Comments on: Blue planet

By: Martin Moran

Martin Moran — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 07:40:35 +0000

Why does the color look so different to the orginal blue marble, is it because its been stitched together and the color evened up?

By: erlando

erlando — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 07:27:14 +0000

@Quiet Desperation

>Is anyone actually doing that? I always thought the Flat Earth Society was a bit of a lark?

Believe it or not, but there is still a – no doubt very small – minority of round earth deniers. (I’ve met one. He was very convinced and would no doubt have some weird explanation for this picture). Some people are obviously content going through their life with eyes closed, their fingers firmly stuck in their ears going “LALALALALALALALA”.

I see something like this picture and I go “Wow! I live there? That’s absolutely amazing!”.

By: Shane Killian

Shane Killian — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 21:44:44 +0000

I’ve had this as my MySpace background for quite awhile. I think it’s my favorite Earth picture ever.

By: AndreH

AndreH — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:23:34 +0000

Sorry for the typos!

@Mighty Favog

Obviously the picture is made from centre top of the disc. So the turtle and the 4 elephants are underneath and canâ€™t be seen.

Andre

By: AndreH

AndreH — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:21:38 +0000

@Mighty Favog

Obviously you the picture is made from centre top of the disc. So the turtle and the 4 elephants are underneath at can’t be seen.

Andre

By: Quiet Desperation

Quiet Desperation — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 08:45:05 +0000

>>> How some people can still claim that the
>>> earth is flat is beyond comprehension.

Is anyone actually doing that? I always thought the Flat Earth Society was a bit of a lark?

The spherical nature of the Earth was generally known by about 300 AD. The idea that most people thought the Earth was flat when Columbus set out is utter myth. I heard it just this week in one of those annoying, pretentious Lexus radio ads.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth_mythology

By: erlando

erlando — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 08:31:42 +0000

Go to the site and click on the “east” links for non-”US-centric”..:

http://veimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/2429/globe_east_2048.jpg
http://veimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/2429/globe_east_540.jpg

Just stunning. How some people can still claim that the earth is flat is beyond comprehension.

By: Arthur Maruyama

Arthur Maruyama — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 05:29:34 +0000

At the link that Phil provides there are eastern and western hemisphere pictures. The eastern hemisphere one is centered on India so you can just make out the UK at the edge.

By: zeb

zeb — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 04:05:41 +0000

I actually used it years ago for a project when it first came out. I was glad I found it since I didn’t want to use the cliched Apollo 17 picture (granted, it’s also cool, but you see it everywhere).

Crud, now I gotta find a *new* picture!

By: Mighty Favog

Mighty Favog — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 03:55:02 +0000

So where are the turtles?! Another NASA Photoshop job!

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 03:36:04 +0000

Great images but they would work better as computer desktops if the Earth was more oblate or even rectangular!

By: Sam Harrelson

Sam Harrelson — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 03:31:09 +0000

Beautiful image that keeps everything in perspective (relatively speaking from a earth-centric pov).

Thanks for posting, Phil!

By: Ron Weber

Ron Weber — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 00:34:28 +0000

Yeah, it’s an oldie but goodie.
Advertisement: if you want a spectacular print ….
http://www.spaceimages.com/earth.html

By: Heathen Dan

Heathen Dan — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 00:28:52 +0000

Is there an image that shows Asia (esp. Southeast Asia) instead? :p

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 22:38:09 +0000

Well I know this image will be popular on MY desktop!

By: Mia

Mia — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 22:12:43 +0000

I don’t think that image is new … I’d have to go home and check them against each other, but I think I’ve had that in my rotating desktop for some years now.

By: Crux Australis

Crux Australis — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 22:09:29 +0000

And also if I could type ‘see’ on this silly keyboard.

By: Sticks

Sticks — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:41:07 +0000

I found that image highly American-centric

Why no images looking at Europe and the UK?

tut tut

By: Crux Australis

Crux Australis — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:26:44 +0000

Hey, I can se my house from here!

At least, I would if NZ were visible.

By: PsyberDave

PsyberDave — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:18:18 +0000

Pretty! I plan to visit there one day.

By: chris

chris — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:15:15 +0000

the “Pale Blue Dot” never ceases to amaze

thanks to Carl

By: Sergeant Zim

Sergeant Zim — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:02:30 +0000

DrFlimmer, it may be round, but we all know it certainly ISN’T a sphere! (Even if it is, it surely doesn’t rotate, and clearly does not orbit the Sun. After all we know we are the center of the universe…)

That ‘picture’, you’ll notice, was made by the same people who ‘landed’ on the moon, and ‘sent’ probes to Mars and other ‘planets’ in the ‘solar system’.

For reference, go here: http://www.fixedearth.com/

But be sure to take your irony pills, and strap on tightly, your mind is going to have (as the shrunken head in the Night Bus in HP&PoA said) “A buuuumpy Ride!”

By: DrFlimmer

DrFlimmer — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:53:41 +0000

Is it important to mention that this “thing” is, well, round?

By: Glenn

Glenn — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:39:56 +0000

Okay, I’m not that bright, but I don’t understand if they’re stitching together smaller images of the earth, why do they include ephemera like clouds? And my whining about this is in *no way* related to the fact my location is obscured by clouds in the image.

By: Paul Koenig

Paul Koenig — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 19:46:28 +0000

It looks like a rediscovery of the 2002 version Blue Marble. There is a newer collection of whole Earth mosaics and links to the history of the Blue Marble images at http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/

This newer versions do not include clouds though.