How Astrophotography Has Improved Over the Past 135 Years

Want to see how much our ability to photograph space has improved over the past 135 years or so? Just check out the side-by-side comparison above. On the left is a photo of Jupiter from back in 1879 as it appeared in the book “A History of Astronomy in the 19th Century” by Agnes Clerk. On the right is a photo NASA shot in 2014.

What’s more, amateur astrophotographers can now capture photos of Jupiter and moon transit events from their own backyard using ordinary consumer cameras and smartphones.