Artemis II in photos: around the moon and inside Orion

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The Artemis II crew captured many incredible photos from space during their historic lunar mission. 

The dozens of images taken by the astronauts include never before seen views of the moon, a total solar eclipse and a stunning shot of Earth. They also sent home plenty of photos showing what life inside the Orion capsule has been like on their trip to the moon and back. 

Here are some of the best of those photographs. 

Earth from space

One of the first images from the crew, NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman took this picture of Earth from the Orion spacecraft’s window last Friday.

a view of Earth taken by NASA
A view of Earth from space from aboard the Orion spacecraft. (Reid Wiseman/NASA/Getty Images)

During their flyby of the moon, the Artemis II crew captured these images of Earth that channel Apollo 8’s famous “Earthrise” shot from 1968.

A view of the Earth from space.
The Earth draws closer to passing behind the Moon in this image captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. (NASA)
A heavily cratered moon is seen in the foreground with a small crescent Earth in the background.
Earth is seen over the Moon’s curved limb in this photo captured by the Artemis II crew during their journey. (NASA)

The Moon and beyond

The crew captured this close-up shot of the moon’s near side as their Orion spacecraft approached for a lunar flyby. The near side is characterized by dark patches of ancient lava, according to NASA.

A view of the near side of the moon.
A view of the near side of the moon taken by the Artemis II crew at the start of their lunar flyby. (NASA)

This fully illuminated view of the Moon shows the near side (the view we can see from Earth) on the right, while on the left is the far side of the moon, the hemisphere we don’t get to see because the moon rotates on its axis at the same rate that it orbits Earth.

A fully illuminated view of the Moon.
A fully illuminated view of the Moon taken during the Artemis II lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. (NASA)

The Artemis II crew captured this image about three hours into their lunar observation period as they flew around the far side of the moon, showing its rugged topography of craters, ridges and basins.

A view of a portion of the moon showing dozens of craters and ridges.
A view of a portion of the moon’s surface captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. (NASA )

This image shows the Vavilov Crater on the rim of the older and larger Hertzsprung basin on the surface of the moon.

A close up view of a large crater on the moon's surface.
A view of the Vavilov Crater on the rim of the older and larger Hertzsprung basin on the moon on April 6, 2026. (NASA)

The crew also got to see an eclipse from space during their flyby. From the crew’s perspective, the moon appeared large enough to completely block the sun “creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth,” according to NASA.

A glowing halo around a dark circle in space.
Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the moon fully eclipsing the Sun. (NASA)

The Artemis II crew used eclipse glasses to safely take it in.

Four people take a selfie while wearing eclipse viewers.
Artemis II crew members, from left, Christina Koch and Victor Glover with Jeremy Hansen and Reid Wiseman using eclipse viewers. (NASA)

The crew also captured this spectacular photo of our galaxy, the Milky Way.

A view of a galaxy in space, appearing like a white swirl surrounded by hundreds of bright white dots.
The Milky Way galaxy is pictured in this photo taken by the Artemis II crew on April 7, 2026. (NASA)

Life aboard the Orion

The crew took a break from observing the moon to take this group selfie.

Four people smile for a group photo while aboard a spacecraft.
Artemis II crew members, from left, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch, turn the camera around for a selfie midway through their lunar observation period of the moon during a lunar flyby Monday. (NASA/The Associated Press)

This photo of Jeremy Hansen shaving shows a moment of space self-care.

A man uses an electric shaver while using a cellphone as a mirror.
Artemis II mission specialist and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen enjoys a shave inside the Orion spacecraft. (NASA)

Mission specialist Christina Koch peers out of one of the spacecraft’s windows at Earth in one of the earliest images from the Artemis II mission.

A woman peers out the window of a spacecraft at Earth.
NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch peers out one of the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin windows. (NASA)

After successfully completing their trip around the moon, the crew had a group hug on Tuesday as their spacecraft made its way back to Earth.

Four people take part in a group hug while floating in a spacecraft.
Clockwise from left: Artemis II crew members Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, and Victor Glover take part in a group hug aboard the Orion spacecraft on April 7, 2026. (NASA)

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