Earth, the Final Frontier


The last few weeks have seen many  astronomy related anniversaries and planned upcoming missions, so it's only fitting that this blog should also feature a series of photographs about space. With the recent celebration of Earth Day, the first post in this series should somehow tie all of these themes together with an amazing image. The above photograph of Earth from Mars is such an image.

This gray-scale picture is remarkable in that it is the first ever photograph of Earth from another planet. If you are having trouble finding the pale dot that is the Earth, have a look at the image below.

The credit to this photograph goes to NASA's Mars rover Spirit which has been peacefully hibernating for more than a year now. The image is actually a mosaic taken by the robot's panoramic camera, giving observers a view of the Martian Horizon with Earth visible. The contrast has been adjusted to make it easier for human eyes to make out that little dot that represents planet Earth.

There are many other fantastic images of Earth and space taken from other robots and satellites that could have been featured today (and probably will be featured on this blog in the future), but this one was chosen for many reasons. Firstly, this view from Mars' surface seems strangely familiar and alien at the same time; if not for the description in this post, it could easily be mistaken for a photo of space taken from Earth.

Secondly, that same view could one day be seen by future generations of humans without the aid of any camera or robot, but with their very own eyes. Lastly, it's a comforting thought that of all the photos of space that is available online, it's still an image of Earth, however faint it may be, that is still one of the most inspiring.

Speaking of space, this post would be found wanting if didn't also feature the Habitable Zones of the Internet, a very informative and entertaining site run by fellow blogger Astronomy Pirate. Mr. Pirate will no doubt correct any mistakes regarding the information presented in this post as well as any future posts about space.

The original photo mosaic of can be found here, hosted on NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory website. The Earth from Mars image with the text can be found here, which is part of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Flickr photostream.

Comments

  1. hope i'll be able to go there and see for myself...

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  2. Thanks for mentioning me. This is really a great photo, I haven't seen it for a couple years. As far as the science behind it, you got it pretty correct. And even though Spirit is in hibernation, there are plenty of future science missions planned for Mars and other planets to keep giving us wonderful photos like this until we can get there ourselves.

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  3. That looks really epic, actually.

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  4. I love space pictures of earth. You feel so small.

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  5. This has always fascinated me. Thanx for sharing... :)

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  6. Cool! This is an awesome article!

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  7. Spectacular, and very profound.

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  8. i am looking forward to some space photos :)

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  9. Wow, I must be REALLY small then! haha. cool picture, good post.

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  10. Sweet. This bodes well for future space exploration.

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  11. Wow, amazing stuff! Love the blog man!

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  12. Wow, this makes me feel so tiny in the vast thing called universe

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  13. It's more frightening than inspiring really. Makes you feel so small.

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  14. show me moreee, i find this stuff really intersting

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  15. We are are just a tiny cell of this whole universe!

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  16. It is a shame the NASA space project mainly for the moon is being shut down :/

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  17. Dat pale blue dot. Feels humbling man.

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  18. that is so crazy! we are nothing but a spect in the universe great pic

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  19. I always find space pictures so pretty, these had too few stars for my liking thuogh :P

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  20. We are pretty far away from everything... Makes ya realize how small we are when you see how big everything else is...

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  21. makes me think of cowboy bebop. not sure howd I feel about living on Mars.

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  22. Not as visually stunning as a lot of other pieces, but historically important.

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  23. That is an insane idea to wrap my head around.

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  24. this things are just way too over my mind

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  25. I love how insignificant this photo shows that we really are. It's kind of refreshing in a strange way.

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  26. wow cool photo - but awesome write up...I feel so tiny now

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  27. Thanks a lot for such a good post. Cheers.

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  28. I love pictures from outer space!

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  29. I'm not anywhere, I only think that I am.

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  30. I love how you always have someting new to say!

    please checkout my blog!

    remember I support you, support me!
    every support counts
    :P

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  31. Excellent photo, we are just a mere spec in this vast universe.

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  32. nah i dunno. but im pretty sure im not ther.

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  33. always awesome stuff. thank you :]

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  34. Wow that perspective is just overwhelming.

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  35. I never get the feeling of "I'm so small", I have both, we are (humanity) big deal and also, tiny to the universe. Tiny =/= nothing.

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  36. Suddenly life's little problems feel so insignificant.

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  37. Love the blog style! Keep up the great work!

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  38. oh there i am...
    great post!

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  39. At the begining I felt small when i saw stuff like this. But why should i? Really. I am not small. WE are not small

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  40. "to boldly go where no man has gone before"

    we should live on mars already.

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  41. Wow, makes you feel so small and insignificant when you see something like that.

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  42. wow that is an awesome perspective!

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  43. Truly in the spirit of Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot". A very similar picture, with a moving little story behind it. I think everyone could benefit from a little lesson in astronomy along these lines.

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  44. I had no idea what this picture was....but then I remembered astronomy in school and how small we are in the universe.

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  45. simply amazing. makes me thing of how fragile our World is.

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  46. you just made me feel so small. heeeeeellllooooooooooooo out there. doubt they can hear me, ha ha
    followed
    please check my blog out

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  47. I really hope I can live to see us make it there.

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  48. that picture is not very fun for me to think about... i feel... small? <3

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  49. just a small spec in the big universe

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  50. nice! That looks beautiful. Sure makes one feel small :-)

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  51. Best ever! Cool blog and I love this. Coming back for the updates!

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  52. It looked a little bit like a sheet with a light behind it at first and then it all made sense.

    Crazy that we have stuff taking pictures from other planets now. Just the other day Kennedy was talking silliness about the moon and now this!

    It's funny, lately I have been watching Star Trek The Next Generation and have been really enjoying it; it's nice to see that your blog and my life converge. Now I just have to find out how you know... haha. Great post.

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