Technology

5 Rare and Incredible Photos of Earth From Space Captured by Apollo Astronauts

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New Delhi: There is always a nascent fascination for photos of earth from space, and Oxford University’s research fellow, Toby Ord, has restored them all in ultra high definition.

1/5 Shot on July 21, 1969 from the orbiter module of the iconic Apollo 11 mission, this is possibly one of the most famous photos of earth from space. Shot on a Hasselblad with a Zeiss 80mm f/2.8 lens, the photo shows ‘earthrise’ – the possible equivalent of moonrise seen from Earth, where the upper hemisphere of the planet shines bright behind the Eagle lunar module. (Image: NASA, Toby Ord, Oxford University)

Shot on November 19, 1969 by astronaut Richard Gordon from Apollo 12’s command module, the shining diamond ring crescent that our planet is shines bright above the lunar surface. The crater ridden surface of the moon looks like a dark ocean, above which the Earth shines bright as clouds hide the wide expanse of the Indian Ocean. (Image: NASA, Toby Ord, Oxford University)

 

2/5 Shot on November 19, 1969 by astronaut Richard Gordon from Apollo 12’s command module, the shining diamond ring crescent that our planet is shines bright above the lunar surface. The crater ridden surface of the moon looks like a dark ocean, above which the Earth shines bright as clouds hide the wide expanse of the Indian Ocean. (Image: NASA, Toby Ord, Oxford University)

This one’s probably one of the rarest and most unusual images, the likes of which aren’t likely to be put on a typical slideshow. Captured by the Apollo 12 astronauts on their journey back to Earth is a total solar eclipse, but an unexplained error (archived officially as ‘camera malfunction’) created this enigmatic light trail that spread the solar halo across the frame. (Image: NASA, Toby Ord, Oxford University)

 

3/5 This one’s probably one of the rarest and most unusual images, the likes of which aren’t likely to be put on a typical slideshow. Captured by the Apollo 12 astronauts on their journey back to Earth is a total solar eclipse, but an unexplained error (archived officially as ‘camera malfunction’) created this enigmatic light trail that spread the solar halo across the frame. (Image: NASA, Toby Ord, Oxford University)

Not all space photos have to be perfect, and this rare image from researcher Ord’s gallery shows exactly why. Taken by Apollo 15 astronauts aboard the command module on the journey back to Earth, the Earth is seen as a glowing marble outside the grimy window of the space module. The aura of mystique speaks for itself as to the magic of space missions. (Image: NASA, Toby Ord, Oxford University)

 

4/5 Not all space photos have to be perfect, and this rare image from researcher Ord’s gallery shows exactly why. Taken by Apollo 15 astronauts aboard the command module on the journey back to Earth, the Earth is seen as a glowing marble outside the grimy window of the space module. The aura of mystique speaks for itself as to the magic of space missions. (Image: NASA, Toby Ord, Oxford University)

The last ever full photograph of Earth taken from space is this sliver of the marble we call home. As Ord quotes Eugene Cernan, the astronaut aboard Apollo 17 on December 17, 1972, “You can see from pole to pole and across oceans and continents and you can watch it turn and there’s no strings holding it up, and it’s moving in a blackness that is almost beyond conception.” (Image: NASA, Toby Ord, Oxford University)

 

5/5 The last ever full photograph of Earth taken from space is this sliver of the marble we call home. As Ord quotes Eugene Cernan, the astronaut aboard Apollo 17 on December 17, 1972, “You can see from pole to pole and across oceans and continents and you can watch it turn and there’s no strings holding it up, and it’s moving in a blackness that is almost beyond conception.” (Image: NASA, Toby Ord, Oxford University)

(First Published in www.News18.com)

 

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