NASA just released 12,000 more Artemis II photos ‪—‬ here are a dozen of our favorites

A photo of the solar eclipse seen by the Artemis II astronauts. (Image credit: NASA)

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For 10 days in April, NASA's Artemis II crew took a record-breaking trip around the far side of the moon and back. And like any group of friends on an epic spring break odyssey, the astronauts took way too many photos — more than 12,000, to be exact.

We've seen some of these photos already, from a rare view of the moon's far side during a solar eclipse to evocative shots of our planet disappearing behind the lunar horizon. But this weekend, NASA quietly uploaded thousands more to its public archive of astronaut photography. You can view the entire Artemis II gallery here.

Snapped from inside the Orion crew capsule by NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, the photos capture the crew's view of the mission from their first day in Earth orbit to their lunar flyby and back. If you don't have time to scour all 12,000 thumbnails, here are some of our favorites from the vast new collection.

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Knock, knock

(Image credit: NASA)

Who's that looking in through the Orion capsule window? Oh, just every human being in existence (well … minus the few on the International Space Station at the time). These images showing the spacecraft's interior and windows have become some of the most popular online, underscoring that four intrepid humans put themselves in extraordinary circumstances to bring us these rare views.

Sun-kissed moon

(Image credit: NASA)

Sun rays rain down on the moon and glint off the Orion capsule's window as the crew snaps a furious salvo of photos during their lunar flyby on April 6. At their closest, the crew flew within 4,067 miles (6,545 kilometers) of the lunar surface, giving them a rare view of the entire moon from the front, side and back.

Crater close-up

(Image credit: NASA)

Large, overlapping impact craters appear in remarkable detail as the team approaches the moon's terminator — the moving boundary that separates the sunlit side of the moon from the dark side. In this ultra-high-contrast region, the team spotted several impact flashes from renegade space rocks.

Farewell, Earth

(Image credit: NASA)

While orbiting around the far side of the moon, the Artemis II crew snapped some instantly iconic photos of Earth setting behind the moon. This alternate view shows one of the last moments before the pale blue dot disappeared from view, barely peeking out over the lunar horizon.

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Earthset through the glass

(Image credit: NASA)

Here's the same view of the final moments of Earthset — this time, with the edge of the Orion spacecraft's window in view, complete with glare and reflections on the glass. It's just another reminder that, behind these incredible photos were four friends floating in a capsule the size of a camper van.

Mountains of the moon

(Image credit: NASA)

As the crew flew around the far side of the moon, they witnessed a rare total solar eclipse from space. Just before the final rays of the sun gave way to utter darkness, white light from the solar corona (outer atmosphere) stabbed past the horizon, highlighting bumpy mountains on the moon's edge.

End of the eclipse

(Image credit: NASA)

After 40 minutes in silence and darkness, the crew reemerged from the far side of the moon. The moon's sunlit side came into view again, while zodiacal dust — clouds of tiny, interplanetary dust particles — reflected the sun's light in the distance.

Parts unknown

(Image credit: NASA)

On their way to and from the moon, the Artemis II crewmembers also had the chance to snap photos of the Milky Way without the obstructing lights of Earth in the way. The densest, most star-filled part of our galaxy glows in a scene similar to the view space telescopes like Hubble get all the time

Say, "the moon is made of cheese"

(Image credit: NASA)

Koch smiles for a portrait with Earth, which is barely visible as a slim crescent outside the Orion capsule window.

Cheshire Earth

(Image credit: NASA)

The sunlit side of Earth hangs like a smile on an invisible face as the astronauts leave the moon behind and head back toward their final destination in the Pacific Ocean.

Earth, the moon and the astronaut

(Image credit: NASA)

In another through-the-window shot, interplanetary dust clings to Orion's glass as one of the astronaut's reflections creeps into the frame alongside the moon and a crescent Earth.

Come round again sometime

(Image credit: NASA)

The moon fits perfectly in a round porthole on the Orion capsule as the crew makes their approach.

Artemis II is done, but these images will keep scientists busy for years to come as NASA prepares to return humans to the moon — this time, to land on the surface — as soon as 2028.

Are you a NASA nerd? See how well you score on our Artemis quiz to find out!

TOPICS Brandon SpecktorEditor

Brandon is the space / physics editor at Live Science. With more than 20 years of editorial experience, his writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Reader's Digest, CBS.com, the Richard Dawkins Foundation website and other outlets. He holds a bachelor's degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona, with minors in journalism and media arts. His interests include black holes, asteroids and comets, and the search for extraterrestrial life.

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