First Ever ‘Space Selfie’ by Buzz Aldrin Heads to Bloomsbury Auctions

This might be your chance to own the first ever space selfie. A collection of prints from NASA’s photographic archive is going under the hammer at London’s Bloomsbury Auctions on February 26. The extraordinary images will be displayed at Mallet Antiques prior to the sale.

From the Earth to the Moon includes photos taken by several American astronauts. The sale’s highlights include a photo by John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. It also features a 1972 portrait of Harrison Schmitt standing by the American flag with planet earth in the background. Taken by Eugene Cernan, it has been described as “one of the great photos to come out of the space program,” by NASA’s photo supervisor Richard Underwood—and of course, the 1966 ‘space selfie’ taken by space pioneer Buzz Aldrin.

Sarah Wheeler, Head of Photographs at Bloomsbury Auctions commented: “These photographs are more than merely documentary, many are simply sublime. They represent a golden age in the history of photography as well, when a few men went to the unknown to bring back awe-inspiring pictures. The view of the first Earthrise over the lunar horizon changed Man’s relationship with the cosmos forever.”

Estimates for the photographs range between £300 ($457) to £10,000 ($15,236).