Blue Marble 2012: NASA Releases High Definition Image Of Earth (PHOTO)

NASA on Wednesday released "Blue Marble 2012," a view of the home planet that the agency calls the "most amazing high definition image of Earth."

Unlike the original Blue Marble -- the iconic 1972 photograph taken by the Apollo 17 crew while they were on their way to the moon -- this composite image is made from data collected by the Suomi NPP satellite.

SCROLL DOWN FOR NEW AND OLD BLUE MARBLE IMAGES

The Suomi NPP collected the data for the image from multiple passes of the Earth on January 4, 2012. The satellite orbits the planet 14 times per day at an altitude of 512 miles.

NASA says the satellite, which was launched on October 28, will collect data for forecasting weather and help scientists better understand climate change.

The space agency this week announced that the satellite, which was formerly known as the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project, would be renamed to honor Verner E. Suomi. Suomi was a University of Wisconsin meteorologist who NASA calls "the father of satellite meteorology."

LOOK: "Blue Marble 2012" High Definition Image of Earth:

LOOK: 1972 Blue Marble Image:

Comments

[hd wallpapers]

12:55 AM on 12/22/2012

Very nice image of earth.I want to share about the HD wallpapers and background through your blog.Keep good work in the blog.

[chaotician1]

12:33 PM on 05/14/2012

Oh my God, where are the lines...no borders...Jesus will surely object!

[Garudastan]

05:50 AM on 02/06/2012

I like the comment about pic one is north America and the second Africa

[deckercat]

05:22 PM on 02/05/2012

and we hate each other why?

[Wall Str33t]

05:10 PM on 02/05/2012

I still say it's flat!

[brittany wilson]

03:57 PM on 02/05/2012

AS U SEE THERES BEARLY NO GREEN -__________________-

[InVinoVeritasBC]

12:38 PM on 02/08/2012

Bears aren't green.

It's BARELY! Learn your homophones!!!

[brittany wilson]

03:53 PM on 02/05/2012

I hope people are not looking at this new picture of the earth and saying " Oh it looks much brighter oh it must be better then" No. As you can seee, we have made more pollution in the earth then people did back then. Obviously. Just becuase it looks like this , dosent mean it dosent need to be taken care of. people need to start thinking about how imporant the earth is to us. We wouldnt be having money,jobs,homes, etc without the earth. So , maybe we should DO SOMETHING. before its to late ? -__- im 12 and i think this is ridiculous -___________-

[doing their job]

01:55 PM on 02/05/2012

Does anyone realize they are not the same picture? One is of Africa and the other one is of North and South America. Of course they wont look the same.

[emann38123]

09:01 AM on 02/05/2012

Comparison pics would have more effect if placed side by side.

[Wall Str33t]

05:11 PM on 02/05/2012

They'd have been smaller pics which would also defeat the purpose of showing HD pics.

[Christliketina]

01:45 AM on 02/05/2012

When I look at both picture of the earth from the year 1972 and 2012 what a heartbreaking difference. We are killing the earth and something needs to be done now. Anyone looking at the two images and when they were taken it's like to different worlds and not for the good. Breaks my heart.

[brittany wilson]

03:46 PM on 02/05/2012

YES ! And They Know It ! They Just Dont Wanna Deal With It And They Just Dont Want To Believe Its Happening.

[Ann Corrigan]

10:57 PM on 02/04/2012

The new image shows the shallow water around Florida and the Caribbean. It also shows the lack of ice at the poles. All in all I like the new one

[masher3m]

08:21 PM on 02/04/2012

I have been looking at the Ronald E. Evans photograph that was taken from Apollo 17 in 1972 for many years now . When I walk out of my bedroom every morning it is there in my face to remind me how small and insignificant that I am and how all of my concerns in my every day life are but a trifle. The photographs that were taken four decades apart both reach out to this observer in the same inspiring way.

[Yeup I Said It]

11:50 PM on 02/04/2012

It almost makes you think of the earth as just a tiny cell in an enormous and mind blowing universe. Wow, that WOULD really make us small! But thank you for reminding me that we really are tiny as individuals compared to what surrounds us =)

[bockm5]

07:29 PM on 02/04/2012

sharper, more detailed

[Landry7514]

07:14 PM on 02/04/2012

My observation maybe off, but look how different the ocean is in the 2012 image. Its not as blue. Part of it may be due to cloud coverage, but along the coastline it is definitely different. Both images are beautiful, but its sad to see the negative impact we have made in the last 40 years.

[Manygoodreasons]

09:01 PM on 02/04/2012

Sorry, that has nothing to do with "negative impact" , totally absurd. That is simply the gorgeous sand and reefs that extend off the coastlines. I've been around the ocean all of my life and she looks as beautiful she ever did. You are experiencing the effects of HD and the progress that has been made in the last 40 years in the world of photography, no comparison at all between the 2 photograghs.

[Yeup I Said It]

11:53 PM on 02/04/2012

I can see that, along with the glowing "hue" around the globe now...

[Llib Noswad]

05:35 PM on 02/04/2012

Cool pic, I have it as my wallpaper.

[Dmdube]

10:30 AM on 02/05/2012

How did you make it your wallpaper? I love this pic! This is such a beautiful planet we get to live on.

[Llib Noswad]

11:53 AM on 02/05/2012

Save it to your P.C., go to control panel, open desktop background, browse for the picture and apply.