Earthrise

The “Earthrise” photo above is one of the most iconic images ever taken. It was captured by astronaut William Anders during the Apollo 8 mission on December 24, 1968. This mission was the first crewed voyage to orbit the Moon, and the photo shows Earth rising above the Moon’s horizon.

The moment occurred as Apollo 8 was coming around from the far side of the Moon for the fourth time. Anders was using a Hasselblad camera with a 250-mm telephoto lens when he saw the Earth appearing above the lunar surface1. The image quickly became a symbol of the environmental movement, highlighting the fragility and unity of our planet.