Earth to Artemis: NASA Drops Thousands of High Resolution Images from Artemis II

The high resolution photos highlight an historic mission and bring the sights of human space travel to personal devices around the globe. Earthsets, a lunar eclipse, and the scarred lunar surface are among the deep image cache.

Taken as Artemis 2 swung around the far side of the Moon, a crescent Earth sits over 250,000 miles from the spacecraft. Source: NASA
Taken as Artemis 2 swung around the far side of the Moon, a crescent Earth sits over 250,000 miles from the spacecraft. Source: NASA

Orion’s high resolution cameras were bustling during NASA’s recent 10-day mission. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen took the first journey back to the Moon since the 1970s during the historic Artemis II mission in April 2026.

Technology has advanced exponentially since the last mission of its kind, and NASA ensured the stunning sights of space travel could be captured for Earth-bound inhabitants to enjoy. NASA had released a few lower-resolution images as they were received by the crew, but data transfer limitations through the cosmos limited the flow of real-time images.

Artemis 2 astronauts likely utilized a long exposure to capture distant stars. Source: NASA
Artemis 2 astronauts likely utilized a long exposure to capture distant stars. Source: NASA

Now that the physical SD cards have returned home, NASA released thousands of stunning high resolution images captured by the four astronauts. The images number more than 12,000, all of which are free to view in varying resolutions at NASA’s Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth portal.

Lunar Views: Light and Dark

A close flyby of the moon gave astronauts the capability to capture lunar surface geological features in stunning detail. These images will be key to scout out ideal landing sites of future Artemis missions as well as a future lunar surface base.

The Orientale basin is nearly 600 miles wide, and formed roughly 3.8-3.9 billion years ago. The impact of a large asteroid or comet excavated a cavity in the lunar crust, melting rock and triggering volcanic flooding. Source: NASA
The Orientale basin is nearly 600 miles wide, and formed roughly 3.8-3.9 billion years ago. The impact of a large asteroid or comet excavated a cavity in the lunar crust, melting rock and triggering volcanic flooding. Source: NASA

Key geologic features stand out on the scarred surface, including the prominent Orientale basin. The impact crater is 600-miles wide and falls along a transition area between the light and dark sides of the moon (as seen from Earth). A more wide-angle view shows the scale of the crater against the lunar surface.

Orientale basin stands in stark contrast against the remaining lunar surface. The iron-rich volcanic rock provides a darker contrast against the surrounding highlands. Source: NASA
Orientale basin stands in stark contrast against the remaining lunar surface. The iron-rich volcanic rock provides a darker contrast against the surrounding highlands. Source: NASA

The jagged terrain of the Moon’s surface is evident in a notable image from the darkside, as the shimmering sun shines along the lunar terminator. Lunar mountain ranges and crater rims highlight the irregular lunar terrain.

The Sun passes behind the Moon in a uniquely-viewed solar eclipse. Source: NASA
The Sun passes behind the Moon in a uniquely-viewed solar eclipse. Source: NASA

As the Orion capsule swung around to the far side, the crew was treated to a lunar-centric solar eclipse. With the sun darkened and backlit by the Moon, a few stars begin to peak out from the void.

Images of Home

Before dipping below the lunar horizon, the crew witnessed the dramatic setting of their point of origin. Snapped nearly a quarter of a million miles from home, the crew witnesses the crescent Earth setting amid the lunar foreground.

The Earth sets behind the lunar surface as the crew travels to the far side of the Moon. The last mission to travel such distance was Apollo 13 in 1970. Source: NASA
The Earth sets behind the lunar surface as the crew travels to the far side of the Moon. The last mission to travel such distance was Apollo 13 in 1970. Source: NASA

Hundreds of images of Earth are peppered throughout the image catalog. A unique capture includes the perspective of Mission Specialist Christina Koch as she gazes upon her home planet.


This moment, captured about halfway on their journey to the moon, puts Koch and the remaining crew further into space than any human since the Apollo missions.

Mission Specialist Christina Koch views the Earth from the window of the Orion space capsule. Source: NASA
Mission Specialist Christina Koch views the Earth from the window of the Orion space capsule. Source: NASA