The Best Photo Ever Taken Of Planet Earth From Space

Date: May 10, 2012 | Author: Josh Tyler | Category: Sci-Fi In Real Life

A few weeks ago we showed you NASA’s Blue Marble photo, the most high-resolution photo ever taken of planet Earth from space. One problem though, their image wasn’t taken in one shot. It was actually a composite cobbled together out of many different images.

This one is the real deal…

The above photo was taken by the Russian weather satellite Electro-L. Unlike the Blue Marble photo this isn’t a composite; it’s one, high-resolution photo taken from space.

The Electro-L is in a geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometers above Earth’s equator. It sends back images of the planet every 30 minutes. It uses three different visible light spectrums and also photographs in infrared. Because of that, all the orange you’re seeing in the photo is actually vegitation. This is actually Earth the way no human could ever see it, with the naked eye.

Here’s a time lapse video using the images taken by Electro-L…

Comments

http://www.facebook.com/kenmay139 Ken May

So much of NASA’s graphics are either photoshopped or animation. They probably have more cartoonists on their payroll than Disney. Who was the most prolific yarn spinner—NASA mouthpiece Walter Cronkite or Walter Disney?
- SpaceIsThePlace
  
  Why would NASA do that? As NASA is a government organisation they don’t do these things for the sake of profit (like Disney would). Whatever animation they might do is meant to inspire people to support the space program – space exploration is a symbol of a progressive species. Not only that, it’ll help us to find resources outside of our planet to provide more fuel, commerce and food. People that try to discredit NASA/ESA more often than not support global war/conflict and evil corporations. How very sad.
eliautsumsmom

Why does it look like the SUN is going around the earth?
- Cenny
  
  Duh, because that’s really what happens, make observations, the scientific community, government, and every amateur astronomer is LYING TO YOU. /sarcasm
nomnom

Its cause the satellite is in a geo-synchronous orbit. Meaning it stays over the exact same spot above the earth all the time. So the sun appears to move around it….either that, or the Catholics had it right all along.
jessie

i love the way u can kinda see the suns reflection against the sea.kinda weird when u think of the size of it and we r all down there being busy and the earths just spinning on and this huuuuge ball of gas is there and were whizzing round…its mind boggling the emormity of it and we r part of it!!!
flashfast2000

This in no way tops anything. The infrared makes it look gaudy.
- Cenny
  
  Yea, it’s not very good.
ahriman

Awesome

Giant Freakin Robot