SATELLITE IMAGES OF AFRICA

Images of earth on the scale of continents provide a perspective unavailable from closer views. We can see global-scale cloud patterns, which tell scientists about climatic patterns. But perhaps the greater impact of such images is their effect on our perception of Earth as a planet. The Apollo images for example inspired a generation—not only to a greater interest in space and technology, but also to a greater appreciation for the beauty and fragility of the planet in the vast emptiness of space.