A Humbling Blue Dot
Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is an image of Earth. From Saturn. We're just a blue dot in the sky.
It's humbling. Democrats and Republicans? Shiites and Sunnis? Jews and Muslims? Believers and heretics? Those distinctions mean nothing from over 746 million miles away. We're just a blue dot.
You may be wondering who took the picture, seeing as how we don't currently have any astronauts on or near Saturn. Good question. The picture was taken by a robot. The Cassini spacecraft that we launched in 1997 and that has been orbiting Saturn since 2004 took the photo, using the planet to block out the bright sun so Earth would show up. Our influence reaches beyond our grasp.
It's a simultaneously proud and humbling moment. 
Blog Tag: Links
Posted 9/27/2006 11:15:00 PM
L
On 9/28/2006 12:39 AM, 
Melissa said...
On 9/28/2006 12:56 AM, dkgoodman said...
On 9/28/2006 5:53 PM, Alan said...
On 9/28/2006 6:58 PM, dkgoodman said...
On 10/02/2006 1:35 PM, Candace said...
On 10/02/2006 1:52 PM, dkgoodman said...
6 Comments:
Did you remember to smile for the photo?
Of course! Can't you tell! :)
Darn. I blinked again.
Do-over! I'll call NASA... LOL
I see a white dot. I don't see a blue dot. Have I lost my color vision?
It looks bluer in the main image, amongst the rings of Saturn. The blowup doesn't look very blue. In either case, it's a faint blue. Earth, the bluish planet?
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