The beautiful images of the Moon captured by Artemis II and the cameras used

Following its launch last week, NASA's Artemis II mission is becoming a social phenomenon thanks to its images.

The live broadcast of the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission to the Moon
Photographing the Milky Way from locations with varying levels of light pollution

The photos that the astronauts of this mission are sending back to Earth from the Orion MPCV spacecraft are truly spectacular, both those they are taking of our planet and those that show the far side of the Moon, that part of our satellite that has not been seen by human beings with their own eyes for more than half a century, since the Apollo program was canceled.

In those more than 50 years, cameras have advanced considerably. To begin with, their technology has gone digital, and today they have truly spectacular ISO levels (the sensitivity of the camera sensor to light) and resolution levels. Today NASA released a series of photos from Artemis II flying over the Moon that exemplify the quality of current cameras and their ability to leave us in awe of the images they capture. The photos you can see in this article are taken from that series.

On April 4, NASA explained that the Orion spacecraft carries 32 cameras and video-capturing devices, "including any instrument with a lens capable of capturing photos or video, inside or on the exterior of the vehicle. The systems support engineering, navigation, crew monitoring, and a range of lunar science and outreach activities. Fifteen cameras are mounted directly to the spacecraft, and 17 are handheld cameras operated by the crew."

On April 3, NASA's Johnson Space Center noted that astronauts are carrying Nikon Z9 handheld cameras to capture high-resolution images through the spacecraft's windows, showing this image from one of them.

The Nikon Z9 is a professional mirrorless camera with a considerable price tag (the body alone costs around €3,000). It features a 45.7-megapixel stacked full-frame CMOS sensor, an ultra-fast EXPEED processor, Deep Learning-based autofocus, and can record 8K video. It was released in late 2021. This photo shows one of the Z9 cameras on Artemis II. The astronauts pictured are Victor Glover (left, pilot, NASA), Reid Wiseman (center, commander, NASA; he is holding the camera), and Jeremy Hansen (specialist, right, Canadian Space Agency).

A Z9 was used to capture this photo of a lunar eclipse as seen from the Orion spacecraft, taken on April 6. According to the photo's EXIF ​​data (available here), it was captured in manual mode with a 35mm f/2D lens and an ISO of 1600.

In December 2023, NASA announced that the Artemis II mission would carry two Nikon D5 DSLR cameras, along with lenses, batteries, and other accessories for this model. In March 2026, NASA confirmed the presence of these cameras on board. The D5 was released in 2016 and has been used by NASA on numerous space missions. It has a 20.8-megapixel sensor, can record 4K video, and has a 153-point autofocus system. Its launch price was around €6,000. In the summer of 2017, NASA sent 10 Nikon D5 cameras to the International Space Station (ISS), so many photos you see taken from there were captured with that camera model.

In this photo, we see Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen with a Nikon D5, taking pictures through one of the windows of the Orion spacecraft during the flyby of the Moon on April 6. According to the EXIF ​​data, this photo was taken with a Nikon Z9. Most of the photos of the Moon shown in this article were taken with Nikon D5 cameras.

One ​​of the photos captured by Artemis II with its Nikon D5 is this beautiful image of Earth rising behind the Moon. It was taken in manual mode, with an 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens, ISO 400, and a shutter speed of 1/1000.

This beautiful photo of the lunar eclipse was captured with a D5. If you click on the image to see a larger version, you'll notice some noise (for those unfamiliar with photography, noise is the grainy effect that appears in photos taken in low light and at a high ISO). The EXIF ​​data for this photo indicates that it was taken in manual mode with a shutter speed of 1/6, an 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens, and an ISO of 40000. The ISO range of the Nikon D5 goes from 100 to 102400, making it a very good camera for astrophotography.

Another photo taken with one of the D5 cameras on the Orion spacecraft. It was taken on April 6 and shows Vavilov crater, on the edge of the Hertzsprung Basin, on the far side of the Moon. According to EXIF data, the photo was taken in manual mode with an exposure time of 1/500, an 80-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 lens, and ISO 400.

A beautiful photo of Earth behind the Moon taken on April 6, during a flyby of the Moon. In the visible portion of our planet, we see the lower half still in darkness. The surface of the Moon shows the Ohm crater on the far side. EXIF data indicates that the photo was taken with a Nikon D5 using an 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens, in manual mode, with an exposure time of 1/1000 and ISO 400.

A photo of the craters on the eastern rim of the South Pole-Aitken Basin, the largest and oldest basin on the Moon, located mostly on the far side. EXIF data indicates that this photo was taken in manual mode with a Nikon D5, using an 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens, a shutter speed of 1/500, and ISO 400.

An image of the Orientale Basin, one of the youngest and best-preserved impact craters on the Moon, at the boundary between the near and far sides. EXIF data indicates that the photo was taken with a Nikon D5 using an 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens, in manual mode, with an exposure time of 1/1000 and ISO 400.

We conclude with the spectacular photo that heads this article: Earth setting behind the Moon on April 6, with the Orientale Basin visible at the edge of the lunar surface and the Hertzsprung Basin showing subtle concentric rings. Swirling clouds are visible over Australia and Oceania in the daytime portion of Earth. EXIF data indicates that this photo was taken with a Nikon D5 and an 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens, in manual mode, with an exposure time of 1/800 and ISO 400.

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Photos: NASA.