Earthlings live at the bottom of the air ocean. But this ocean, although deeper than all real seas, is unimaginably thin by cosmic standards. Only a hundred kilometers separate the Earth from the darkness of space, but in this hundred there are beautiful sunsets, and clouds that bring life-giving rain, and deep, seemingly limitless, blue.

For half a century, the beauty of the earth's atmosphere can be seen from an unusual angle - from space. Flying around the Earth in 90 minutes, astronauts and astronauts observe sunrises and sunsets 16 times a day. The magnificent pictures taken by them capture these wonderful atmospheric phenomena.

Early morning over the southern hemisphere of the Earth. The stars and the moon shine brightly over the breaking dawn. Photo: NASA/Fragile Oasis

At the edge of night and day. When photographing with a long exposure the side of the Earth not illuminated by the Sun, one can detect the glow of settlements. This region of our planet is waiting for the morning. The dawn had already lit up the atmosphere.

"... And the Sun rises." A beautiful morning aboard the ISS. Photo: NASA

This image captures the silhouette of Space Shuttle Endeavor as it rendezvoused with the International Space Station. At this time, the orbital outpost was at an altitude of about 300 km above the South Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Chile. The orange layer in the photo is the troposphere, the lowest part of the earth's atmosphere. This orange layer gives way to a whitish stratosphere, which then passes into the mesosphere.

The coast of North Korea and the Sea of ​​Japan bathe in the rays of the rising sun. A picture of the earth's morning astronauts working on the International space station, see every 1.5 hours.

Evening Earth. When the Sun is at sunset, objects cast long shadows. However, shadows of this length are unlikely to be found on Earth!

Sun over the Pacific Ocean

Beautiful sunset over South America.

A meteor from the Perseid stream burns up in the Earth's upper atmosphere.

The moon and planet Venus rise above the morning Earth. Photograph of astronaut Don Pettit.

Sunrise over Buenos Aires.

3 years ago 3 years ago

24 of Earth's most iconic photos taken from space

When humans and robots are launched into space for long-range missions, there is an unspoken tradition of turning back to Earth briefly to take a picture.

These unique views of our home planet - taken from hundreds, thousands, millions or even billions of kilometers, often with outdated cameras - are rarely as vivid and colorful as our smartphone images of the earth's firmament.

But the exceptional perspective makes up for any visual shortcomings.

NASA/Flickr

Photographs of the Earth from space not only help scientists understand how the habitable world looks from afar, and in their search for more comfortable planets, but also remind us of a humble and frightening truth: we live on a tiny, fragile pebble, hopelessly lost in the void of space.

Here are 24 of the most breathtaking images of the Earth and Moon from space humanity has ever taken (we recommend viewing this post on a desktop computer).

Rare spacecraft launched by mankind enjoy the view of the Earth from a distance of thousands or even millions of kilometers.

NASA GSFC/NOAA

And NOAA created this composite image using photographs taken by the Suomi NPP meteorological satellite orbiting the Earth 14 times a day. You can see Tropical Cyclone Joalane in the Indian Ocean (top right).

Their infinite gaze helps us observe the state of our world with rare alignments of the Sun, Moon and Earth.

Millions of miles away, the US DSCOVR spacecraft always sees this sun-drenched half of our planet. This fact allowed him to take 13 images of the Moon's shadow rushing across the Earth during the 2016 total solar eclipse. Together they form one of the most complete pictures of such an event.

But as we go further and further into space, the Earth is seen in an increasingly fascinating perspective.

ESA; MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

To meet Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the Rosetta spacecraft needed to be accelerated by Earth's gravity. This photograph of the Earth taken by him shows the South Pole and Antarctica illuminated by the sun.

Our planet looks like a brilliant blue marble wrapped in a thin, almost invisible veil of gas.

NASA

The crew of the last manned lunar mission, Apollo 17, took this "marble blue" photo of the Earth - one of the most reproducible images in history (although no one knows exactly which astronaut took it) - 45,000 kilometers away while flying to the moon . Africa is visible in the upper left corner, and Antarctica is visible at the bottom.

And she drifts all alone in the darkness of space.

NASA/Flickr

View of Africa from 158 thousand kilometers from Earth, when astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin were on their way to the moon.

Almost alone.

Approximately twice a year, the Moon passes between the DSCOVR spacecraft and its main target - and then we get a rare view of the far side of our natural satellite.

The Moon is a cold airless rock ball, 50 times smaller than the Earth - our biggest and closest celestial friend.

NASA

The famous Earthrise photograph taken during the Apollo 8 flyby of the moon.

Its relationship to us is uncanny: the Moon formed after a planet the size of Mars hit proto-Earth about 4.5 billion years ago.

NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

Launched by NASA in 2009, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter normally observes the moon's cratered surface - but seizing the moment, it took this composite photo - a modern-day version of Earthrise.

We only know this because humans and robots have been launched into space since the 1950s.

NASA/LOIRP

Lunar Orbiter 1 took this photo while scouting for places where astronauts could land on the moon.

Our exploration of the moon is a mixture of the pursuit of technological conquest...

NASA

Lunar Module "Eagle" spaceship Apollo 11 during its return from the lunar surface.

... insatiable human curiosity ...

Chinese National Space Administration/Xinhuanet

A rare image of the far side of the Moon taken by the Chinese National Space Administration's lunar probe.

… and search for extreme adventures.

Date: May 1969.

Astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan made this video during the second manned mission to the Moon, Apollo 10, essentially a test version of the Apollo 11 mission (no landing). Because this side of the Moon always faces our planet, these Earthrise views are only possible while the spacecraft is in motion.

The earth never seems too far from the moon.

NASA/USGS

Date: 1994.

The Clementine mission was launched on January 25, 1994, as part of a joint initiative between the North American Aerospace Defense Command and NASA. Before spinning out of control on May 7, 1994, she transmitted this composite photograph of the Earth, with a view of the moon's north pole.

But the farther we send our spaceships...

NASA/JPL/Northwestern University

A combination of two photographs (one of the Earth and one of the Moon) taken by the American automatic interplanetary station Mariner 10, heading for Venus and Mercury, after being launched by a converted intercontinental ballistic missile.

The more peculiar our house looks...

NASA/JPL

On its way to studying Jupiter and its moons, the US space station Galileo accelerated for the second time using Earth's gravity. About a week after the maneuver, she took this composite image from a distance of 6.3 million kilometers. The moon, which is about three times brighter than the Earth, is closer to the viewer in the foreground.

All the more lonely he seems.

NEAR Spacecraft Team/JHUAPL/NASA

The American NEAR spacecraft took these images of the Earth and the Moon from a distance of about 400,000 kilometers. Antarctica is visible at the Earth's South Pole. NEAR eventually reached the asteroid (433) Eros in 2001.

Most images do not accurately represent the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

NASA

Most photographs of the Earth and Moon are composite and are in two parts because they are so far apart. However, this is the first photograph of our planet and its artificial satellite in one frame. It was made by the robotic probe Voyager 1 from a distance of 11.7 million kilometers - on its way to its epic journey through the solar system.

Only by flying hundreds of thousands or millions of kilometers and then looking back can we really appreciate what the distance of 385,000 kilometers between the two worlds really looks like.

ESA/DLR/Freie Universität Berlin

Nearly 8 million kilometers from Earth, on its way to the Red Planet, the Mars Express spacecraft looked back at its home and took this photo. This artificial satellite has been orbiting Mars and photographing its surface in 3D since December 2003.

This is a huge and empty space.

NASA/JPL/Arizona State University

This infrared photograph, taken from a distance of 3.5 million kilometers, shows the huge distance between the Earth and the Moon - 385,000 kilometers, or about 30 Earth diameters. This picture was taken by the American spacecraft "Mars Odyssey" on its way to the Red Planet.

Even together, the Earth-Moon system looks insignificant on the scale of space.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

The GAM is a popular time for spacecraft to take pictures of the Earth and Moon. The US space probe Juno took this image during its nearly 5-year flight to Jupiter to explore the gas giant in a way that scientists could only dream of before.

From the surface of Mars, Earth appears to be just another "moving star" in the night sky that puzzled early astronomers.

NASA/JPL/Cornell/Texas A&M

Two months after landing on Mars, the Spirit rover looked up at the sky to look for Earth — and found it as a small dot. NASA says it is "the first image of the Earth in history taken from the surface of a planet outside the moon." In this frame, the distance to the Earth is 260 million kilometers.

Here, the Earth seems to disappear into the brilliant glow of Saturn's giant icy rings.

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

The nuclear-powered Cassini spacecraft took 165 different photographs of Saturn's shadow to create this backlit mosaic of the gas giant. Earth lurks to the left, and while it looks like a bright spot in Saturn's rings, it's actually 1.5 billion kilometers away.

Billions of miles from Earth, and, as the American astronomer Carl Sagan quipped, our world is just a "pale blue dot," a small and lonely ball where all our triumphs and tragedies take place.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

This "pale blue dot" photograph of Earth is just one frame from a "solar system portrait" and was taken by the robotic Voyager 1 probe about 6.5 billion kilometers from home.

Sagan's message is consistent: There is only one Earth, and therefore we must do everything in our power to protect it - mostly from ourselves.

The Japanese artificial earth satellite SELENE, also known as Kaguya, made a video of the Earth rising above the Moon - accelerated by 1000% - for the 40th anniversary of the Earthrise photograph.

1. In the photo - the mouth of the Becibuka River in the northwestern part of the island of Madagascar. The picture was taken on March 8, 2005 by a member of the ISS-10 crew, who worked on the ISS from October 16, 2004 to April 24, 2005.

2. The picture shows Hurricane Dean is the strongest tropical cyclone of the Atlantic hurricane season. The photo was taken on August 18, 2007 by crew members on the Space Shuttle Endeavor.

3. October 5-13, 1984 - view of the Great Himalayas from the southwest. The photo captures the territories of India, Pakistan and China. The picture was taken during the 6th flight of the Challenger shuttle by one of the crew members.

4. Great Lakes located in North America. Lake Ontario is in the foreground, with the city of Detroit in the center of the image. The photo was taken during the September 1994 period during the 19th Discovery spaceflight.

5. Cleveland volcano eruption on Chuginadak Island, North America. The photo was taken on May 23, 2006 by members of the thirteenth long-term crew of the International Space Station ISS-13.

6. Flying over Madagascar. This image is the latest in our selection: it was taken by cosmonaut Ricky Arnold, who on March 21 of this year was a flight engineer-2 of the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft together with Oleg Artemyev and Andrew Feistel. Two days later, the spacecraft docked with the Russian Segment of the ISS.

7. And this famous The picture was taken from a distance of 29,000 kilometers back in 1972 by the crew of the Apollo 17 mission. The image is called the Blue Marble and shows the Earth completely illuminated by the Sun.

Since the first flight into space, the prospects that open up observations over the surface of the oceans from manned vehicles have become obvious. On the satellite images jets of ocean currents, frontal zones, spots and stripes are clearly visible. In 1978, the Salyut-6 orbital station already had a completely defined scientific task to study natural environment and biological productivity of our planet's oceans. At the same time, ships in the oceans were included in this work. Thus, the data received from the vessel were directly checked, compared, and the results of observations were constantly exchanged. It was possible to find signs to identify a number of dynamic formations in the sea: frontal zones separating waters with different physical properties; zones of uplift to the surface of the waters from the depth; eddies and places with high biological productivity. Observations from ships have shown that high biological productivity corresponds to dynamically active zones. space research made some clarifications: high biological activity, which is usually considered characteristic of coastal areas, is also inherent in areas of the open ocean, where large concentrations of marine organisms have been observed. The study of eddies on the sea surface has shown that they are not random, repeat often and, apparently, represent an element of the general circulation.

Ground-based information is insufficient for most areas of the World Ocean. Huge spaces lying outside the paths of transport and fishing vessels remain unlit, the network of weather ships is too rare. In oceanographic operational and scientific practice, television images of the Earth's surface (including oceans) and clouds are most successfully used. The two main aspects of using this information are about ice cover and storm zones over a very wide area at the same time. Observations over the ice cover from coast stations, posts, aircraft and ships, which have existed for many years, are limited both in time and space. The most perfect of these observations - ice air reconnaissance - does not cover the entire water area, it is carried out with large intervals. Thus, it is often difficult to follow the change in the position of the ice edge and other important characteristics.

A lot of work is being done to decipher the resulting images. Brightness makes it possible to determine various forms of ice, water among ice - polynyas, channels, leads, ice polynyas. The brightest tone means that the picture shows immovable or slow-moving ice. Less bright - rarefied, gray-white and gray, etc. The brightness of the image depends on many factors, including the season of the year. It is especially difficult to interpret images when there is dense cloud cover over the ice. Here, the comparison of images sequentially over several days came to the rescue.

The cloud system is much less inert than the ice system, and changes in the fast ice edge can be imagined quite accurately. In this case, the refinement is done with the help of geographical landmarks - such as capes, peninsulas and islands, the coastline, which in most cases are clearly visible on satellite images.

Naturally, the analysis of images is inextricably linked with knowledge of climatic conditions: ice, wind, currents, water and air temperatures, i.e. only a specialist hydrometeorologist can do this. It is also necessary to know the conditions in the ocean and atmosphere for the previous time. This is important, first of all, during sudden changes - for example, when strong winds noticeably change the position of the ice edge, its concentration, etc.

Ice maps are compiled from satellite data. Such a map is processed accordingly, boundaries are applied various forms ice, the accepted symbols give the types of ice, concentration, areas clean water etc. If there is a map of the last ice reconnaissance, they make comparisons with it, analyze and explain the discrepancies that arise in a number of cases.

Satellite information can provide an invaluable service if no other data is available. In December 1967, the research vessel "Professor Vize" sailed in Antarctic waters (this vessel is not suitable for navigation in ice). The service was carried out according to the data of the meteorological satellite of the Earth "Kosmos-184". Based on them, it was possible to establish the boundary of the fast ice and the zone of ice of various concentrations, the proposed place of distribution of icebergs. The ship was recommended the best route. The operation was successful.

The second, extremely important side of the use of satellites are images of cloud vortices to determine the zones of storm waves in the ocean. The state of the weather, despite the modern powerful development of navigation, is very important for the successful movement of ships in the ocean. There are frequent cases when it is necessary to change the course of the ship, reduce its speed, stop fishing or sea animals, drift, etc. All this, of course, increases unproductive costs and causes certain damage. An analysis of satellite observations and sea wave maps showed a clear relationship between the eddy cloud structure and sea wind waves. First of all, the difference between the eddy structure of cyclops clouds and baric formations of the same eddy structure, which do not affect weather conditions, was studied. This was done because it is known that the vortex disturbances over the ocean shown by the satellite in 80% had a vortex cloud structure, developed and occluded cyclones, and 20% were not associated with cyclogenesis. The trace of the cyclone is visible in the image as the remains of a distinct cloudy spiral with a rounded gap in the middle. These images required careful analysis, since various types of complications are possible, causing unforeseen errors. When a vortex structure of cloudiness is detected on a satellite image over a certain region of the ocean, wind waves are observed on its surface. Their height can reach 3-4 m, and the distribution zone extends on average 300 x 200 miles. Gradually, the excitement increases, the waves increase to 5-7 m, and the area - up to 500X350 miles. Then a severe storm begins with waves up to 10-12 m, the total area of ​​\u200b\u200bwave, elongated in the direction of the wind in the form of an ellipse, expands to 1000 miles. As the cyclone fills, the storm begins to subside.

Thus, according to the data of the eddy structure of clouds, one can make a fairly accurate idea of ​​the sea storm waves - wave heights and propagation zones.

Tropical cyclones are especially dangerous for navigation in the equatorial and tropical zones of the oceans. The satellite makes it possible to detect the place of their origin, and the information received by the Earth arrives on ships in a timely manner.

Take a moment to enjoy 25 truly breathtaking photos of the Earth and Moon from space.

This photograph of Earth was taken by the astronauts of the Apollo 11 spacecraft on July 20, 1969.

Spacecraft launched by mankind enjoy the view of the Earth from a distance of thousands and millions of kilometers.

Taken by Suomi NPP, a US weather satellite operated by NOAA.
Date: April 9, 2015.

NASA and NOAA created this composite image using photographs taken from the Suomi NPP weather satellite, which orbits the Earth 14 times a day.

Their endless observations allow us to track the state of our world with a rare position of the Sun, Moon and Earth.

Taken by the DSCOVR spacecraft for observing the Sun and the Earth.
Date: March 9, 2016.

The DSCOVR spacecraft took 13 images of the moon's shadow running across Earth during the 2016 total solar eclipse.

But the more we delve into space, the more we are fascinated by the sight of the Earth.

Taken by the Rosetta spacecraft.
Date: November 12, 2009.

The Rosetta spacecraft is designed to study the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet. In 2007, he made a soft landing on the surface of a comet. The main probe of the apparatus completed its flight on September 30, 2016. This photo shows the South Pole and sunlit Antarctica.

Our planet is like a brilliant blue marble wrapped in a thin, almost invisible layer of gas.

Photographed by the crew of Apollo 17
Date: December 7, 1972.

The crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft took this photograph called "The Blue Marble" during the last manned flight to the Moon. This is one of the most shared pictures of all time. It was taken at a distance of about 29 thousand km from the Earth's surface. Africa is visible at the top left of the image, and Antarctica at the bottom.

And she drifts alone in the blackness of space.

Taken by the Apollo 11 crew.
Date: July 20, 1969.

The crew of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin took this picture during a flight to the moon at a distance of about 158 ​​thousand km from Earth. Africa is visible in the frame.

Almost alone.

Approximately twice a year, the Moon passes between the DSCOVR satellite and its main observation object, the Earth. Then we get a rare opportunity to look at the far side of our satellite.

The Moon is a cold stone ball, 50 times smaller than the Earth. She is our largest and closest heavenly friend.

Photographed by William Anders as part of the crew of the Apollo 8 spacecraft.
Date: December 24, 1968.

The famous Earthrise photograph taken from the Apollo 8 spacecraft.

According to one hypothesis, the Moon was formed after the proto-Earth collided with a planet the size of Mars about 4.5 billion years ago.

Taken by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO, Lunar Orbital Probe).
Date: October 12, 2015.

In 2009, NASA launched the LRO robotic interplanetary station to study the cratered surface of the moon, but seizing the moment, the device took this modern version of the Earthrise photograph.

Since the 1950s, humanity has been launching humans and robots into space.

Taken by Lunar Orbiter 1.
Date: August 23, 1966.

The Lunar Orbiter 1 robotic unmanned spacecraft took this photo while searching for a place to land astronauts on the moon.

Our exploration of the moon is a mixture of technological conquest...

Photographed by Michael Collins of the Apollo 11 crew.
Date: July 21, 1969.

The Eagle, the lunar module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, returns from the surface of the moon.

and irrepressible human curiosity...

Taken by the lunar probe Chanye 5-T1 (Chang "e 5-T1).
Date: October 29, 2014.

A rare view of the far side of the Moon taken by the Chinese National Space Administration's lunar probe.

and search for extreme adventures.

Taken by the crew of Apollo 10.
Date: May 1969.

This video was filmed by astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan during a test flight to the Moon on the Apollo 10 spacecraft (without landing). To get such an image of "Earthrise" is possible only from a moving ship.

The Earth always seems to be close to the Moon.

Taken with the Clementine 1 probe.
Date: 1994

The Clementine mission was launched on January 25, 1994, as part of a joint initiative between NASA and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. On May 7, 1994, the probe went out of control, but had previously transmitted this image showing the Earth and the Moon's north pole.

Taken by Mariner 10.
Date: November 3, 1973.

A combination of two photographs (on one - the Earth, on the other - the Moon), taken by NASA's Mariner 10 automatic interplanetary station, which was launched to Mercury, Venus and the Moon using an intercontinental ballistic missile.

the more amazing our house looks...

Photographed by the Galileo spacecraft.
Date: December 16, 1992.

En route to studying Jupiter and its moons, NASA's Galileo spacecraft took this composite image. The Moon, which is about three times brighter than the Earth, is in the foreground, closer to the viewer.

And the more lonely he seems.

Taken by the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Shoemaker ("NEAR Shoemaker") spacecraft.
Date: January 23, 1998.

NASA's NEAR spacecraft, sent in 1996 to the asteroid Eros, took these images of the Earth and Moon. Antarctica is visible at the South Pole of our planet.

Most images do not accurately represent the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

Taken by the Voyager 1 probe.
Date: September 18, 1977.

Most photographs of the Earth and Moon are composite images made up of several shots, as the objects are far apart. But above you see the first photo in which our planet and its natural satellite are captured in one frame. The picture was taken by the Voyager 1 probe on its way to its "big tour" of the solar system.

Only after overcoming hundreds of thousands or even millions of kilometers, then returning back, we can truly appreciate the distance that lay between the two worlds.

Photographed by the automatic interplanetary station "Mars-Express".
Date: July 3, 2003.

The robotic interplanetary station of the European Space Agency "Max-Express" (Mars Express), heading to Mars, took this picture of the Earth at a distance of millions of kilometers.

It's a huge and empty space.

Taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey Orbiter.
Date: April 19, 2001.

This infrared photograph, taken from a distance of 2.2 million km, shows the huge distance between the Earth and the Moon - about 385 thousand kilometers or about 30 Earth diameters. The Mars Odyssey spacecraft took this picture while heading towards Mars.

But even together, the Earth-Moon system looks insignificant in deep space.

Photographed by NASA's Juno spacecraft.
Date: August 26, 2011.

NASA's Juno spacecraft took this image during its nearly 5-year journey to Jupiter, where it is conducting research on the gas giant.

From the surface of Mars, our planet appears to be just another "star" in the night sky, which puzzled early astronomers.

Taken by the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover.
Date: March 9, 2004.

About two months after landing on Mars, the Spirit rover took a photo of the Earth looking like a tiny dot. NASA says it is "the first ever image of the Earth taken from the surface of another planet outside the moon."

Earth is lost in Saturn's glowing icy rings.

Photographed by the automatic interplanetary station "Cassini".
Date: September 15, 2006.

NASA's Cassini space station took 165 photographs in the shadow of Saturn to compose this backlit mosaic image of the gas giant. The Earth crept in on the left in the image.

At a distance of billions of kilometers from the Earth, as Carl Sagan sarcastically remarked, our world is just a “pale blue dot”, a small and lonely ball on which all our triumphs and tragedies are played out.

Taken by the Voyager 1 probe.
Date: February 14, 1990.

This image of Earth is one of a series of "solar system portraits" taken by Voyager 1 about 4 billion miles from home.

From Sagan's speech:

“Perhaps there is no better demonstration of stupid human arrogance than this distant picture of our tiny world. It seems to me that it emphasizes our responsibility, our duty to be kinder to each other, to protect and cherish the pale blue dot - our only home.

Sagan's message remains the same: there is only one Earth, so we must do everything in our power to protect it, protect it mostly from ourselves.

The Japanese artificial lunar satellite Kaguya (also known as SELENE) captured this video of the Earth rising over the Moon at 1000% acceleration for the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 8 Earthrise photo.