First-ever ‘space selfie,’ other rare photographs going up for auction

The only photo of Neil Armstrong on the moon and the first-ever “space selfie” are going up for auction alongside thousands of other rare photographs from the “golden age” of space exploration.

The 2,400-photo “Voyage to Another World” collection, up for grabs at British auction house Christie’s, includes the first images of the Earth from space, the lunar surface, the dark side of the moon, spacewalks and moonwalks, according to a press release from the auction house.

The top lot is an unreleased photo of Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon, during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

That photo, taken by Buzz Aldrin, is estimated to be worth between 30,000 and 50,000 British pounds ($39,600 to $66,000), according to the auction house.

“This is probably humanity’s greatest creative and ingenious achievement, landing a man safely on the surface of the moon and bringing him back to Earth,” said James Hyslop, head of science and natural history at Christie’s in London. “Looking at some of these images, you can really be transported to the surface of the moon.”

The collection also includes a “space selfie” of Aldrin.

“We’re so used to selfies these days,” Hyslop said. “But this is a big camera that Buzz Aldrin had to turn around and pointed himself with a beautiful image of the Earth in the background.”

“The astronauts are often portrayed as great scientists and heroes, but rarely are they hailed as some of the most significant photographers of all time,” the auction house added.

The online auction began last Friday and runs through Nov. 20.

With Post wires