New Delhi, April 4 (IANS) United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Artemis II astronauts sent stunning images of Earth as they approached closer toward the moon.

Photo captured by Commander Reid Wiseman showed a curved slice of Earth framed by the Orion capsule’s window. A second image revealed the entire globe, with its oceans crowned with white clouds and a glowing green aurora, NASA said.

The first astronaut moonshot has been made in more than half a century, according to multiple reports.

“In the image of Earth taken by the Artemis II crew, we can see the electric lights of human activity. In the lower right, sunlight illuminates the limb of the planet,” NASA captioned a photo on X platform.

In the first photo, a longer shutter speed had let in more light from Earth, while the shorter shutter speed in the second photo emphasised Earth’s nighttime glow.

Another photo captured the stark divide between night and day on Earth, known as the terminator.

“Whether awake or dreaming, we’re all here on this planet together,” the space agency captioned it.

“It’s great to think that with the exception of our four friends, all of us are represented in this image,” said Lakiesha Hawkins, an exploration systems leader, said, adding that the mission was progressing well.

As of late Friday afternoon, NASA’s crew in the spacecraft were over 1,80,000 kilometres from Earth, with another 2,40,000 kilometres to reach the near moon orbit at their destination probably by Monday.

The team of three Americans and one Canadian have planned a swing around the moon in their Orion capsule, execute a U-turn and return directly to Earth without landing. The team became the first travellers to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

—IANS

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