Portrait of earth taken by a Russian weather satellite Electro-L (© NTs OMZ)

Check out the best picture of Earth ever taken

5/12/2012

Nothing inspires awe and a sense of our place in the universe like seeing our planet from outer space, and a new picture taken by a Russian weather satellite is being hailed as THE ultimate picture of Earth. Taken as a single shot, rather than made up of composites as past photos have been, this photo has a stunning resolution of 121 megapixels. (Let's see your new DSLR match that.) The satellite, Electro-L, is orbiting the planet 22,000 miles above the equator and sends back images every 30 minutes. As NASA scientist Robert Simmon points out, the images are made up of light from four different wavelengths combined to illuminate topographical details such as vegetation. The end result is a breathtaking look at our humble little home.

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How beautiful does our planet look in this pic?