Ryan, Photo Discussion

 

"Earthrise" taken by Bill Anders

    On Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1968, Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and Bill Anders circled the Moon as a part of the Apollo 8 mission. As they came back around after passing the dark side of the Moon, they saw Earth, the home of every human in existence, and where all of them, save three, currently were. So, Anders took a photo out of the cabin window of the small orb housing over 3.5 billion people at the time.

This photo has had implications on society's actions. The image of this pure small world that we live on has been used in environmental activism to remind people that we are not the center of the universe.

    Photos from Apollo 11 are revered because they represent the future and where humanity hopes to explore in the great mystery of space. However, photos like "Earthrise" have the opposite effect. This photo is not a vision of the future, but one of the present and the past. This photo shows us where we are right now, and how despite all of our great achievements in technology and innovation, we are still all stuck on a little sphere in the middle of nowhere. It reminds us how alone we are, but at the same time how close we all are to each other. It is that paradox that makes me enjoy this photo so much. This photo tells us that the human race is small and invisible when seen from the perspective of the Moon, but we are all small and invisible together.