In the old days at Astronomy, we used to have a saying whenever someone separated Earth science from astronomy— “Earth is a planet, too.” NASA has just released what may be the greatest image yet of our planet, a multicolor photo of Earth showing North and South America and swirls of clouds hovering about.
This “blue marble” image of the planet was made with the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA’s most recent Earth-observing satellite, Suomi NPP. The composite image was made January 4, 2012, and will certainly give you a new perspective on the little blue planet we call home.
Enjoy!