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How Astronauts Took the Most Important Photo In Space History

Posted by Soulskill on from the disposable-camera-off-the-shelf dept.

The Bad Astronomer writes "On December 24, 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts saw the Earth rising over the limb of the Moon. The photo they took of this moment — dubbed Earthrise — has become an icon of our need to explore, and to protect our home world. NASA has just released a video explaining how the astronauts were able to capture this unique moment, which included a dash of both coincidence and fast teamwork."

2 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Re:[SPOILERS] by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It only strikes you as interesting because you have no idea how cameras, eyes, and exposure work. The rest of us aren't completely retarded.

  2. Re: [SPOILERS] by codegen · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's the same reason no stars. The camera exposure is set for daylight ( the moon surface in the foreground) the day side of the earth. The pictures of night earth including artificial lights require longer exposures.

    --
    Atlas stands on the earth and carries the celestial sphere on his shoulders.