Earthrise


One of the most profound and iconic images of the 20th century is the "Earthrise" photograph taken by the astronauts of Apollo 8. This image, showing Earth's vibrant colors floating in the vastness of space, gave humanity a new perspective on our planet as a fragile oasis within the cosmos.

Earthrise as seen by Apollo 8 astronauts

Earthrise photo taken by Apollo 8 crew from moon orbit.
Click photo to show fullscreen

In TIME ON EARTH, to celbrate earth day, we pay homage to this photograph by allowing you to recreate the experience of seeing Earth rise over the lunar horizon.

The Earthrise photo was taken on December 24, 1968, at a time when the Moon was in its first quarter phase. By adjusting the Time of Day and Moon Phase sliders to match these conditions, you can experience the same awe-inspiring view of the Earth rising over the lunar horizon as seen by the Apollo 8 astronauts.

In TIME ON EARTH, you have the ability to interact with various sliders that control the simulation of our planet and the Moon. These contolls include:

  • Time of Day Slider: This slider allows users to adjust the rotation of the Earth relative to the Sun, effectively changing the time of day across the globe.
  • Moon Phase Slider: With this slider, users can change the position of the Moon relative to the Earth and Sun, simulating the different phases of the Moon.
  • Apollo 8 Trajectory Setting: This feature enables the camera to orbit around the Moon following the trajectory of the Apollo 8 mission, allowing users to recreate the iconic Earthrise photo.

Other things to try:

  • Try toggling the cloud-cover of the earth. The cloud cover in our simulation is not the same as on day of the photo, so the photo won't match exactly.
  • In the photo, you can see the west coast of Africa. Try rotating the earth so that you can see your location on earth.

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