February 1, 2012
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A few days ago, NASA released this lovely composite image of our home planet:
Click for the full-resolution image
It’s a spectacular image. Click to view in full resolution!
But the projection is slightly…unusual. Can you pick why this isn’t what the earth would look like if you were viewing it from, say, the moon?
About the Author: Alex Wild is an Illinois-based entomologist who studies the evolutionary history of ants. In 2003 he founded a photography business as an aesthetic complement to his scientific work, and his natural history photographs appear in numerous museums, books, and media outlets. Follow on Twitter @myrmecos.
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Ah, it’s quite a wide-angle view, is it not? Looks like the farthest north point is (roughly guessing) Southern Canada, while only the tiniest portion of Antarctica is visible. If viewed from the Moon or any other relatively distant location there would be much more surface area visible.
Link to thisI figure its a fish-eye lens, extremely well-centered.
Link to thisThe perspective is wrong, because the moon is actually located in a studio in Nevada?
Link to thisAnd Danwolf wins the internet!
Link to this