New time-lapse shows how Earth has changed since iconic 'Blue Marble'

Fifty years aft Apollo 17 astronauts sent backmost an iconic representation of Earth, capturing the awe of the cosmos and fragility of our satellite similar ne'er before, time-lapse images person been released to people the anniversary.

The Blue Marble, arsenic it came to beryllium known, was snapped connected 7 December 1972, and astatine the clip showcased an unprecedented level of detail.

With clouds swirling implicit the African continent successful afloat sunlight, surrounded by the vivid blues of Earth's oceans, the satellite stood retired similar a beacon amid the deep, acheronian of space.

In concern with Planetary Visions and NASA, which ran the Apollo 17 mission, Living Earth Orchestra (LEO) has released unsocial time-lapse images to amusement however the satellite has changed.

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Since 2015, NASA has been operating a heavy abstraction observatory equipped with a camera called EPIC.

It's 1 cardinal miles from the Earth and has been taking Blue Marble-style images each 2 hours.

But today, NASA commissioned EPIC to instrumentality images each 13 minutes for 3 hours, creating an astir real-time presumption of the planet.

The results tin beryllium seen successful the video below.

LEO has been processing exertion to broadcast specified images of Earth anywhere, each the time, and determination are plans to physique a constellation of satellites to amusement disconnected the satellite time and night.

Chief idiosyncratic Dr Jan-Peter Muller, emeritus prof of representation knowing and distant sensing astatine UCL, said the images would animate a caller procreation to attraction for the aboriginal of Earth, conscionable arsenic the Blue Marble did.

"We uncover some the wonderment of and harm to the Earth's ecosystems. When you spot what is happening, it is simply a compelling wake-up call," helium said.

"We judge this is simply a captious caller instrumentality for each those acrophobic and responsible."

LEO's nonsubjective was to "make the authorities of the Earth disposable astatine planetary and section scale", but Dr Muller said it had "taken galore years to bring unneurotic the indispensable technology".

The anticipation is that the images volition not lone amusement however the satellite has changed since 1972, but however it could alteration successful years ahead.