Five Images, Six Decades: Capturing the Iconic “Earthrise” Photo

The first was taken August 23, 19665:00 PM CDT on August 24, 2026An Earthside sunrise is one of life’s most spectacular vistas. Sixty years ago, the Lunar Orbiter 1 captured a similar, yet infinitely rarer-to-behold wonder: our home planet “rising” above the lunar surface.On August 23, 1966, NASA’s first lunar orbiter snapped the header photo above, a few weeks after it launched from Cape Canaveral on August 10th. After taking a couple of hundred more images of the moon over the course of a year, the orbiter met its demise when it dived into the lunar surface.Read more: “The Best Photos of the Artemis II Mission”Thankfully, it wasn’t the last time such an image was captured. In fact, perhaps the most famous Earthrise photo was taken by astronaut William Anders during the Apollo 8 mission—the first crewed spaceflight to travel to the moon and back successfully. Nature photographer Galen Rowell described it as “the most influential environmental photograph ever taken.”Fast-forward to the 21st century—April 6, 2008 to be exact—when the Selene (or Kaguya) lunar orbiter developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) snapped the first photo to capture the entire Earth, in full color, in high definition.Then there’s “Earthrise 2.0,” taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) that launched in 2009 and is still circling the moon today. It’s actually a composite of several different black-and-white and color photos, taken by two different cameras.All of which brings us to the recent Artemis II mission, which sent astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen around the moon. They were able to capture their own version of Earthrise on April 6, 2026—the part of Earth you can see shows clouds swirling above Australia and Oceania—just a few minutes before temporarily losing touch with Earth as they disappeared around the far side of the moon.Six decades on, the view has lost none of its impact. Enjoying Nautilus? Subscribe to our free newsletter.Lead image: NASAShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on RedditShare on EmailShare on BlueskyDavid Nield has written about science and technology for more than 20 years. His work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including Wired, Popular Science, The Guardian, and Gizmodo.Stay in touchSign up for our free newsletterRelated StoriesThis Cookie Was a Plastic BottleWould you eat a trashy treat?A Dazzling Image of a Dying Star, Featuring the Great Recycling System of the CosmosAshes to ashes, stardust to stardustExtreme Space Weather Could Delay Your Next FlightResearchers say surges in solar activity can wreak havoc on aircraftIn Stunning Color, a Celestial “Treasure Chest” Full of StarsA majestic cometary globule some 7,500 light-years awayAwe-Inspiring Images from This Year’s Solar EclipseWhen the moon blocks out the sun, it creates something a lot like magicFirst Ever “Black Hole Star” Discovered at the Dawn of TimeBlack hole sun, now it’s come