Images That Changed History
A timeline gallery of the most impactful space images in human history
Earthrise
(Apollo 8)The first color photograph of Earth rising over the Moon
Changed humanity's perspective - we saw our home as a fragile blue marble
1968
Blue Marble
(Apollo 17)The most famous photograph of Earth - fully illuminated
Became an icon of environmentalism and global unity
1972
Pale Blue Dot
(Voyager 1)Earth seen from 6 billion kilometers away - a tiny speck
Carl Sagan's reflection on our place in the cosmos
1990
Hubble Deep Field
(Hubble Space Telescope)Thousands of galaxies in a tiny patch of sky
Revealed the vastness of the universe and billions of galaxies
1995
Pillars of Creation
(Hubble Space Telescope)Iconic image of star-forming region in Eagle Nebula
Most famous space image - shows beauty of cosmic creation
1995
First Black Hole Image
(Event Horizon Telescope)The first direct image of a black hole's event horizon
Confirmed Einstein's theory and opened new era of black hole astronomy
2019
Mars Selfie
(Perseverance Rover)First helicopter flight on another planet
Proved powered flight possible on Mars - new exploration era
2021
JWST First Deep Field
(James Webb Space Telescope)Deepest and sharpest infrared image of the universe
Revealed galaxies from 13 billion years ago - near the Big Bang
2022