A photo taken on the way back from the Moon is quietly turning into one of Apple’s best adverts yet. It wasn’t even planned that way.
During a recent NASA livestream, Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman showed off a striking image of the lunar surface captured using an iPhone 17 Pro Max. The shot, which was taken from aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, highlights the Chebyshev crater on the Moon’s far side. It’s impressively detailed for something taken on a phone.
According to details shared alongside the image, the photo was captured using the iPhone’s 8x zoom. This offers a closer look at the Moon than most people will ever see, even with dedicated cameras.
While early posts referenced the smaller Pro model, metadata confirms the astronauts were actually equipped with the Pro Max variant.
It is not just a one-off, either. The Artemis II crew has been snapping photos throughout the mission. They’ve put the iPhone through its paces in one of the most extreme environments imaginable. Alongside the phones, the crew also has access to GoPro and Nikon cameras. But it’s the iPhone shot that’s grabbing attention.
Furthermore, the timing works out nicely for Apple. The Artemis II mission has already set records for distance travelled from Earth. Images like this underline just how far smartphone cameras have come. Thus, reactions of people on social media have ranged from disbelief to admiration. Some users on Reddit are joking that the shot could double as a lifelong wallpaper, or Apple’s next billboard.
The crew is now heading back to Earth, with splashdown expected off the coast of San Diego. But this photo, snapped hundreds of thousands of miles away, might stick around a lot longer.
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