NASA Artemis astronaut shares unedited video of the Moon shot an iPhone

A breathtaking glimpse of Earth from orbit is going viral, with a NASA astronaut capturing a rare "Earthset" moment from the International Space Station.

The post shared on X by astronaut Reid Wiseman has attracted more than 12 million views. The Artemis astronaut described the experience as a "once in a lifetime" view, likening it to watching a sunset from "the most foreign seat in the cosmos." The video was captured using an iPhone with 8x zoom and shows Earth slowly disappearing from view, creating an orbital equivalent of a sunset. According to Wiseman, the footage is uncropped and shot at 8x zoom, closely matching what the human eye sees from space.

The moment wasn't just captured on a phone. Fellow astronaut Christina Koch was simultaneously photographing the event with a high-powered Nikon camera and a 400mm lens, capturing bracketed shots to achieve a higher dynamic range. Nearby, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen were also observing the rare view from different windows aboard the International Space Station.

What makes the clip particularly striking is its authenticity, as there's no heavy editing, filters, or cinematic tricks. We instead have a raw, very grounded, human perspective on spaceflight, highlighting both the beauty of Earth and the scale of the environment in which astronauts are. As space exploration becomes more visible through social media, moments like this continue to resonate, offering a rare and personal look at life beyond our planet, and a reminder of just how small Earth appears from orbit.

In other iPhone news, it was reported at the beginning of March that Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone is the "most significant overhaul" of the iPhone yet, marking a massive shift from Apple.