For as long as humanity has existed, we’ve been obsessed with two things: outer space and taking selfies. Imagine how incredible it felt when technology finally advanced far enough to combine our two most deeply ingrained interests.
Spacecraft and cameras have both come a long way since the first photo from space was taken in 1946. Take a look at this gallery, which is organized from the oldest picture to the newest, and watch as the photo quality skyrockets before your very eyes.
It didn’t take much to be an impressive photo of space in the 1940s, so just sit tight. I promise if you keep scrolling they’ll get more exciting. Enjoy!
1
The first picture from space, taken in 1946 by a camera riding on a V-2 missile. Historically significant, but booo-ring!
2
The first color image of Earth from space, taken in 1954. It was composed of 117 separate images taken from an altitude of 100 miles.
3
Taken in 1959, this is the first ever photo of the far side of the moon.
4
First image of Earth with a human floating in space, from 1965. The person is Alexei Leonov, who was the first to ever leave a spaceship in space.
5
The first images of the surface of Mars, captured in 1965.
6
Earthrise is a photo of Earth taken from lunar orbit in 1968.
7
A photo taken in 1969 of Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon. The Earth is reflected in his visor.
8
This image of Earth, called the “Blue Marble” was taken in 1972.
9
A photo taken by NASA in 1973 of the sun experiencing a solar flare.
10
The first close-up picture of Saturn, from 1973.
11
The first photograph ever taken on the surface of planet Mars. 1976.
12
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, photographed by Voyager in 1979.
13
In this picture, from 1984, Bruce McCandless II performs the first untethered space walk.
14
The Pale Blue Dot, the first photo of Earth from beyond the solar system. 1990.
15
This photo, named “The Pillars of Creation” was taken in 1995 by the Hubble Space Telescope. It shows interstellar gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula.
16
The Hubble Ultra Deep Field is a photo taken in 2004 that contains nearly 10,000 galaxies.
17
Self-portrait of astronaut Tracy Caldwell in the International Space Station in 2010.
18
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft took this natural-color photo of Saturn in 2013.
19
The Horsehead Nebula, photographed in 2013 by the Hubble Space Telescope.
20
Curiosity rover’s selfie from the surface of Mars, 2015.
21
The Bubble Nebula, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2016.
22
The first-ever picture of a supermassive black hole, taken in 2019.
23
Jupiter and Europa, captured in 2020.
24
This portrait, named “Tapestry of Blazing Starbirth” was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2020 for its 30th anniversary.
25
“Cosmic Cliffs”, a photo taken by the James Webb telescope in 2022.
26
James Webb telescope takes a picture of the Phantom Galaxy in 2022.
27
The Westerlund 1 cluster, captured in 2024 by the James Webb telescope.
