One photo of Earth, taken Thursday by Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from the Orion window, shows the planet backlit, with auroras visible at the top right and bottom left, Lakiesha Hawkins, deputy director for NASA’s Artemis program, said Friday during a news conference.

A stunning Earthset image from Artemis II recalls Apollo 8's Earthrise, marking humanity's return to deep space and the start of a new era of exploration.

Koch reflected on the nearly 10 days the Artemis II crew spent in space while attending an event in Houston, Texas

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 four astronauts on the ship are returning back to Earth following a landmark 10‑day journey around the Moon.

Artemis II’s journey back to Earth will likely trigger a “sonic boom” so strong that it could end up rattling windows in parts of Southern California, according to officials. The gumdrop-shaped Orion spacecraft is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday night — bringing a dramatic end to humanity’s first voyage to the moon in more than half a century.

Spacecraft structural analyst Dylan Dickstein analyzes Artemis II’s return to Earth after a historic trip around the moon on ‘Fox News @ Night.’

The realizations on social media align with what researchers have long known about Earth's composition.