NASA's biggest collection of Artemis II images is tucked away in this hidden album, from a colorful moon to star trails

FD06_Returned_1013_D5_015_Wiseman — (Image credit: NASA / JSC)

When the Orion capsule of the Artemis II mission splashed down into the Pacific Ocean last month following a 10-day gallivant around the Moon, it didn’t just bring the four astronauts aboard home safely, it also brought back the thousands of images they took during the journey.

Artemis II not only marked the first human-crewed flight bound for the Moon in more than 50 years, but it set records in taking humanity farther away from Earth than ever before—surpassing 406,778 km (252,760 miles) to exceed the Apollo 13 record—and making the astronauts the first people to ever see the far side of the Moon with their own eyes.

A photograph of the moon and Earth taken from Artemis II — (Image credit: NASA)

It’s no wonder that the crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—along with the automated onboard cameras, snapped over 10,000 shots in the lunar flyby alone, and now, incredibly, NASA has begun sharing these with the public.

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NASA shared images during and after the mission on Flickr and the NASA Media Library, but the largest collection that I've seen so far comes from the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth website, which currently hosts 12,217 images taken during the mission, including candid portraits of the Orion occupants and awe-inspiring scenes of the Moon's crater-filled landscape and our planet from afar.

However, accessing the images feels a bit hidden. Try this permalink to the Artemis II gallery. If that doesn't work – the images are large, so loading can take some time – use the search page, scroll down to "Search Using Other Methods" and then type in the mission name "ART002-E" to find Artmis II images.

The Artemis II crew &ndash; (clockwise from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover &ndash; pause for a group photo — The Artemis II crew – (clockwise from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover – pause for a group photo in zero gravity (Image credit: NASA)

We knew that there would be a ton of images to marvel at following the mission, as NASA gave us a glimpse of some 10,000 captured during the livestream of the Artemis II Moon flyby alone.

However, Scientific American suggests that there may be some 18,000 more images to be added to the existing collection, given that the image codes run from ART002-E-168 to ART002-E-30001. Just a heads-up, the platform is slow, so you’ll have to be patient to view these amazing photos.

Looking at such a large collection includes shots with blur and exposure errors, so besides being an inspirational look at our Moon, the stars, and Earth, it should make photographers feel better about coming home from a shoot with some imperfect shots – because that's human and normal.

The album includes a number of stunning images beyond what NASA released during the mission's early days. Here are a few favorites from the impressive collection.

FD07_Returned_0007_Z9_019 — Star trails shot on the Nikon Z9 (Image credit: NASA / JSC)

FD06_Returned_0025_Z9_019_Wiseman — A closeup of the moon from Wiseman on the Nikon Z9 (Image credit: NASA / JSC)

FD02_Returned_1004_D5_017 — The sunrise and a bit of aurora from the night side of Earth, shot with the Nikon D5 (Image credit: NASA / JSC)

FD06_Returned_1013_D5_017_Wiseman — Another close-up with the Nikon D5 (Image credit: NASA / JSC)

FD04_Returned_0022_Z9_019_Glover — This shot from Glover shows the moon from a distance and offers a sense of scale as to what the astronauts witnessed en route (Image credit: NASA / JSC)

FD06_Returned_1008_D5_015_Glover — This shot by Glover shows a "crescent" Earth (Image credit: NASA / JSC)

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I’m a writer, journalist and photographer who joined Digital Camera World in 2026. I started out in editorial in 2021 and my words have spanned sustainability, careers advice, travel and tourism, and photography – the latter two being my passions.

I first picked up a camera in my early twenties having had an interest in photography from a young age. Since then, I’ve worked on a freelance basis, mostly internationally in the travel and tourism sector. You’ll usually find me out on a hike shooting landscapes and adventure shots in my free time.

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