Stupendous photo by NASA #ArtemisCommander Reid Wiseman, taken just a couple of hours ago from the window — looking back on planet Earth as the crew head away towards the Moon. What’s extraordinary about this image ? Many things. Firstly what’s that bright crescent glow to the right ? It’s illumination from the Sun just peeking out from the far side of the Earth. Beautiful.
But … so why the Earth so brightly lit ? Certainly not from the Sun ! So it can only be reflected Moonlight – from the close-to-full Moon towards which the astronauts are headed. A moonlit Earth ? Never saw that before. We can confirm this because if we zoom in, we can see bright lights in major cities. Amazing. But there is more. Look at the space around Earth at about 5 O’ clock in the image. Is that the Zodiacal Light ? And one very bright ‘star’ – what is that ? Neither Venus not Mercury are so close to the Sun rightnow. Maybe someone out there will tell me ! Zoom further in around 2 and 7 O’clock on the edge of the Earth — we can see layers or Aurora at both poles !! Amazing !
What else can you see ? Can you see the awful behaviour of Humans on this beautiful planet. Thankfully not.
Enjoy this heavenly glimpse of the Bigger Picture. Bri
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Mix: Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Christian Arming – Symphony in D Minor, CFF 130: III. Allegro non troppo