Dominique Ciccolella
Sale Coordinator and Expert Liaison
This auction has ended. View lot details
You may also be interested in
![[Mercury Atlas 6] FIRST SPACE SUNSET: captured by the first human to photograph from space John Glenn, 20 February 1962 image 1](/_next/image.jpg?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg1.bonhams.com%2Fimage%3Fsrc%3DImages%2Flive%2F2025-03%2F24%2F25639331-29-1.jpg&w=2400&q=75)
![[Mercury Atlas 6] FIRST SPACE SUNSET: captured by the first human to photograph from space John Glenn, 20 February 1962 image 2](/_next/image.jpg?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg1.bonhams.com%2Fimage%3Fsrc%3DImages%2Flive%2F2025-03%2F24%2F25639331-29-4.jpg&w=2400&q=75)
![[Mercury Atlas 6] FIRST SPACE SUNSET: captured by the first human to photograph from space John Glenn, 20 February 1962 image 3](/_next/image.jpg?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg1.bonhams.com%2Fimage%3Fsrc%3DImages%2Flive%2F2025-03%2F24%2F25639331-29-3.jpg&w=2400&q=75)
![[Mercury Atlas 6] FIRST SPACE SUNSET: captured by the first human to photograph from space John Glenn, 20 February 1962 image 4](/_next/image.jpg?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg1.bonhams.com%2Fimage%3Fsrc%3DImages%2Flive%2F2025-03%2F24%2F25639331-29-2.jpg&w=2400&q=75)
Lot 6
[Mercury Atlas 6] FIRST SPACE SUNSET: captured by the first human to photograph from space John Glenn, 20 February 1962
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue Hoche€4,000 - €6,000
Looking for a similar item?
Our Post-War and Contemporary Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Sabine Cornette de Saint Cyr
Head of Department
Chloe Mayot
Senior Cataloguer
Marion Richard
Specialist
[Mercury Atlas 6] FIRST SPACE SUNSET: captured by the first human to photograph from space
John Glenn, 20 February 1962
Printed 1962.
Vintage chromogenic print on early fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image MA-6-40452-053].
Annotated in blue pencil "MA-6 hand held camera" with "EKC" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
One of the first and extremely rare full-colour photographs taken by John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth and the first human to capture photographs from space. Overwhelmed by the breathtaking view of a sunset from orbit—a scene that has inspired countless science-fiction stories—Glenn captured this stunning image during the first orbit of Friendship 7. He described the scene: "Orbital sunset is tremendous... a truly beautiful, beautiful sight, [...] Setting sun wraps a scarf around Earth's curving face." The photograph reveals a thin layer of Earth's atmosphere illuminated by the setting Sun, sandwiched between the dark Earth below and the black expanse of space above. At the capsule's incredible speed, the Sun sets 18 times faster than on Earth. Unlike the gradual darkening sky on Earth, the horizon in space is marked by a vivid striped ribbon of light extending from north to south. Glenn's images, published in National Geographic in June 1962, offered humanity its first glimpse of the awe-inspiring beauty of space.
Printed 1962.
Vintage chromogenic print on early fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image MA-6-40452-053].
Annotated in blue pencil "MA-6 hand held camera" with "EKC" watermark on the reverse (issued by NASA).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
One of the first and extremely rare full-colour photographs taken by John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth and the first human to capture photographs from space. Overwhelmed by the breathtaking view of a sunset from orbit—a scene that has inspired countless science-fiction stories—Glenn captured this stunning image during the first orbit of Friendship 7. He described the scene: "Orbital sunset is tremendous... a truly beautiful, beautiful sight, [...] Setting sun wraps a scarf around Earth's curving face." The photograph reveals a thin layer of Earth's atmosphere illuminated by the setting Sun, sandwiched between the dark Earth below and the black expanse of space above. At the capsule's incredible speed, the Sun sets 18 times faster than on Earth. Unlike the gradual darkening sky on Earth, the horizon in space is marked by a vivid striped ribbon of light extending from north to south. Glenn's images, published in National Geographic in June 1962, offered humanity its first glimpse of the awe-inspiring beauty of space.
Footnotes
John Glenn reporting from Friendship 7:
"The speed at which the sun goes down is remarkable. The white line of the horizon, sandwiched between the black sky and dark Earth, is extremely bright as the Sun sets. As the Sun dips lower, the bottom layer becomes orange, fading into red, then blues and blacks as you look farther toward space."
(National Geographic, June 1962, p. 809)
Glenn later reflected on his lifelong admiration for sunsets:
"I've always been a collector of memorable sunrises and sunsets. I just can't imagine people oohing and aahing over what I suppose to be great art and casually ignoring a sunset or a sunrise that is particularly beautiful."
(Schick and Van Haaften, p. 19)
In his Pilot's Flight Report, Glenn added:
"Some of the most spectacular sights during the flight were sunsets. The sunsets always occurred slightly to my left, and I turned the spacecraft to get a better view. As the Sun moves toward the horizon, a black shadow of darkness moves across the Earth until the whole surface, except for the bright band at the horizon, is dark. This band is extremely bright just as the Sun sets, but as time passes, the bottom layer becomes a bright orange and fades into reds, then darker colours, and finally blues and blacks. One point of interest was the length of time during which the orbital twilight persisted. Light was visible along the horizon for 4 to 5 minutes after the sunset—a long time, considering that sunset occurred 18 times faster than normal."
Literature
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, JUNE 1962, p. 810 (variant)
Additional information
Bid now on these items
