One Moon, 32 cameras, 10,000 photos – as a photographer, I’m awed by the Artemis II photo album. These are the best ones so far

The upper half of the moon, partially lit, with a small crescent-shaped Earth in the background — (Image credit: NASA)

The crew list for the Artemis II includes a commander, pilot, and two mission specialists – but while “photographer” may not be one of the titles, photography was very much part of the first human mission to the Moon in more than 50 years. Artemis II photographs are the intersection of science and art, serving as both a tool for observations and iconic works of art at the same time.

During the livestream of the flyby around the dark side of the Moon, the Artemis II crew estimated they had taken around 10,000 photos of the Moon. NASA says that the Orion has 32 cameras on board – eliminating the cameras that are fixed in place, the crew has 17 photo-taking devices to work with. That includes the main camera, a Nikon D5 DSLR, along with a Nikon Z9 mirrorless camera, GoPros, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

As a photographer who loves to dabble in photographing the stars and the northern lights, I’ve been watching the photos sent back from Orion with fascination. Hearing the crew had 10,000 photos feels rather like coming home from photographing a wedding and realizing how many photos I have to go through. And the gear on board? It includes a 10-year-old DSLR and a nearly 12-year-old GoPro as well as a newer mirrorless and smartphone – so I feel less bad that the camera in my bag is one generation old.

NASA has gradually been releasing some of the Artemis II photos, but many more will likely arrive after the crew’s expected splashdown Friday evening, estimated for just after 8 PM ET on April 10.

As a photographer, I think these are the best photos coming back from the Artemis II mission so far.

Earthset

This photograph of the Earth "setting" over the lunar surface is one that I was hoping to see among the Artemis II photos because it recreates an iconic 1968 photo from Apollo 8. That historic space photo is credited with inspiring Earth Day and uniting a divided planet amid the Vietnam War with its awestruck view of our planet.

Keeper of the Night Sky

The moon fills half the frame, showing both the Earth-facing side and dark side of the moon — Keeper of the Night Sky: The Moon fills half the image in a shot that shows both the Moon we can see from Earth and the side that we can't (Image credit: NASA)

I love this photo because it shows both the side of the Moon that we can see from Earth and the side that's only visible with space travel. The dark patches at the top are created from ancient lava, NASA says. Those dark patches are the near side of the Moon that we can see from Earth (Ironic that the "dark side" of the Moon is actually lighter). Underneath that large dark patch is part of the side of the Moon that's not visible from Earth. That large crater is called the Orientale basin.

Artemis II in Eclipse

Pictures from Artemis II during the solar eclipse that the astronauts experienced from the dark side of the moon. — Artemis II in Eclipse: This is wide-angle shot during the total eclipse the astronauts experienced showing the Moon, the sun's corona, and stars in the background (Image credit: NASA)

On Earth, the totality phase of a solar eclipse usually lasts for only a few minutes, but Artemis II astronauts experienced nearly an hour of totality, allowing for iconic photos like this one. Scientists are actually still debating whether the halo around the Moon is the sun's corona, zodiacal light, or a mix of both – but as a photographer, I love how the Moon is softly lit just enough to see a few craters, but you can still see the stars in the distance.

Shadows at the Edge of Lunar Day

A portion of the Moon coming into view along the terminator &ndash; the boundary between lunar day and night &ndash; where low-angle sunlight casts long, dramatic shadows across the surface. — Shadows at the Edge of Lunar Day: The edge of the Moon's night and day creates shadows across the surface (Image credit: NASA)

Photography is all about light – and this Moon close-up is the perfect example of how much difference light can make. The harsh, directional light adds depth and drama to this close-up, but the light also helps the Artemis II astronauts observe the Moon's topography in more detail.

Starstruck

FD06_PAO — Starstruck: A view of the Milky Way taken from aboard the Orion (Image credit: NASA)

The Earth's atmosphere (and light pollution) interferes with how many stars we can see from Earth. This photo, taken on Orion on April 7, shows a dazzling view of the Milky Way. One of the Artemis II astronauts snapped this photo with the Nikon Z9 and a 35mm lens.

An Orion selfie

FD04_PAO_Window_Selfie — Orion Selfie! Mission Specialist Christina Koch is in the bottom window, Commander Reid Wiseman is in the top window (Image credit: NASA)

Okay, so this photo is far from perfect – it's overexposed and hazy. But look closer, and you can see the astronauts looking out the windows of Orion! I'll forgive the exposure errors for that, after all, this was taken with an 11-year-old GoPro Hero4 Black mounted outside Orion.

Solar Eclipse of the Heart

This image captured from the outside of Orion on the Artemis II spaceflight was captured with a GoPro Hero4 Black — Solar Eclipse of the Heart: A GoPro shot of the Orion with the eclipsed Moon (Image credit: NASA)

That's not to say that an 11-year-old GoPro can't take great pictures. This photo, taken during the eclipse that the astronauts experienced, is phenomenal. It shows both the Orion and the Moon and even manages to catch a few stars. Not bad low-light image quality coming from an older action camera.

The lines between night and day

The moon half lit — (Image credit: NASA)

The Earth, half lit — (Image credit: NASA)

These two images, one of the Earth and one of the Moon, show what the split between night and day looks like from space. I love how similar these two photos are, despite having entirely different subjects.

A Room With A View

The Moon and Earth outside a window from Orion — A Room with A View: This shot serves as a reminder that all these photos were seen by human eyes out the window of Orion (Image credit: NASA)

While the photos coming from Artemis II are impressive, what's most unique is that these photos are coming from human hands, not unmanned space probes. This photo out the window of the Orion is a reminder that the Artemis II is a very human space experience.

A selfie with Earth

Mission Specialist Christina Koch looks out the window of Orion back to Earth — (Image credit: NASA)

NASA only recently approved smartphones for space. This photo of Mission Specialist Christina Koch was shot on an iPhone 17 Pro Max with the front camera. This photo captures the awe of a human leaving Earth, all from a camera that feels very appropriate for our generation.

Hello, World

A view of Earth from Artemis II with the northern and south lights at each pole — Hello, World: This shot has both the northern and southern lights in one photo (Image credit: NASA / Reid Wiseman)

Look closely at this one, and you can see both the northern and southern lights in one shot! I think this a pretty amazing view of Earth, which the Artemis II captured early in the mission.

Epic infrared shots of the launch

Image 1 of 3

In this black and white infrared image, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on the Artemis II mission, Wednesday, April 1, 2026 — (Image credit: NASA / Bill Engals)

I love seeing all the different perspectives of the launch from so many cameras – but NASA's infrared images have an otherworldly feel that's entirely appropriate for the subject. Infrared cameras work with infrared rather than visible light, so these shots reveal details that the visible light shots did not. The photo of the rocket boosters separating from the core stage has a lot more detail visible than the similar shots taken with more traditional cameras.

A long exposure launch

In this three minute exposure, NASA&rsquo;s Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on the Artemis II mission — (Image credit: NASA/Keegan Barber)

The Space Launch System carrying Orion went from 0 to 17,000 mph in just eight minutes. This photograph is a three-minute exposure, so it shows the path of the spacecraft across the sky.

A launch close-up

NASA&rsquo;s Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches — (Image credit: NASA)

I look at shots like this and I have to wonder...were any cameras melted in the making of this shot? Hopefully, this was a remote camera with a long lens that was unharmed during the launch, but either way, this close-up of lift-off is rather epic.