A mobile phone in the pocket transforms into a space exploration camera, showcasing the Chebyshev crater through an iPhone lens as the Orion spacecraft journeys back to Earth.
The Artemis II crew, who recently made history traveling farther than any humans before, are now returning to Earth with a stunning collection of photographs that have gone viral across global social media, especially images of the lunar surface.
Recently, photos taken by Reid Wiseman were featured in NASA's live stream using the camera of an iPhone 17 Pro Max that the astronaut carried aboard the Orion spacecraft.
The images reveal clear details of the Chebyshev crater on the Moon's far side, with metadata confirming they were taken using the iPhone 17 Pro Max's 8x zoom mode.
Although early reports mentioned the device as an iPhone 17 Pro, evidence from the image files shared by NASA confirms it was Apple's top-tier model provided to the astronauts. Besides the iPhone, Nikon and GoPro cameras were also used to record this historic mission.
Reddit discussions noted this might be the best Apple commercial footage in a decade, highlighting the phone's remarkable ability to capture images from beyond Earth, and joked that the astronauts will have the coolest wallpapers once safely back home.
The Orion spacecraft is scheduled to splash down in the ocean off the coast of San Diego on Friday, 10 April.