“IMPOSSIBLY BEAUTIFUL” — and this image is leaving people around the world in awe 😳🌍 What started as a routine post-splashdown moment quickly turned into something unforgettable when Reid Wiseman, commander of Artemis II, shared a breathtaking photo capturing Earth from a perspective few humans will ever experience… but it didn’t stop there. The image, taken after the crew’s return, instantly struck a chord — not just for its beauty, but for what it represents: distance, fragility, and the journey back home.

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Artemis II Cmdr. Reid Wiseman shares breathtaking photo after splashdown: ‘Impossibly beautiful’

Artemis II successfully splashes down, completing historic lunar mission

Artemis II astronaut Reid Wiseman shared his new perspective on the Earth with the crew’s first words since splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean on Friday.

“On the helicopter leaving the ship right now. This planet is impossibly beautiful from every altitude I’ve seen it … surface to 250,000 miles,” Wiseman wrote on X.

View from a helicopter window of the ocean with the setting sun reflecting on the water.
Artemis II astronaut Reid Wiseman shared his new perspective on the Earth with the crew’s first words since splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean on Friday.Reid Wiseman/X
NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, dressed in orange flight suits, sit in a helicopter after their Artemis II Moon flyby mission.
“On the helicopter leaving the ship right now. This planet is impossibly beautiful from every altitude I’ve seen it … surface to 250,000 miles,” Wiseman (left) wrote on X.via REUTERS

The post included a breathtaking photo that showed a cloud-capped sky punctured by rays of sunlight over the Pacific Ocean.

Just 24 hours before this photo was taken, Wiseman and the other crew of the Orion spacecraft were hurtling towards Earth at roughly 24,500 miles per hour.

Follow the latest on NASA’s Artemis II:

  • Artemis II Cmdr. Reid Wiseman shares breathtaking photo after splashdown: ‘Impossibly beautiful’
  • Artemis II crewmembers struggle to walk after experiencing Earth’s gravity again following historic moon mission
  • Artemis II astronauts were trained to take amazing snaps by elite NY tech school alums
The Artemis II's 10-day journey.
The Artemis II’s 10-day journey.Donald Pearsall / NY Post Design/ NASA
Orion pod for Artemis II mission
The Orion capsule being used in the Artemis II mission.Donald Pearsall / NY Post Design / ESA

The now Earthbound flyers became the farthest humans from our planet ever when they briefly orbited the Moon last week, according to NASA.