NASA Shares Stunning Milky Way Photos from Artemis II Crew

The astronauts captured breathtaking images of our galaxy during their record-breaking lunar flyby.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 2:59pm

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A bold, abstract painting in soft blues, greens, and purples depicting the sweeping spiral arms and central bar of the Milky Way galaxy, rendered in a precise, geometric style that conveys the structural order of the universe.The Artemis II crew's stunning new photograph of the Milky Way galaxy offers a rare cosmic perspective from their record-breaking lunar flyby.San Diego Today

NASA has released new images from the Artemis II mission, including a group photo of the crew and a stunning photograph of the Milky Way galaxy. The astronauts captured the breathtaking galactic view during their successful lunar flyby as they race back to Earth, with a scheduled splashdown off the coast of San Diego in less than 48 hours.

Why it matters

The Artemis II mission marks a major milestone in NASA's ambitious Artemis program to return humans to the Moon. The new Milky Way images provide a rare perspective from space and offer the public a glimpse into the crew's historic journey.

The details

On April 7, 2026, the Artemis II astronauts took a breathtaking photograph of the Milky Way galaxy during their lunar flyby. NASA described the image, saying the Milky Way appears as a 'spiral galaxy with two arms wrapping off the ends of a central bar of stars' that is 100,000 light years across and contains 100 billion stars, with our solar system located in a small 'partial arm' called the Orion Spur.

  • The Artemis II crew is scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Friday evening.
  • The crew held a press conference on the eighth day of their mission as they raced back to Earth.

The players

NASA

The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the federal agency responsible for the Artemis program and the Artemis II mission to the Moon.

Artemis II Crew

The four astronauts who participated in the record-breaking Artemis II lunar flyby mission.

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What they’re saying

“'Sky full of stars. Following a successful lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts captured this breathtaking photo of our galaxy, the Milky Way, on April 7, 2026.'”

— NASA

What’s next

The Artemis II crew is scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Friday evening, where recovery teams will pick them up by helicopter and take them to the USS John P. Murtha for medical evaluations before traveling back to shore.

The takeaway

The stunning new images from the Artemis II mission provide a rare and awe-inspiring glimpse into our galaxy, further fueling public excitement and scientific interest around NASA's ambitious Artemis program to return humans to the Moon.