A tiny speck called Earth, as seen from Saturn
The shot from NASA's Cassini spacecraft is a humble reminder of our place in the universe
(Image via: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)
That bright speck you see in the bottom-right quadrant, just below Saturn's rings, isn't a far-off star or galaxy cluster; it's a little place called Earth. On July 19, 2013, NASA's Cassini spacecraft snapped the above photo of our blue marble (and its hard-to-see moon) from its perch in the Saturn system, nearly 900 million miles away.
That we're even looking at this image is quite fortuitous: Photos typically taken from that distance and direction are usually obscured by the sun, which, luckily, is hidden behind Saturn. And while we've grown accustomed to images of Earth taken from space, swirling with white clouds over deep blue oceans, Cassini's distant portrait of home is a humbling reminder that we live in a great big universe — and that we're all really, really puny.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Making a police state out of the liberal university'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
8 looming climate tipping points that imperil our planet
The Explainer New reports detail the thresholds we may be close to crossing
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Try 6 free issues of The Week Junior
Spark your child's curiosity with The Week Junior - the award-winning current affairs magazine for 8-14s.
By The Week Published