Spaceflight

NASA releases 12,000 Artemis pics! See our faves here

Posted by
Kelly Kizer Whitt
and
May 6, 2026
A black sphere in space, with some markings on the top left and a glow all around it, with some stars.
This is one of the thousands of images from the Artemis 2 mission that NASA recently released. In this image, you can see the moon, with some craters visible at top left, and the glow of the eclipsed sun shining behind. Over the weekend, NASA released 12,000 Artemis pics to the public. See our favorites below. Image via NASA.

NASA releases 12,000 Artemis pics!

NASA has released more than 12,000 images from the Artemis 2 mission on its website. They are a collection of views of Earth and the moon that the astronauts captured while aboard their spacecraft, Integrity. The website is here. Note that a high interest in the images has caused the website to go offline numerous times since NASA released the pictures.

To find images from the Artemis 2 mission, you’ll want to click on Search Photos. Then scroll down to the box that says “Search using NASA Photo IDs” and enter ART002-E (for the Artemis 2 mission). Then hit Run Query. Voilà!

At this point, the image data is mostly blank. A few of the downloads shared information on which astronaut – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen – took the image. But most did not. Eventually, the details on who took each photo with what equipment and what you’re seeing in the photo will come.

It’s not the smoothest process! But thankfully, beloved science communicator Hank Green has built a solution. He’s created a website that allows you to view the best Artemis 2 mission photos in chronological order. Take a look. And he’s currently running a public vote to find the best of the new 12,000 photos so he can add them to the site. You can take part here.

And now, relive the thrill of the mission with some of EarthSky’s favorite images below.

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Some of our faves

Closeup of the edge of the moon with some roughness and a bright glow at one spot.
Reid Wiseman took this image showing sunlight peeking out from behind the moon. You can even see some unevenness in the moon’s terrain on the limb (edge). Image via NASA.
12,000 Artemis pics: Part of the moon with many craters and some dark areas with irregular outlines.
Here’s a shot of the moon that Reid Wiseman took during their lunar flyby. Instead of a man in the moon, can you see craters that almost create an image of a bear’s face near the center of the image? Image via NASA.
Part of the moon seen against black space. It is heavily cratered.
This closeup of the moon’s cratered limb (edge) is from Victor Glover. Image via NASA.
Closeup of the moon on left, very much smaller blue and white crescent Earth on right.
Christina Koch captured this image of the moon (left) and distant Earth (right). Image via NASA.

Looking toward home

Sharp blue and white crescent Earth lit on the right side.
Here’s a view of the crescent Earth from the window of the Integrity spacecraft. Image via NASA.
A darkish blue and gray Earth with a sliver of light on the right side.
This is the “dark side” of Earth, with the sun lighting up the limb (edge) on the right. Image via NASA.

Thin light blue curve, brighter in the middle, through darkness.
Victor Glover took this image of Earth’s thin atmosphere lit from behind. Image via NASA.
Part of Earth showing blue water and white clouds plus a little land below.
Victor Glover captured this image of home. Image via NASA.

Seeing stars

The starry band of the Milky Way with some cloudy patches of gas and dust.
The Artemis 2 astronauts also had a good view of the Milky Way galaxy. Image via NASA.
Fuzzy band across dark space with many short, bright concentric lines.
Here’s a view of the Milky Way with a time lapse that reveals star trails. Image via NASA.

Bottom line: NASA has released more than 12,000 Artemis pics to the public. See some of our favorites here and find out how to access them yourself!

Read more: Artemis 2 splashdown! Astronauts return safely from historic mission

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Posted 
May 6, 2026
 in 
Spaceflight

Kelly Kizer Whitt

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About the Author:
Kelly Kizer Whitt - EarthSky’s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube - writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She's been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children's picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.

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