NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, while on its mission to study a metal-rich asteroid, has captured a stunning view of Earth and the Moon from deep space.
The new image obtained by Psyche was taken from 180 million miles (290 million kilometers) away in July 2025. The images depict Earth as a bright pinpoint of light, with the Moon appearing as a smaller dot nearby.
Psyche Back Looks Toward Home
During a routine instrument calibration, the NASA Psyche team was testing the spacecraft’s dual-camera system on July 20 and 23, as Psyche’s multispectral imager captured multiple long-exposure photographs (up to 10 seconds each) of Earth, with a backdrop of stars in the constellation Aries.
The spacecraft’s camera system includes a pair of identical cameras equipped with telescopic lenses and filters. The imagery obtained with the probe’s cameras will help researchers study asteroid Psyche at different wavelengths of light, which will aid scientists in understanding its makeup. Looking at small variations (described as “bumps and wiggles”) in the spectral data, researchers can identify what minerals and metals have been collected to make up the planetary body.
A Pale Blue Dot
The Psyche spacecraft is not the first spacecraft to glance back toward the planet it once called home and send back images. In February 1990, Voyager 1, at the request of a notable astronomer, Carl Sagan, turned its cameras back towards Earth from more than 3.7 billion miles (6 billion km) away, capturing an iconic image that the late astronomer and humanitarian famously called “the pale blue dot.”
“We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot,” Sagan said of Voyager’s distant view. “That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives.”
Trading Cards of Our Solar System
In the past, similar techniques have been used to analyze the Moon and the asteroid Vesta, offering researchers a preview of what Psyche might reveal once it arrives at its target.
“When we select calibration targets, we look for objects that shine with reflected sunlight, just like Psyche does,” explained Jim Bell, the Psyche imager instrument lead at Arizona State University. “We’re essentially collecting solar system ‘trading cards’ to run through our pipeline, so we can be sure the imagers are giving us accurate results.”
Earlier this year, the spacecraft also tested its instruments by imaging Jupiter and Mars, both of which have distinct reddish spectral signatures compared with Earth’s bluer tones. Each test is compared against previous telescopic or spacecraft observations, ensuring ongoing consistency and helping engineers detect any shifts in instrument performance.
“We are up and running, and everything is working well,” said Bob Mase, project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We’re on track for our Mars flyby in May 2026 and accomplishing everything we planned for this phase of the cruise.”
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com.