Blue Marble, Pale Blue Dot…whatever you call it, it’s Home
18 Sep 2012, 23:18 UTC
35 years ago today, September 18, 1977, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft turned its camera homeward just about two weeks after its launch, capturing the image above from a distance of 7.25 million miles (11.66 million km). It was the first time an image of its kind had ever been taken, showing the entire Earth and Moon together [...]
Photo of Earth and Moon captured by Voyager 1 on Sept. 18, 1977 (NASA)
35 years ago today, September 18, 1977, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft turned its camera homeward just about two weeks after its launch, capturing the image above from a distance of 7.25 million miles (11.66 million km). It was the first time an image of its kind had ever been taken, showing the entire Earth and Moon together in a single frame… crescent-lit partners eternally paired in space.
I must say, it brings to mind a quote by the contentious British astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle (who famously coined the term “Big Bang”, albeit in disparagement) –
“Once a photograph of the Earth, taken from outside, is available – once the sheer isolation of the Earth becomes known – a new idea as powerful as any in history will be ...
