The Blue Marble from Apollo 17

This classic photograph of the Earth was taken on December 7, 1972. The original caption is reprinted below:

View of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the moon. This translunar coast photograph extends from the Mediterranean Sea area to the Antarctica south polar ice cap. This is the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to photograph the south polar ice cap. Note the heavy cloud cover in the Southern Hemisphere. Almost the entire coastline of Africa is clearly visible. The Arabian Peninsula can be seen at the northeastern edge of Africa. The large island off the coast of Africa is the Malagasy Republic. The Asian mainland is on the horizon toward the northeast.

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Image courtesy NASA Johnson Space Center Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

Published January 31, 2001
Data acquired December 7, 1972

Source:

Photograph

Topic:

Radiance Or Imagery > Visible Wavelengths > Visible Imagery

Collection:

Blue Marble