The World, in a Single Picture - Alex Wyllie

Earthrise Revisited

This is Carl Sagan's pale blue dot. This is William Ander's Earthrise. This is our Earth, as seen from one of our greatest achievements, the moon. And most importantly, it's one of the most influential photographs ever taken. This photo is the realization of where we come from, a single photo that encloses all people on Earth. All religions, all wars, all countries. All politics, all economics, all medicine. All plants, all animals, all life as we know to exist. Only the Pale Blue Dot is more all-encompassing. The Earth, rising over the the moon as though it were the sun rising over the ocean. It is a breathtaking sight, even today, one that few have ever seen in person, one that everybody knows. For those reasons, this photo serves as a reminder, that we are only one species, on one diverse planet. It may have everything we know, but only we have broken it's barrier. For other species, and indeed most of our own, it's all we will ever have. Thus, this photo has become the herald of a number of environmental movements. If it is all we have, we must work not to destroy it and exploit it, but rather to save it and preserve it.