration, which will continue to provide fresh perspectives of Earth as seen from beyond low orbit. Meanwhile, the public can enjoy images from the International Space Station and other satellites that regularly reveal Earth’s beauty after dusk, inspiring curiosity about our planet and its environment.