Photo Credit: Thomas Pesquet / ESAīut Pesquet’s images are so jarringly unusual that they look like a completely different world, or perhaps the one from the 1995 action science-fiction movie starting Kevin Costner. However, the focus on land for most of those who photograph the planet from space is likely because humans spend very little time on the vast openness of the sea, which makes it usually less interesting for the average photographer or even viewer. Considering that the Earth is made up of 70% water, it does at first seem strange that photos with this perspective are rare. What makes Pesquet’s photos unique amongst the vast number that have been shared over the years is that this group of three shows no land at all. Last year, NASA paid homage to its favorites in its top 20 photos of Earth taken from the space station. As noted by Digital Trends, Pesquet’s reference to Earth as a “blue marble” is likely in reference to the famous image of Earth taken by the Apollo 17 crew in 1972.Īstronauts on the ISS have some of the best views of Earth and the individual members, who are regularly rotating, have uploaded thousands of images over the years.

Earth view from space station