                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2022 February 6

                              Blue Marble Earth
                     Image Credit: NASA, Apollo 17 Crew

   Explanation: Welcome to planet Earth, the third planet from a star
   named the Sun. The Earth is shaped like a sphere and composed mostly of
   rock. Over 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water. The planet has a
   relatively thin atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen and oxygen. The
   featured picture of Earth, dubbed The Blue Marble, was taken from
   Apollo 17 in 1972 and features Africa and Antarctica. It is thought to
   be one of the most widely distributed photographs of any kind. Earth
   has a single large Moon that is about 1/4 of its diameter and, from the
   planet's surface, is seen to have almost exactly the same angular size
   as the Sun. With its abundance of liquid water, Earth supports a large
   variety of life forms, including potentially intelligent species such
   as dolphins and humans. Please enjoy your stay on planet Earth.

                      Tomorrow's picture: galactic rain
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

