Earthrise

On December 24, 1968, astronauts aboard Apollo 8 orbited the Moon and saw Earth rise above the lunar horizon. William Anders grabbed a Hasselblad camera and shot what became known as "Earthrise" -- one of the most influential photographs ever taken. Three astronauts -- Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Anders -- were the first humans to see the far side of the Moon and the first to witness their home planet from another world.

Apollo 8 was the first crewed mission to leave Earth's gravitational sphere and reach the Moon. The crew orbited ten times over twenty hours. On Christmas Eve, they broadcast a reading of Genesis to what was then the most-watched television program in history. But the unscripted moment -- Anders spotting Earth emerging over the moonscape -- became the mission's lasting legacy.

The photograph shows Earth, blue and white and alive, rising over a barren lunar landscape. The contrast is devastating. One world teeming with life, the other dead rock. Anders later said, "We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth."

apollo 8 crew: frank borman, james lovell, william anders. source: wikimedia commons

Earthrise is widely credited with energizing the environmental movement. The first Earth Day came 16 months later. The Blue Marble photograph would later confirm what Earthrise suggested: that seeing Earth from a distance changes how you think about it.

Apollo 8 came at the end of 1968 -- a year of assassinations, riots, and the Vietnam War. The mission offered a rare moment of unity. Three men left Earth, circled the Moon, and came home safely. What they brought back wasn't lunar samples. It was perspective.