Earth and Moon, then and now
As they passed over the far side of the Moon for the fourth time, on Christmas Eve 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 changed their spacecraft’s orientation—and seconds later they saw, for the first time, the Earth rising above the grey cratered plains below. Nothing had prepared them for the experience. They abandoned their tasks and jostled at the windows, where, by catching the moment on colour film, pilot Bill Anders made “Earthrise” (above) an icon.
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