News

Artemis II Crew Captures Stunning Images of Earth Midway to Moon

Published

2 weeks ago

April 6, 2026

Artemis II Crew Captures Stunning Images of Earth Midway to Moon

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released the first high-resolution images of Earth taken by astronauts aboard the Artemis II mission as they reached the halfway mark between the Earth and the Moon.

NASA disclosed that the mission commander, Reid Wiseman, captured the “spectacular” images shortly after the crew executed a crucial engine burn that placed their spacecraft on a direct trajectory toward the Moon.

According to data from NASA’s dashboard at about 07:00 BST, the Orion spacecraft had travelled approximately 142,000 miles (228,500 kilometres) from Earth and was about 132,000 miles away from the Moon.

Reacting to the milestone, astronaut Christina Koch said the crew expressed collective excitement upon being informed of their progress, which came roughly two days, five hours and 24 minutes after liftoff.

One of the images, titled Hello, World, captures a sweeping view of the Atlantic Ocean, illuminated by a thin atmospheric glow as Earth partially eclipses the Sun. The photograph also shows green auroras near both poles.

In the image, Earth appears inverted, revealing parts of the western Sahara and the Iberian Peninsula on one side, and the eastern region of South America on the other. NASA identified a bright object visible in the frame as the planet Venus.

The images were taken shortly after the crew completed a successful trans-lunar injection burn, which propelled the Orion spacecraft out of Earth’s orbit as it begins its over 200,000-mile journey to the Moon.

Artemis II is currently on a looping trajectory that will take the crew around the far side of the Moon and back to Earth, marking the first human mission to travel beyond Earth’s orbit since the Apollo 17 Moon mission in 1972.

The spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is expected to fly past the far side of the Moon on April 6 before returning to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.

Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen told mission control in Houston that the crew had been “glued to the windows” capturing images of space following the burn.

“We are getting a beautiful view of the dark side of the Earth, lit by the Moon,” Hansen said.

However, the astronauts’ eagerness reportedly left smudges on the spacecraft windows, prompting Wiseman to later request guidance from mission control on how to clean them.

Wiseman had earlier noted the difficulty of photographing Earth from such a distance, likening it to trying to capture the Moon from one’s backyard due to exposure challenges, though he said conditions had since improved.

Another image released shows Earth divided between daylight and darkness, a boundary known as the terminator, while a separate shot highlights city lights glowing across the planet’s night side.

NASA also shared a side-by-side comparison between the latest images and a similar photograph taken during the Apollo 17 mission, noting that despite technological advancements over the past 54 years, Earth’s beauty from space remains unchanged.

Diaspora Diva

Diaspora Watch – Vol. 88

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2026

admin

📢 Diaspora Watch Newspaper – 88th Edition is Out!

The publishers of Diaspora Watch Newspaper are pleased to announce the release of its 88th edition, a compelling compilation of in-depth analyses and global perspectives on pressing international developments shaping today’s world.

Diaspora Watch FREE Digital View: https://diasporawatch.com/3d-flip-book/diaspora-watch-vol-88/

On Demand Print: https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3307041?__r=1069759

SUBSCRIBE TO DIASPORA WATCH NOW ON THE LINK BELOW!!!
https://diasporawatch.com/subscribe-to-diaspora-watch-newspaper/

Explore key global developments shaping today’s world:

• U.S.–Iran tensions after Islamabad talks collapse
• Gulf crisis and Strait of Hormuz concerns
• UN push to recognize slavery as a crime against humanity
• Africa CDC warns of major health system inefficiencies
• China’s IT expansion and India’s COP33 withdrawal
• UK and European economic and diplomatic updates

✨ Plus: Spotlight on Nigerian-American entrepreneur John Imah, building a $1.5B AI fashion-tech company.

Stay informed. Stay global. 🌍

#DiasporaWatch #africa #Iran #USA

News

Published

3 days ago

April 17, 2026

Excel Blogger

2026 UTME: JAMB Calls For Calm As Exam Disruptions Persist.

As the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) exercise enters day 2, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has assured candidates whose examinations were disrupted that they would be rescheduled to write them at a later date.

Public Communication Advisor of JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin stated this during the The Senate Committee on Tertiary Education monitoring of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Abuja on Friday.

Benjamin was responding to questions raised by disgruntled parents and candidates whose examinations were disrupted at the Good Success Computer Based Test (CBT) Center, Utako

On his part, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Mohammed Dandutse agreed that JAMB and CBT centers were faced with a lot of challenges but promised
to resolve them.

“From what we have seen, we have seen progress and we have seen a lot of challenges faced by the centres.

“And this one is not only in Abuja, it’s throughout the country. As a matter of fact, we sincerely appreciate what we have seen so far. Because the other issue is a technical issue, it happened yesterday and it also happened today, which was explained by the supervisor. But the truth of the matter, it has been a constraint to JAMB because these issues need to be addressed even before the exam takes place.

“As senators who are solely responsible for oversight and investigating the matters arising to this JAMB exam, I think we are going to look into how best JAMB will improve in most of the activities.

“We have already instructed them and told them to, as a matter of urgency, to take a definitive action so that the student will write the exam. And at the same time, we are going to review all the activities in JAMB so that we can make sure that these things do not happened again.

“So definitely we are going to address it and we are going to make sure that all the CBT centers are well functional and efficient. Because there is no moral justification for somebody to come from far away and will be living in trauma without writing the exam”, he said.

JAMB Spokesperson however maintained that the glitches were expected:

“Naturally, you should have one or two challenges here and there. It is not unusual and I don’t think there is anybody that will condone the exam using one thousand centers and then you expect that you won’t have any problem. But the most important thing is that if this problem do occur, are you prepared to handle them? And that is what we have just done there.

“That all those candidates will be rescheduled to another date, another center where they will sit the examination. It is natural to have a problem.

“As Nigerians, as citizens, that at least they are paying us with public funds, we are using public funds, they will expect 100%. But we know as operators that it is not easy, it is not possible for you to give 100%.

“But by the time you score 90%, at least you should have a term of. But for the candidate that have gone there, used the whole hours and sat inside the hall and then they didn’t take the exam, it is expected that they should vent their frustration. But it is natural”, he said.

Benjamin however, reassured that the Board would do the needful:

“We are assuring all Nigerians that every candidate who have registered for this exam will be given the opportunity to sit this exam. If your center fails today, you will be rescheduled again to take the exam. For any reason, even when you are rescheduled, and for any reason again, you are unable to sit the examination, you will be rescheduled again.

“That is why when we finish the exam, we have what we call the mop-up. The mop-up is to ensure that candidates whose center failed and they could not take the exam, we mop them up, give them a particular date for them to sit the examination. Because it’s a contract we have entered with them, they must sit the examination.

“But we’ll continue to do our best to ensure that we have minimal failure of these centers. And that is what we are doing. Out of 957 that we are using for this examination, I’m not sure we’ve had up to 10 or 8 centers that have failed”, he added.

Diaspora

ENTERTAINMENT – Diaspora Watch

Published

5 days ago

April 15, 2026

Excel Blogger

Late Afrobeat Pioneer, Fela Earns Historic Global Recognition.

Late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has been inducted into the prestigious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the first Nigerian artist to receive the honor.

Naija News reports that the announcement marks another major global recognition for the iconic musician, decades after his passing.

Fela was inducted under the “Early Influence” category, alongside renowned global music figures such as Queen Latifah, Celia Cruz, MC Lyte, and Gram Parsons.

The list of inductees was unveiled in the United States during a live broadcast of the popular television show, American Idol.

Also recognized is Nigerian-born British singer, Sade Adu, who will be inducted in the “Performer” category.

She joins a lineup of global stars including Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan.

Despite stiff competition, several high-profile nominees failed to make the final list. These include Shakira, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, New Edition, and Pink.

Organizers disclosed that over 1,200 artists, historians, and music industry professionals participated in the voting process.

The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 14 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.

Fela’s latest recognition comes just months after he made history in January as the first African musician to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The honor, coming nearly 30 years after his death, further cements his legacy as a global music icon and pioneer of Afrobeat.

It also follows the introduction of the Best African Performance category at the Grammy Awards two years ago, reflecting growing global recognition for African music.