The Blue Marble: How a Photograph Revealed Earth's Fragile Beauty

The Blue Marble: How a Photograph Revealed Earth's Fragile Beauty — page 7
more from gleaming ice sheets in Antarctica the ice-covered continent at the South Pole The photo’s mix of colors combined with the shininess of the disk in the brilliant sunlight reminded those who first saw it of a glass marble That is the origin of the name Blue Marble Moved by the sight Schmitt said If there ever was a fragile-appearing piece of blue in space it’s the Earth right now The planet’s delicate frail quality probably was one factor that made the photo so popular worldwide The early 1970s was an era of environmental awareness and activism Many Americans were awakening to an important reality that hurting the environment in one region affects people’s lives in other regions The idea that all humans are passengers on a spaceship called Earth was becoming increasingly evident and accepted American biochemist Gregory A Petsko summed it up beautifully In the Blue Marble image he wrote the entire planet appeared tiny vulnerable and incredibly lonely against the vast blackness of the cosmos It also seemed whole in a way that no map could illustrate Regional conflict and petty differences could be dismissed as trivial compared with environmental dangers that threatened all of humanity traveling together through the void on this fragile-looking marble