Iconic view of Earth from Apollo 17

Filed under best of, pretty pictures, global views, pics of Earth by planetary missions, human spaceflight, Earth, NASA lunar missions before 2005

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One of the most famous images of the twentieth century, this view of the fully lit globe of Earth was taken from Apollo 17 shortly after its launch on December 7, 1972. The full view was enabled by the fortuitous alignment of Earth, spacecraft, and the Sun.

NASA

Original image data dated on or about December 7, 1972