Astronauts aboard Artemis II have shared some spectacular images from space and the source came as a surprise to viewers on social media. NASA shared three photos from astronauts aboard the mission, all of which were shot by an iPhone. The pictures, shared during mission preparations, were taken using Apple’s latest iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Over seven hours, the astronauts took thousands of photos that will help inform scientists’ understanding of the moon. The first ones have now been released.

Take a look at some of the incredible pictures captured by the Artemis II astronauts on their history-making journey around the Moon. The crew have travelled to a part of space never visited by humans - until now.

The Artemis II crew flew farther from Earth than any humans in history as they passed over the far side of the moon on Monday night.

But experts said the surface of the Moon was “far more colourful” than commonly realised, because of metals and minerals in the lunar dust. The green shades suggest the presence of titanium, or of olivine, the mineral that constitutes peridot gemstones. Brown patches are probably caused by iron oxide, also known as rust.

Artemis II is returning home after breaking the record for the farthest distance traveled by humans from Earth and setting the stage for a manned lunar landing.

Observers were left confused by NASA's statement that the Artemis II crew are the first humans to see the far side of the moon.

The Artemis II crew enters a historic communications blackout Monday as their spacecraft slips behind the Moon's far side, breaking distance records.