NASA's ESCAPADE captures Earth and Moon in thermal infrared

Technology Jul 25, 2026

NASA's ESCAPADE mission, heading to Mars, sent back photos of Earth and the Moon from nearly 584593km away.

The photos show both worlds as crescents in visible light, but in thermal infrared the difference is clear: Earth's nightside glows from trapped heat thanks to its atmosphere and oceans, while the Moon's nightside is absolutely freezing without either.

ESCAPADE to probe Mars atmosphere loss

These pictures aren't just for show: they help fine-tune ESCAPADE's instruments before it gets to Mars.

Once there, the twin spacecraft will study how solar wind affects Mars's magnetic field and atmosphere.

This could finally help explain how Mars lost much of its atmosphere over billions of years.