APOD
An Earth Ornament
December 25, 1999
About This Image
The Apollo 8 astronauts spent the 1968 Christmas Season orbiting the Moon, returning with striking images of both Moon and Earth from space - pictures which inspired the world. While in lunar orbit in 1994, the prospecting Clementine spacecraft also turned its cameras toward the home world and the result was this mosaic of 70 high resolution images of our planet from a cosmic perspective. The swirling clouds and dramatic colors give the Earth the appearance of a delicate, painted ornament hanging in space. Best Wishes and Seasons Greetings from Astronomy Picture Of The Day!
On This Day in Space History
On December 25, 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was launched, ushering in a new era of infrared astronomy.
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