Portraits of a planet: Earth from space

The respected journal, Nature, published this interesting glimpse of the planet Earth from space onto their YouTube channel.

For centuries, we could glimpse the curvature of Earth from mountain peaks but the only way to ‘see’ our planet whole was through globes and maps. Then our world view changed. Not long after the end of World War II, scientists began experimenting with captured German V-2 rockets. They replaced the V-2 warheads with cameras and launched the rockets into near-Earth orbit, capturing the first images of Earth from space. These became the first in a series of iconic portraits that changed our relationship with our planet. In this Nature Video we celebrate these awe-inspiring images, including Earthrise, The Blue Marble, Pale Blue Dot and more.

Correction to credits: “1946 V2 rocket: The March of Time”

Nature YouTube Channel

In This Story: World War II

World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world’s countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers.

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