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1 year ago

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Celebrate Earth Day with NASA

In the lower portion of the photo, the gray uneven cratered surface of the Moon runs diagonally descending from right to left. In the center-right of the photo, the half-illuminated Earth shines bright blue, and partially visible land hides behind swirling white clouds. Credit: NASA

"We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth." - Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders

On Dec. 24, 1968, Anders snapped this iconic photo of "Earthrise" during the historic Apollo 8 mission. As he and fellow astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell became the first humans to orbit the Moon, they witnessed Earth rising over the Moon's horizon. The image helped spark the first #EarthDay on April 22, 1970.

Anders sat down with Dr. Kate Calvin, our chief scientist and senior climate advisor, to chat about the photo, and NASA’s role in studying our home.

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