NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman photographed a stunning view of Earth from the Orion spacecraft’s window, capturing two auroras and zodiacal light in one of the mission’s first do
From a window aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman pointed his camera toward home and captured something extraordinary. The photograph, one of the first images downlinked from the Artemis II crew since their departure, shows Earth suspended in deep space with a remarkable collection of natural phenomena visible in a single frame. Two auroras appear in the upper right and lower left of the image, their faint luminous arcs stretching across the darkness, while zodiacal light — a soft, diffuse glow caused by sunlight scattering off interplanetary dust — is visible in the lower right as Earth eclipses the Sun.
The moment Wiseman captured this image was not an ordinary one. The photograph was taken immediately after the spacecraft completed its translunar injection burn, the critical propulsion maneuver that placed the Orion capsule on its trajectory toward the Moon. It is the kind of moment that comes only a handful of times in the entire history of human spaceflight, and Wiseman used it to document a view of our planet that very few people in history have had the privilege of witnessing firsthand.
What makes this image significant
The photograph is more than a visually arresting piece of space imagery. It represents a tangible milestone in NASA‘s Artemis program, which is working to return humans to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era. Artemis II is the first crewed mission of the program, and the images coming back from the Orion spacecraft mark the beginning of a new chapter in how humanity documents its return to deep space exploration.
The presence of auroras in the frame adds a layer of scientific interest to an already compelling image. Auroras are produced when charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere, creating curtains of light that are typically visible only from high latitudes on the ground. From Orion’s position in space, however, Wiseman was able to capture two of them simultaneously, framing them against the full curvature of the Earth in a way that no ground-based photographer could ever replicate.
The zodiacal light adds another dimension entirely. This phenomenon, which appears as a faint triangular glow in the night sky when viewed from Earth, is caused by sunlight reflecting off dust particles distributed throughout the inner solar system. In Wiseman’s photograph, it appears in soft relief against the blackness of space as the Sun slips behind the Earth, creating a visual composition that feels both scientifically rich and deeply humbling.
The Artemis II crew and their historic journey
Reid Wiseman is commanding an Artemis II crew that is carrying the weight of enormous expectation and historical significance. The mission represents the first time astronauts have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since the final Apollo mission more than five decades ago. Every image, every transmission and every milestone achieved by the crew adds to a growing record of one of the most consequential space missions of the modern era.
This photograph and one additional image of Earth represent the first visuals shared publicly from the Artemis II astronauts since the mission got underway. NASA has made both images available and has indicated that more photographs from Orion will be shared as the mission progresses. A live 24-hour feed also allows the public to follow along with what the astronauts are seeing and doing in real time as they make their way toward the Moon.
For anyone watching from the ground, Wiseman’s image serves as a powerful reminder of both how fragile and how extraordinary our planet looks from a distance — and of how far human beings are willing to travel to catch that view.
Source: Originally reported by NASA, photographed by NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman