Moon Missions: Apollo 8
Looking Back at the Earth
The southeastern United States and Caribbean Sea from the Apollo 8 spacecraft.
The first image taken by humans of the whole Earth. Photographed by the crew of Apollo 8 (probably by Bill Anders), this photo shows the Earth at a distance of about 30,000 km (18,000 miles). South is at the top, with South America visible at the covering the top half center, with Africa entering into shadow. North America is in the bottom right.
The crew turned their spacecraft around and photographed the receding rocket stage and the Earth. As the Earth receded, sitting in the winter constellations, people were seeing the complete Earth for the first time.