My Mind Is Completely Blown After Looking At These "Then And Now" Pictures Of Planets

Space, man. Space.

Quick note: some of these are composite/mosaic images of older images updated with modern technology and released years later. I've generally used the dates of the publication of the composites instead of the dates the pictures were taken in their raw form. Also, these are pictures of the planets then and now, not the actual planets, obviously. Enjoy!

Mercury in 1974:

Historical / Getty Images

Mercury in 2008:

Nasa / Getty Images

Mercury in 2012:

NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Mercury in 2013:

NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Venus in 1974:

Heritage Images / Getty Images

Venus in 1979:

Time Life Pictures / The LIFE Picture Collection via

Venus in 2012:

Universal History Archive / Universal Images Group via Getty

Venus in 2020:

NASA

Earth in 1946:

White Sands Missile Range/Applied Physics Laboratory

Earth in 1959:

NASA

Earth in 1967:

Department of Defense Gravitational Experiment

Earth in 1972:

NASA/Apollo 17 crew

Earth in 2002:

Terra > MODIS

Mars in 1873:

Adoc-photos / Getty Images

Mars in 1925:

Adoc-photos / Getty Images

Mars in 1965:

Nasa

Mars in 1976:

Adoc-photos / Getty Images

Mars in 1995:

Adoc-photos / Getty Images

Mars in 2013:

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Jupiter in 1879:

Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Jupiter in 1974:

NASA Ames

Jupiter in 1991:

NASA/JPL

Jupiter in 2020:

NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Saturn around 1879:

Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Saturn in 1979:

NASA Ames

Saturn in 1980:

Time Life Pictures / The LIFE Picture Collection via

Saturn in 1981:

Afp / Getty Images

Saturn in 2016:

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Saturn in 2019:

NASA, ESA, A. Simon (GSFC), M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL Team

Uranus in 1986:

NASA/JPL

Uranus in 1998:

NASA/JPL/STScI

Uranus in 2006:

NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute

Neptune in 1989:

Time Life Pictures / The LIFE Picture Collection via

Neptune in 1998:

NASA/JPL

And just for good measure... Pluto in 1994:

Credit: Dr. R. Albrecht, ESA/ESO Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility; NASA

Pluto in 2006:

Nasa / Getty Images

Pluto in 2010:

NASA, ESA, and M. Buie (Southwest Research Institute)

Pluto in 2015:

NASA / Handout

Miss ya Pluto!