The glow on the bottom right of the image is “zodiacal light,” a faint glow also referred to as “false dawn,” that appears due to rays of light being scattered by interplanetary dust as the Earth eclipses the Sun.

NASA's Artemis II mission shared its first image of Earth from space as astronauts prepare for a historic journey to the moon.

A new analysis of meteorite isotopes challenges long-held ideas about Earth’s origins, suggesting our planet may have formed almost entirely from nearby material rather than distant sources. Planetary scientists have long debated the origin of the material that formed Earth.

In school, we learned about the asteroid that wiped out an estimated 76% of all creatures. Scientists now call this the fifth mass extinction. You’re reading that correctly: throughout Earth’s history,

Researchers at Flinders University have concluded that the global human population surpassed Earth’s sustainable carrying capacity more than six decades ago, entering a prolonged period of ecological overshoot fueled by fossil energy and accelerating resource consumption.

NASA spokesperson Lauren Low told PolitiFact that one of the reasons Earth appears duller is because the new photo was taken at night, with only moonlight lighting the planet. The 1972 photo was taken in direct sunlight. The two images were also processed differently, she said.

The NASA crew, which has temporarily lost contact with mission control, is expected to reach its farthest distance from Earth while seeing parts of the lunar far side never seen with human eyes.

The four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft are heading to the Moon after completing the critical engine burn that propels the capsule on its journey.