This incredible NASA photograph of the Earth with its spectacular view of Africa is one of my favourites. It was the view of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew as they travelled toward the moon in December 1972. I was in the Namib Desert at the time. The photo extends from the Mediterranean and the Holy Land all the way to Antarctica. This was the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to photograph the south polar ice cap.
Welcome to Planet Earth, the third planet from a star named the Sun. The Earth is shaped like a sphere and composed mostly of rock. Over 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water. The planet has a relatively thin atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen and oxygen. The above picture of Earth, dubbed Blue Marble, was taken from Apollo 17 in 1972 and features Africa and Antarctica. It is thought to be one of the most widely distributed photographs of any kind. Earth has a single large Moon that is about 1/4 of its diameter and, from the planet's surface, is seen to have almost exactly the same angular size as the Sun. With its abundance of liquid water, Earth supports a large variety of life forms, including potentially intelligent species such as dolphins and humans. Please enjoy your stay on Planet Earth. - Astronomy Picture of the Day, http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070325.html
Earth is of such a rare beauty and splendour set in all the immensity of space that it beckons us to look back at ourselves. It speaks of an ineffable mystery. Astronauts looking back have all been awestruck by the exquisite earthscape.
"As I looked down," said Astronaut John-David Bartoe, "I saw a large river meandering slowly along for miles, passing from one country to another without stopping. I also saw huge forests, extending across several borders. And I watched the extent of one ocean touch the shores of separate continents. Two words leaped to mind as I looked down on all this: commonality and interdependence. We are one world."
For me the photo also has personal meaning. The photograph is taken virtually 'overhead' from where we live in Durban, neatly tucked in at about 30E and 30S, on the east coast of South Africa. It locates me not only "somewhere" on planet Earth but also "somewhere" in the Cosmos. The Psalmist wonders: 'I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place. Then I ask, "Why do you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings?"' (Psa 8:3-4 CEV). Or as Eugene Petersen paraphrases in The Message, "I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?"
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. - Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles (sometimes incorrectly attributed to Nelson Mandela)
For a high resolution photo of "Blue Marble" see: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0703/bluemarble_apollo17_big.jpg
©Colin G Garvie
HomePage: http://www.garvies.co.za
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