NASA Satellite Provides New Views of Earth at Night
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Home  >  Beams of light  >  Spectrum of lights  >  Space Exploration  >  NASA Satellite Provides New Views of Earth at Night

User Rating: 5 / 5

Star ActiveStar ActiveStar ActiveStar ActiveStar Active
 

slider_earthatnight_East_US

Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin recently wrote an essay in Technology Review about the experience of looking down at the Earth.Here's an excerpt:

596px-Aldrin_Apollo_11_original

"As Neil and I first stood on the surface of the moon looking back at Earth -- a bright blue marble suspended in the blackness of space -- the experience moved us in ways that we could not have anticipated. We immediately realized just how precious our tiny planet truly was, knowing that everyone who had ever lived, all the knowledge that was ever discovered, everything we had ever known or loved, resided on that astonishingly beautiful, incredibly small planet we call our home.

slider_earthmarble3

"Yet there was also a sense of connectedness. Earth is in space, and everything that formed our planet -- the elements from distant stars that combined with other elements and found their way to this special crucible that produced life, our life -- came from space. Given that, the very question of whether we should go into space seems moot. We are already in space."

Aurora_Australis

The aurora australis (above),also known as "southern lights," can be seen over Antarctica's Queen Maud Land and the Princess Ragnhild Coast.

video_New_Photos_of_the_Earth