                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2026 April 4

                                 Hello World
                Image Credit: NASA, Reid Wiseman, Artemis II

   Explanation: From pole to pole our fair planet is captured in this
   snapshot from space, an evocative image from a window of the Orion
   spacecraft Integrity. From the spacecraft's perspective the Sun is
   moving behind Earth's bright limb along the lower right. Africa and the
   Iberian peninsula are in view on the pale blue planet's surface, while
   aurorae crown Earth's south and north poles at top right and bottom
   left. Commander Reid Wiseman took the historic picture on Artemis II
   mission flight day 2 (April 2), after the completion of the planned
   translunar injection burn. That burn boosted the spacecraft out of
   Earth orbit, sending Integrity and crew on a trajectory that will take
   them around the Moon and back again. That's a journey humans last made
   over 50 years ago.

                    Tomorrow's picture: starburst spiral
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

