assignment 4, Zachary Langdon, pale blue ball

This photo was taken on December 24^th, 1968 with a modified Hasselblad 500 EL, with custom Kodak Ektachrome film, from Apollo 8 during its lunar orbit. It was officially classified AS8-14-2383, but was later given the name “Earthrise”

Upon seeing this image, astronaut William Anders exclaimed, “Oh my God! Look at that picture over there! There’s Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty.” His mission commander Frank Borman sarcastically replied, “Hey, don’t take that, it’s not scheduled.” Anders then asked for color film and James Lovell commented, “Oh man, that’s great”

And from that came the most significant picture humanity has every taken. It exposes both our advancement and our insignificance. Humanity had to come from twigs and mud to nations and rocket science in order to take this photograph. And all of it contained in that pale blue ball. Every genocide, every holiday, every death, every birth, every night slept, day lived, and emotion felt all on that pale blue ball against the apathetic blackness of space. Alone and fragile with nothing but that pale blue ball.