Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Earth: A powerful image.

It's true. The sight of the Earth from space is one that practically brings a tear to my eye everytime I see it.



If you think I'm a cornball, so be it. But for me, it's an overwhelming image seeing the oneness of our planet's experiences--wrapped up in one package including all of nature, people, continents, weather, atoms forming every material, cells forming every simple and complex organism--as one swirl of blue and green.

It's extremely powerful. I love it. And at times when we seem so diverse in thought, when differences seem to surmount similarity in the human experience, this image brings me back to the reality of what we all share.

From an artistic perspective, this sphere of spectacular color and pattern is simple and complex at once, encapsulating the brush strokes of cloud formations atop massive continents and the reflections of the distant but heavy influence of the sun.

How we can change for the better, open back up to beauty and come back to a single focal point when we observe the brilliance of our world from this point of view!

11 comments:

Gina said...

beautiful. can you IMAGINE how astronauts must feel when they see that for the first time??

M L Jassy said...

I agree. The earth seen from way out there is an inspiring image. From my place out here on the south-west plains the starscape is phenomenal. You feel the earth beneath you making its slow and stately pivot.

SuziCate said...

It is awesome! I can understand getting teary eyed when looking at it and thinking about it. Like Gina said, imagine how the astronauts feel out there.

Anonymous said...

I can't imagine seeing this in person. It would be overwhelming.

Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl said...

You put it so well! A very powerful image indeed... I wouldn't really want to travel to space, but seeing the Earth out of a spaceship's window must feel fantastic. That, I'd love to experience.

Poindexter said...

I love this photograph too. As a matter of fact, I have this photograph! It hangs in a guest bedroom along with all of my late father's honors, college degree, and space program memorabilia. He was a rocket scientist. He loved flight. When I was young and we looked at the photograph together, he would point out to me how slender the earth's ozone layer was and how that fragile atmospheric barrier protected and insulated our planet.

Beautiful post today!

Fragrant Liar said...

Yes, and it's amazing to me that, despite how out of sync our world's cultures are and how our many human imperfections make us exceedingly unpredictable and unreliable, the earth's constancy and roundness are quite perfect.

SuziCate said...

I will have an award for you on my post in the morning!

injaynesworld said...

I live in a rural area where we're blessed to be able to see an amazing night sky, so I feel the same way when I look up at the endless expanse of stars. It certainly has a way of putting our ego-driven selves in some perspective.

Marvin said...

That pic is a couple decades old, isn't it? It's much browner now.

Unknown said...

I feel the same way about that picture! What really strikes me is that, even in the millisecond it took to snap that frame - everything changed. It's all continually changing and evolving and in some cases, devolving. I could ponder that one idea for hours on end... thanks, now I'm not getting any work done today. LOL!