Amazing picture and truly gives us an idea of how insignificant we are. Bizarrely, the thing that really brings that home to me is the end of Men in Black, where the camera pulls out from New York City, to NY state, USA, North America, Earth, Solar System, Galaxy etc, etc and then it turns out that our entire universe is just one of many marbles being played with by vast alien beings.
Interesting fact: Voyager 1 travels at just under 40,000 mph. That is just incredible.
great photo but why is Earth the only planet that is illuminated on the picture and why are there no stars showing ?
And if it's 40 times further from the earth than the sun is, where is the sun?
The issue is more there isn't enough definition to make a reference based on the cosmos to work out where earth is in its orbital period and where the rest of the planets might be, could simply be the planets and sun are all out of shot.
The effect itself is called planetshine and earth has a very strong planetshine compared to other planets in our solar system because of the makeup of our atmosphere, it reflects a large portion of light which is the only reason we survive to begin with.
Been fascinated by astronomy ever since I was a 7 year old, when my Grandad bought me a telescope.
Some 40 odd years later, I still vividly remember looking up at the Moon with it and being completely absorbed and transfixed. That feeling hasn't changed.
I was fortunate enough to do a hike in the Grand Canyon, with colleagues, 10 years ago. We bedded down for the night on a sandy bank next to the Colorado River. I've never seen a night sky like it, it was simply mind blowing! I just stared at it all night.
Tenuous I know, but I 'discovered' this artist a short time ago (anecdotally, whilst watching a tribute to David Rocastle). This track is called 'Earth'. Very cleverly written by Ryan O'Neal.
Thirty years ago this week, one of the most spectacular and thought-provoking photographs was taken.
On 14 February 1990, the 772kg robotic spacecraft, Voyager 1, took the final pictures of its mission, having been turned round to face the planet from which it had been travelling for eleven years. The photo was taken from 3.7bn miles away. To put that in context, that's more than 40 times the distance from Earth to the Sun.
The spacecraft's two cameras were then powered down and were not able to take any more photographs. Voyager 1 - and the gold-plated record it contains - are now more than 13.8bn miles from Earth. It is the furthest man-made object from Earth and is still in contact with the Deep Space Network.
The photograph shows one, single speck of pale blue light, emanating from planet Earth. Every person that has ever existed has lived out their life within the minuscule dimensions of that, tiny dot. The entire history of mankind, from the initial upright-walking of homo sapiens to the present day has taken place inside that single pixel.
Comments
Interesting fact: Voyager 1 travels at just under 40,000 mph. That is just incredible.
The effect itself is called planetshine and earth has a very strong planetshine compared to other planets in our solar system because of the makeup of our atmosphere, it reflects a large portion of light which is the only reason we survive to begin with.
If you look closely enough, it shows the Earth as being spherical in shape. Utter nonsense, we all know it's flat!
If you look really carefully, you can even see the CIA planning their next attack on American infrastructure and people!
Been fascinated by astronomy ever since I was a 7 year old, when my Grandad bought me a telescope.
Some 40 odd years later, I still vividly remember looking up at the Moon with it and being completely absorbed and transfixed. That feeling hasn't changed.
I was fortunate enough to do a hike in the Grand Canyon, with colleagues, 10 years ago. We bedded down for the night on a sandy bank next to the Colorado River. I've never seen a night sky like it, it was simply mind blowing! I just stared at it all night.
Tenuous I know, but I 'discovered' this artist a short time ago (anecdotally, whilst watching a tribute to David Rocastle). This track is called 'Earth'. Very cleverly written by Ryan O'Neal.