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When gazing up at the night sky, you’re likely to spot the moon, stars, and maybe even a planet or a few satellites. However, the images shared by the Artemis II crew offer a different perspective.
From their vantage point aboard the Orion capsule, the astronauts have been capturing and sharing breathtaking images of Earth and the moon. These snapshots provide us earthbound observers a glimpse of their extraordinary journey, including rare views of the Orientale basin—a part of the lunar surface never fully observed by humans before. The crew uses Nikon cameras to take these photos, and they also have iPhone 17 Pro Maxes for additional photography and video documentation.
Notably absent from these images are stars.
Slideshow: Photos from Artemis II mission
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This image provided by NASA shows a view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from of the Orion spacecraft’s window after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
In this photo provided by NASA, Commander Reid Wiseman looks at the Earth from a window aboard the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission en route to the moon on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This photo provided by NASA shows the Earth seen from a window on the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission en route to the moon on Friday, April 3, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This image provided by NASA, astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This image provided by NASA shows the Orion spacecraft with the Moon in the distance, as captured by a camera on the tip of one of its solar array wings, April 3, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This photo provided by NASA shows the Earth seen from a window on the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (NASA via AP) -
This image provided by NASA shows the moon from a photo taken by The Artemis II crew on day 4 of their journey to the Moon on Saturday, April 4, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This omission is largely due to the dimness of the stars and the camera settings used. Capturing starry skies would require cameras with a slower shutter speed and greater sensitivity to low light, adjustments not currently being made by the Artemis crew.
Additionally, photographing stars isn’t the primary focus of their mission.
In addition to unseen parts of the backside of the moon, NASA officials say they’ll be able to view Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn, as well as the solar corona when the Sun passes behind the moon in an eclipse.
Even though the photos coming in from space have black backgrounds, they’re being taken in periods of direct sunlight. The sun is shining on the spacecraft or the moon, making it quite bright. The cameras’ exposure settings have to be adjusted for that brightness, meaning the far-away, dim stars “remain invisible,” astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy told Reuters in 2022 during the Artemis I mission.
It’s like trying to take a photo of someone standing next to a very bright, sun-lit window, Emily Lakdawalla explained in a 2019 article for The Planetary Society. You may only be able to see that person’s silhouette since they aren’t brighter than the window.
To see the faint light of the stars, the astronauts would have to use a longer exposure time, a step that’s recommended when trying to capture weak but present northern lights. They could also adjust the aperture, a setting that controls how much light enters the camera, Astronomy explains.
However, that doesn’t work as well when there is a bright object – the sun reflecting off the spacecraft, the surface of the moon, or something else – in frame. Like taking a photo next to a bright window, a washed-out effect may happen, keeping the stars from view.
While the Artemis astronauts aren’t capturing photos of stars in space, other NASA spacecraft are hard at work doing so. Take, for example, the James Webb Space Telescope.
In 2025, it and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory captured the below photo of two massive galaxy clusters. The Webb telescope has also taken stunning photos of the Horsehead Nebula, a star birth in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex (our closest star-forming region), the Pillars of Creation, and the Tarantula Nebula and Carina Nebula star-forming regions. You can see those photos, as well as other star-studded images from the Webb telescope, in the slideshow below.
Slideshow: Photos from the James Webb Space Telescope
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This image made available by NASA on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 shows star 2MASS J17554042+6551277 used to align the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope, with galaxies and stars surrounding it. The hexagonal shape of Webb’s mirrors and its filters made the shimmering star look more red and spiky. The first science images aren’t expected until late June or early July. (NASA/STScI via AP) -
This image provided by NASA on Monday, July 11, 2022, shows galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope is designed to peer back so far that scientists can get a glimpse of the dawn of the universe about 13.7 billion years ago and zoom in on closer cosmic objects, even our own solar system, with sharper focus. (NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI via AP) -
This image provided by NASA on Monday, July 11, 2022, shows galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope is designed to peer back so far that scientists can get a glimpse of the dawn of the universe about 13.7 billion years ago and zoom in on closer cosmic objects, even our own solar system, with sharper focus. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI via AP) -
This image released by NASA on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, combined the capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope’s two cameras to create a never-before-seen view of a star-forming region in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), this combined image reveals previously invisible areas of star birth. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI via AP) -
This image released by NASA on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, shows the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on the James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals previously obscured areas of star birth, according to NASA. (NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI via AP) -
This image provided by NASA on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, shows a large pink, speckled galaxy resembling a wheel with with a small, inner oval, with dusty blue in between on the right, with two smaller spiral galaxies about the same size to the left against a black background captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. (NASA via AP) -
This image released by NASA on Sept. 6, 2022, shows the Tarantula Nebula star-forming region, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. Stretching 340 light-years across, Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) displays the Tarantula Nebula star-forming region in a new light, including tens of thousands of never-before-seen young stars that were previously shrouded in cosmic dust. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScl, and Webb ERO Production Team via AP) -
This image released by NASA on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, shows the Pillars of Creation, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope in near-infrared-light view. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI via AP) -
The first anniversary image released Wednesday, July 12, 2023, by Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach, shows NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope displaying a star birth like it’s never been seen before, full of detailed, impressionistic texture. The subject is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Klaus Pon via AP) -
This image of the Horsehead Nebula from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope focuses on a portion of the horse’s “mane” that is about 0.8 light-years in width. It was taken with Webb’s NIRCam (Near-infrared Camera). (NASA via AP) -
This NASA image shows two massive galaxy clusters previously captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory, with areas of possible dark matter in blue. (NASA via AP)
Even more photos from the Artemis II mission are expected after they splash down in the Pacific Ocean later this week. NASA officials said during a Sunday press conference that while photos are sent back to Earth when bandwidth allows, there are more on the cameras’ flashcards that will be recovered upon the crew’s return.