These are the highest-resolution images of the moon ever captured by human beings
5:00 PM CDT on May 5, 2026
The Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen snapped countless photos on their 10-day mission to the moon, and NASA just deposited 12,000 of them online.
Unfortunately, their photo system is a bit unwieldy—and might be overburdened by enthusiastic human spaceflight fans at the moment. So until they’re packaged more conveniently for public consumption, we’ve posted a few of the most staggering images from the database below.
If you’re feeling particularly patient, you can download the entire 15.5 gigabyte zip file here.
A view of the Earth showing breathtaking cloud formations swirling miles below, as well as the thin glow of Earth’s atmosphere.
A crescent of the Earth illuminated by the sun’s light. Views like this are what can lead astronauts to experience the “overview effect,” a sense of overwhelming and perspective-shifting awe.
The picture-perfect moon framed in the center of one of the Orion spacecraft’s windows. The instrument panels give you a sense of the somewhat cramped interior.
The rugged lunar surface in stark relief. The pristine detail captured really brings home that these are the highest-resolution photographs of the moon ever taken by a human.
Another image of the moon with what appears to be a reflection of the inside of the Orion capsule on the window.
Read more: “The Best Photos of the Artemis II Mission”
The surface of the moon with the crescent Earth looming in the background. The Artemis Crew II passed around 4,000 miles of the lunar surface and went farther into space than any human beings had ventured before.
Earthset on the moon.
As the Artemis II astronauts passed behind the moon they were treated to the rarest of solar eclipses. The stray bits of illumination are dust particles gleaming in the vacuum of space.
Light from the sun’s corona peeking over the lunar horizon highlighting the rough surface. During their lunar flyby, the Artemis II crew spent most of their time documenting features on the surface.
Crescent moon and crescent Earth photographed in the same window, showing where the astronauts have been and where they were returning back to. 
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Lead image: NASA
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