Hera spacecraft captures stunning images of Earth and Moon during asteroid mission

The Hera spacecraft is on its way to study an asteroid but recently captured images of Earth and the Moon from over one million kilometers away. This marks the first time Hera's instruments were activated since its launch. The images show Earth’s clouds and the Moon’s surface features, including dark plains. Hera's instruments will also analyze the asteroid's surface properties and mineral composition. Hera will reach the asteroid Dimorphos in December 2026. The mission aims to understand the effects of NASA's DART mission, which successfully altered the asteroid's path.