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NASA Artemis II Livestream April 2026 Moon Launch

chrisb732
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Vinz Clortho Vinz Clortho
The official NASA website has a nice gallery of pics and videos. USA Today has multiple galleries, thinking from each daily upload from NASA, which has a lot of pictures.

Sure there's others out there but these have been great so far:

https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/journey-to-the-moon/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/04/06/nasa-artemis-2-photos-moon-earth/89480920007/
Thank you for that, I can’t wait to see the pictures from today! What a day it was!
 
pdxleaf
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art002e009276~large.webp


This is so wierd. This is not the moon we've seen night after night our whole lives.
 
Vinz Clortho
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
art002e009276~large.webp


This is so wierd. This is not the moon we've seen night after night our whole lives.
The cratering and details of the surface is insane. It's like seeing the Moon for the first time through the eyes of a child with curiosity and a ton of questions. Relearning what we thought we already knew along side everyone else.
 
Duracuir1
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From the Royal Canadian Mint.

ATTACH]3348234[/ATTACH]
IMG_5579.webp IMG_5580.webp


That is what it looks like under blue light. (In above pic).

IMG_5578.webp
 
pdxleaf
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There're going to be amazing photos

07HS-moon-first-pix-02-mobileMasterAt3x.webp
 
vbrad26
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The new photos are probably what I was most excited about!
 
Vinz Clortho
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The pictures coming out have been amazing to say the least. The difference between film 50+ plus years and digital photography shows the versatility and changing exposures, etc.

From the detailed moon pictures to capturing the eclipse, along with the Earth Rise, every photo is mesmerizing. Not to mention the different pics from inside the capsule and real time feeds, it's almost indescribable the experience the Artemis crew is able to share with the world.

art002e009288orig.webp art002e009281~large.webp art002e009287~large.webp art002e009289~large.webp art002e009298~large.webp art002e009567~large.webp art002e009573~large.webp art002e009283~large.webp art002e009295~large.webp art002e009293~large.webp
 
Vercingetorix
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I’m going to assume those are taken with a D5. 20.8 megapixel 10 year old camera.
 
dsio
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Vercingetorix Vercingetorix
I’m going to assume those are taken with a D5. 20.8 megapixel 10 year old camera.
I'd read they chose that because after 10 years it's known and proven to have a very low failure rate, good durability, and a sensor that is relatively resistant to radiation for a consumer product.

Kind of a similar approach to the Speedy, using an off the shelf product that's well known, understood to be highly durable and not go down the rabbit hole of relying on something task specific
 
ghce
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Vercingetorix Vercingetorix
I’m going to assume those are taken with a D5. 20.8 megapixel 10 year old camera.
Most of my cameras are about 10 to 12 years old, my opinion is that pro-consumer camera IQ technology has plateaued from about that point. Yes sure there are cameras with better AF speed and Frame Rate etc but for sensor IQ it's a path of diminishing returns.
 
Trev
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ghce ghce
Most of my cameras are about 10 to 12 years old, my opinion is that pro-consumer camera IQ technology has plateaued from about that point. Yes sure there are cameras with better AF speed and Frame Rate etc but for sensor IQ it's a path of diminishing returns.
Better dynamic range on some of the newer sensors though, even higher-res ones. That would've been useful here.
 
ghce
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Trev Trev
Better dynamic range on some of the newer sensors though, even higher-res ones. That would've been useful here.
Actually I had hoped for better images than have been put up. Don't get me me wrong they are good but I was sought of expecting something next level given the distances and only vacuum in-between ie no atmospheric dust! Looking at some of the pic I did however notice that we're at quite hi ISO's
 
Vercingetorix
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ghce ghce
Actually I had hoped for better images than have been put up. Don't get me me wrong they are good but I was sought of expecting something next level given the distances and only vacuum in-between ie no atmospheric dust! Looking at some of the pic I did however notice that we're at quite hi ISO's
There is also the multilayer glass who knows how thick they are shooting through.
 
vbrad26
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There is also a Z9 on board.
But here is a blurb about the D5:

The choice wasn't arbitrary, either. According to NASA's Orion Imagery Working Group planning document published in December 2023, the D5 was selected for qualities that matter specifically once you get beyond Earth’s orbit (which, let’s not forget, no human has ventured beyond for over half a century). The camera's high dynamic range handles the extreme contrast between sunlit surfaces and deep shadow, its radiation resistance is well-documented beyond low Earth orbit, and its ISO range extends to an expanded equivalent of 3,280,000.

This gives it a significant low-light advantage over newer models. For comparison, the Nikon Z 9, which many would have expected to be in pole position for a mission such as this, tops out at ISO 102,400.

That is a critical performance advantage when it comes to Artemis II and shooting in the darkness of deep space, and especially the brief transit around the far side of the Moon.

The deeper reason, however, looks to be certification. Nikon's involvement with NASA goes back to Apollo 15 in 1971, and the company has supplied cameras to the ISS continuously since 1999. It knows as well as anyone therefore that all hardware sent beyond low Earth orbit must survive launch vibration, thermal extremes, vacuum exposure, and sustained radiation bombardment. This is a qualification process that takes years and must be completed before any mission window. The D5 has that history; the Nikon Z 9, despite being in regular use on the International Space Station since 2022, has not.

https://www.redsharknews.com/artemis-ii-nikon-d5-dslr-moon-camera
 
E
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IMG_9273.webp
I was watching this live and had a double take, luckily someone else caught it and took a snapshot, here’s another angle 😬 Moonwatch is back on the Menu my dudes 🤣

Swatch is going to make a killing with the earth rise moons watches
 
pdxleaf
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If this photo from the ISS is an indication, NASA doesn't mess around when it comes to cameras. Look at all the gear in the background

Screenshot_20260408_074756_Telegram.webp
 
ghce
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
If this photo from the ISS is an indication, NASA doesn't mess around when it comes to cameras. Look at all the gear in the background

Screenshot_20260408_074756_Telegram.webp
Yeah, and the best place ever for a teaspoon !

Just don't try and stir a cup of Tea with that thing.
 
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