The photography in astronomical research or the art of photographing astronomical objects and events for astronomical studies: By the method of astrophotography, the first successful photograph of a celestial object was the daguerreotype plate of the moon taken by John W. Draper (1811-1882) of the United States in March, 1840.

The first photograph of a star, Vega, was taken by U.S. astronomer William C. Bond (1789-1859) in 1850. Modern-day astrophotography now uses techniques; such as, charge-coupled devices (CCDs); forming images electronically.