wait why is it round?

The comparison pictures look like there is more dust in the air today. They don't explain this effect, so I assume it is related to time of day the photo was taken, or camera settings, not actual dust accumulation compared to 1972. However, the direct comparison gives the impression they want people to interpret like the air is getting dirtier?

Man, this is truly awesome. I wonder if NASA's Don Pettit, u/astro_pettit [0] consults on all missions going forward. He really should.

He is "our people," as far as hacking astrophotography from space. [1]

[0] https://old.reddit.com/user/astro_pettit

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42701645

to quote the old meme:

> hey, i'm in a picture with all my friends!

Why is the old image so much more blue? Did pollution increase cause this change in color over time?

What a gorgeous sight to behold!

To paraphrase Carl Sagan: insignificant plant in an insignificant galaxy and there’s a good chance we’ll annihilate ourselves.

Why didn't NASA or the news agencies rotate the image so North is up? and slightly to the right. That would make Africa instantly recognizable as that's how maps are imprinted in our brains.

There is no "up" in space, so that wouldn't be editing the image I feel. The camera just happened to be oriented "upside down".

here the original NASA photos at high resolution without unnecessary ads.

https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/journey-to-the-moon/