images

Earthrise from Apollo 8 spacecraft

by

Nasa/Novapix

Reference

a-lun50-00130

Date

2006-11-06

This view of the rising Earth greeted the Apollo 8 astronauts as they came from behind the Moon after the lunar orbit insertion burn. This is the first colour Earthrise image taken by a human. Earth is about five degrees above the horizon in the photo. The unnamed surface features in the foreground are near the eastern limb of the Moon as viewed from Earth. The lunar horizon is approximately 780 kilometers from the spacecraft. Width of the photographed area at the horizon is about 175 kilometers. December 24 1968.