The Blue Marble

The Blue Marble is a famous photograph of Earth. It was taken on December 7, 1972, by Harrison Schmitt from the Apollo 17 spacecraft as it traveled toward the Moon. The picture was taken from about 29,400 kilometers away and is one of the most shared images in history.

In the original photograph, the South Pole is toward the top. It shows parts of the Mediterranean Sea, Antarctica, the Arabian Peninsula, and Madagascar. It was the first time the south polar ice cap could be seen from this angle. Many parts of Africa and the Indian Ocean are visible, along with Australia and the eastern edge of South America.

In 2012, NASA made similar images called “blue marble” images. These were created by combining many satellite pictures taken over time. NASA says these images are made from many photos and cannot show the whole Earth perfectly clear at once.

Photograph

The photograph was taken on December 7, 1972, by the crew of the Apollo 17 command module named America. From their view, Earth looked like a glass marble floating in space.

The Blue Marble was not the first clear picture of Earth from space, but it became very famous. It showed our planet looking small and alone in the big universe. The photo was taken about halfway through the trip to the Moon, when most of Earth was lit up by the Sun. It shows many weather patterns. The picture was made using a special camera and film.

Subsequent Blue Marble images

Since the first Blue Marble photo, many more pictures of Earth have been taken and are also called Blue Marble images. The term "blue marble" is often used by groups that want to remind people to care for our planet.

In 2001 and 2002, NASA made new Blue Marble images using satellite data. In 2005, NASA made an even better set called Blue Marble Next Generation. These pictures showed the whole Earth without clouds and helped us see how the seasons change.

In 2012, NASA made a new picture called Blue Marble 2012. This image showed the Western side of Earth and was seen by millions of people online. Another picture, called Black Marble, showed Earth at night, highlighting places where people live and work.

In 2015, a special satellite called DSCOVR took another Blue Marble photo from far away in space. This picture showed the Western Hemisphere of Earth, including places like the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

In April 2026, during a trip toward the Moon, an astronaut took a new photo of Earth called Hello, World. This was the first time since the original Blue Marble that a person had taken a picture of the whole Earth from space. The South Pole was at the top of this picture, just like in the original Blue Marble.

Cultural reception

The Blue Marble photo is one of the most famous pictures ever. Many people think it shows why we need to protect our planet and its environment.

Some people wonder if pictures from space, like The Blue Marble, might shift focus away from important issues here on Earth. They also note that the image was made by a country that is a leader in space travel, which influences how we see our world in a big, general way rather than encouraging more detailed thoughts about our planet.