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Earthrise: How Man First Saw the Earth
Earthrise tells the remarkable story of the first photographs of Earth from space and the totally unexpected impact of those images. The Apollo “Earthrise” and “Blue Marble” photographs were beamed across the world some forty years ago. They had an astounding effect, Robert Poole explains, and in fact transformed thinking about the Earth and its environment in a way that echoed throughout religion, culture, and science. Gazing upon our whole planet for the first time, we saw ourselves and our place in the universe with new clarity. Poole delves into new areas of research and looks at familiar history from fresh perspectives. With intriguing anecdotes and wonderful pictures, he examines afresh the politics of the Apollo missions, the challenges of whole Earth photography, and the story of the behind-the-scenes struggles to get photographs of the Earth put into mission plans. He traces the history of imagined visions of Earth from space and explores what happened when imagination met reality. The photographs of Earth represented a turning point, Poole contends. In their wake, Earth Day was inaugurated, the environmental movement took off, and the first space age ended. People turned their focus back toward Earth, toward the precious and fragile planet we call home.
236 pages, Hardcover
First published November 6, 2008
6 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Robert Poole
8 books2 followersRobert Poole (born 1957) is a UK-based historian, currently Professor of History at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 15, 2025
Magnificent. The fact we have 'man' and 'Earthrise' in the title reflects how far we have come in understanding ourselves as a communal species and the planet as an interconnected system. What influenced this particular image was the reading from Genesis by the Apollo 8 astronauts on Christmas. And then came the Apollo 17 Blue Marble image in 1972, with Africa - and, by extension, the Global South - foregrounded for the first time. Finally, just to remind us that we're actually 'cockroach Sapiens' (Canavan), we got Voyager's Pale Blue Dot 'speck in a sunbeam' image in 1990, immortalised by Carl Sagan in his book. And now we have Google Earth and endless AI image generators. Sigh. How our vision and curiosity have been diminished.
February 22, 2014
The book deals with the major milestones leading up to photographs of the Earth from the moon and space, and also the aftermath in terms of increased awareness of the environment, our responsibility and a more spiritual outlook of our position in the universe. Overall a decent read.
July 20, 2018
A testament to the power of images. Also an interesting story of space exploration.
January 27, 2019
An entire book dedicated to a single photograph may seem extreme, but not when that photo is the single most shared image in the history of mankind.
The story of the Earthrise photo (and similar photos of the whole earth and the pale blue dot, a picture of Earth taken from deep in the galaxy as opposed from the moon or lunar orbit) is not just about how NASA and the Apollo astronauts found the time, initiative and wherewithal to snap a picture of our home planet. It is also the story of that picture’s impact on everything from the space program to the individuals who experienced that picture with their own eyes to human understanding, and more importantly, perspective of Earth, its place in our solar system and our place in both.
This is specialized, niche read for those interested in the space race days of Mercury and Apollo; the author, Robert Poole, interviews many astronauts and NASA representatives. It’s somewhat remarkable that with the intensity highly planned nature of each and every mission, with an incredibly detailed agenda and checklist for seemingly every moment of space flight, at first there was no thought given to taking pictures of Earth.
When a camera was placed on board during the Apollo flights, it was there to take pictures of the Moon in prep for future moon landings. But ever since the first Mercury space flights, astronauts had clambered for both more time to look out the window and time just to take pictures. It was a tougher sell than one would imagine…and the photo itself was practically an afterthought. It wasn’t until after the Apollo 8 crew of Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and Bill Anders (Anders is the one credited with taking the Earthrise photo) returned and their film was developed that NASA realized what they had.
Eventually NASA did release and publicize the photo. It made its way into newspapers (often in black and white) and then in color (in magazines). And the results are fascinating. For the first time in human history, mankind on Earth was able to hold a mirror not to itself, but to its home. In the days, weeks, months and now years since, in interviews of the 24 men who entered lunar orbit and saw the Earth from that vantage point, we heard what it was like for them to see our home from the outside. The feelings and emotions are what you might expect: humility, awe, inspiration, a broadening of the understanding of size and scope of life on Earth, and of the universe as a whole.
One of the most interesting points of this book is when Poole talks about the differences in reactions to seeing Earth from space between Mercury and Apollo astronauts. There was a distinciton, he theorizes, between those who remained in Earth’s orbit, and those who went to the moon. In essence, the further away astronauts went from Earth, the more powerful it became, and the more transcendent was the impact of seeing Earth from that distance.
Seeing Earth as a pale blue dot, suspended in the vast, empty darkness of space, gave those astronauts a heightened sense of Earth’s place in the universe and a deeper appreciation for their (our) home. Astronauts returned from space travel changed and impacted by their experience and visions; some become more religious, others became more outspoken about the need to protect and tend our home Earth. Others theorized that if more of mankind could experience the Earth as they did, that the endless strife and battles and warfare that has divided mankind since its inception could be eliminated. There was hope that the Earthrise and Blue Marble photographs could have the same affect, and to a certain but all too brief extent, they did.
The Whole Earth Catalog and the origins of the environmental movement both were launched in the aftermath of the Apollo program. Steward Brand, founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, ran a campaign to persuade NASA to take a picture of the whole Earth. His theory was that the photo would have the impact it did, though I’m sure he hoped it would have lasted longer and been more impactful than it was. By the time the Apollo space flights ended, interest in space travel was waning, and with it, to a degree, the fascination of Earth driven by regular space commutes. The Space Shuttle program rejuvenated that for a bit, but not in the same way travel to the Moon did.
While a bit technical at times and providing a greater sense of the logistics of space photography than I needed, the reason I found this book so compelling is that it conveys the philosophical history and evolution of space travel and its impacts on mankind’s perception of Earth and outer space.
For instance, is the purpose of space travel to have an outward approach, to learn more about the Moon, space, planets and stars, and to prepare mankind for deeper and longer journeys into the universe? Or is to help us turn inward and change our perspectives on the planet that will remain the home of mankind for centuries to come? As it relates to space travel specifically, I think the answer can be a little of both.
But what we non-astronaut, Earth-bound citizens can do is look at the photos from space (of space and of Earth) and heighten both our sense of wonder of the universe, and our appreciation for our blue, green and white home. From space, of course, boundaries are invisible. Differences between cultures and politics are absent, negligible. Is it too far-fetched to think we can apply that thinking to life on Earth? Especially during traumatic, dramatic times, when there is so much us. vs. them in our politics and daily lives, how do we reach a level where humans have a greater sense of communal and universal bonds of what we share than what separates us?
And when it comes to imbuing Earth’s inhabitants with a planetary perspective of our home, and that the Earth is a living, evolving entity, with no guarantees it can sustain life regardless of our habits and tendencies, how do we see that need to take better care of Earth and all living things? If we make the safe assumption that we can’t send every political or business leader to outer space, how do we convince the majority that we must care about our environment and other species, lest we see species disappear and our land, air and water become toxic and no longer sustaining for life on Earth?
All of these questions can be asked by a single photograph, which in essence is the importance and relevance of Earthrise. That’s why this is a book worth reading and a concept worth thinking about it.
The story of the Earthrise photo (and similar photos of the whole earth and the pale blue dot, a picture of Earth taken from deep in the galaxy as opposed from the moon or lunar orbit) is not just about how NASA and the Apollo astronauts found the time, initiative and wherewithal to snap a picture of our home planet. It is also the story of that picture’s impact on everything from the space program to the individuals who experienced that picture with their own eyes to human understanding, and more importantly, perspective of Earth, its place in our solar system and our place in both.
This is specialized, niche read for those interested in the space race days of Mercury and Apollo; the author, Robert Poole, interviews many astronauts and NASA representatives. It’s somewhat remarkable that with the intensity highly planned nature of each and every mission, with an incredibly detailed agenda and checklist for seemingly every moment of space flight, at first there was no thought given to taking pictures of Earth.
When a camera was placed on board during the Apollo flights, it was there to take pictures of the Moon in prep for future moon landings. But ever since the first Mercury space flights, astronauts had clambered for both more time to look out the window and time just to take pictures. It was a tougher sell than one would imagine…and the photo itself was practically an afterthought. It wasn’t until after the Apollo 8 crew of Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and Bill Anders (Anders is the one credited with taking the Earthrise photo) returned and their film was developed that NASA realized what they had.
Eventually NASA did release and publicize the photo. It made its way into newspapers (often in black and white) and then in color (in magazines). And the results are fascinating. For the first time in human history, mankind on Earth was able to hold a mirror not to itself, but to its home. In the days, weeks, months and now years since, in interviews of the 24 men who entered lunar orbit and saw the Earth from that vantage point, we heard what it was like for them to see our home from the outside. The feelings and emotions are what you might expect: humility, awe, inspiration, a broadening of the understanding of size and scope of life on Earth, and of the universe as a whole.
One of the most interesting points of this book is when Poole talks about the differences in reactions to seeing Earth from space between Mercury and Apollo astronauts. There was a distinciton, he theorizes, between those who remained in Earth’s orbit, and those who went to the moon. In essence, the further away astronauts went from Earth, the more powerful it became, and the more transcendent was the impact of seeing Earth from that distance.
Seeing Earth as a pale blue dot, suspended in the vast, empty darkness of space, gave those astronauts a heightened sense of Earth’s place in the universe and a deeper appreciation for their (our) home. Astronauts returned from space travel changed and impacted by their experience and visions; some become more religious, others became more outspoken about the need to protect and tend our home Earth. Others theorized that if more of mankind could experience the Earth as they did, that the endless strife and battles and warfare that has divided mankind since its inception could be eliminated. There was hope that the Earthrise and Blue Marble photographs could have the same affect, and to a certain but all too brief extent, they did.
The Whole Earth Catalog and the origins of the environmental movement both were launched in the aftermath of the Apollo program. Steward Brand, founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, ran a campaign to persuade NASA to take a picture of the whole Earth. His theory was that the photo would have the impact it did, though I’m sure he hoped it would have lasted longer and been more impactful than it was. By the time the Apollo space flights ended, interest in space travel was waning, and with it, to a degree, the fascination of Earth driven by regular space commutes. The Space Shuttle program rejuvenated that for a bit, but not in the same way travel to the Moon did.
While a bit technical at times and providing a greater sense of the logistics of space photography than I needed, the reason I found this book so compelling is that it conveys the philosophical history and evolution of space travel and its impacts on mankind’s perception of Earth and outer space.
For instance, is the purpose of space travel to have an outward approach, to learn more about the Moon, space, planets and stars, and to prepare mankind for deeper and longer journeys into the universe? Or is to help us turn inward and change our perspectives on the planet that will remain the home of mankind for centuries to come? As it relates to space travel specifically, I think the answer can be a little of both.
But what we non-astronaut, Earth-bound citizens can do is look at the photos from space (of space and of Earth) and heighten both our sense of wonder of the universe, and our appreciation for our blue, green and white home. From space, of course, boundaries are invisible. Differences between cultures and politics are absent, negligible. Is it too far-fetched to think we can apply that thinking to life on Earth? Especially during traumatic, dramatic times, when there is so much us. vs. them in our politics and daily lives, how do we reach a level where humans have a greater sense of communal and universal bonds of what we share than what separates us?
And when it comes to imbuing Earth’s inhabitants with a planetary perspective of our home, and that the Earth is a living, evolving entity, with no guarantees it can sustain life regardless of our habits and tendencies, how do we see that need to take better care of Earth and all living things? If we make the safe assumption that we can’t send every political or business leader to outer space, how do we convince the majority that we must care about our environment and other species, lest we see species disappear and our land, air and water become toxic and no longer sustaining for life on Earth?
All of these questions can be asked by a single photograph, which in essence is the importance and relevance of Earthrise. That’s why this is a book worth reading and a concept worth thinking about it.
July 29, 2020
I loved every page of this marvelous book, which is filled to the brim with details of how the first photographs of the Whole Earth came to be. Poole does an amazing job at collecting and interpreting quotes from the people involved, whilst providing a philosophical framework to understand the changes that photo's such as Earthrise brought about.
It gives to think, in 2020, what could be the equivalent of the impact of these pictures today.
It gives to think, in 2020, what could be the equivalent of the impact of these pictures today.
August 25, 2017
Very informative read -- takes the "Earthrise" from just an unplanned photo to its full philosophical, ecological, and social implications.
May 2, 2024
The historic Earthrise photograph has fascinated humans and inspired environmental action since it was taken in 1968. Robert Poole's Earthrise: How Man First Saw the Earth is a thoughtful history of this famous photo and religious, scientific, and sociological results of viewing ourselves and our planet from space.
October 13, 2022
Excellent reading.
December 14, 2008
Robert Poole does a really excellent job of documenting and analysing the two iconic earth images from the Apollo programme -- the Earthrise shot from Apollo 8 and the "Blue Marble" shot from Apollo 17 -- putting them into all the right contexts. He's particularly good, I think, on the degree to which the impact of the images had been thought of before, tracing the ideas back to Fred Hoyle and others, and on the tension between facing out and facing in that is most clearly implicit in Earthrise itself. Made me think how often nostalgia is an important part of SF, especially eg in Robert Heinlein: "The Green Hills of Earth", the loss of childlike Mike in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, etc.
One slight surprise: no mention of "The View from Space" by Bruce Murray and Mert Davies, which I would have thought worth consideration. I'll take a look at my copy when I get back to the UK and see if that thought survives looking at the evidence.
(BTW, You don't have to read this book jetlagged looking out over San Francisco as the sun rises on Stewart Brand's 70th birthday, but it certainly doesn't hurt...)
One slight surprise: no mention of "The View from Space" by Bruce Murray and Mert Davies, which I would have thought worth consideration. I'll take a look at my copy when I get back to the UK and see if that thought survives looking at the evidence.
(BTW, You don't have to read this book jetlagged looking out over San Francisco as the sun rises on Stewart Brand's 70th birthday, but it certainly doesn't hurt...)
May 22, 2016
The book's basic premise is that the Earthrise photo take by the astronauts of Apollo 8 and indeed the whole space program did more to make people think about the Earth then about Space and what was out there.
As someone who is firmly from the Sci-Fi, space exploration, let's go exploring mindset it was enlightening to read this. It's like being a guest in a house and finally understanding all the subtext and background of what everyone is talking about. It traces the environmental movement, the Gaia as Earth-Mother, ecology movements. Poole dwells as much - if not more - on the cultural and spiritual aspects of this as the scientific side. Again, it's enlightening to me because I have a scientific approach.
I didn't walk away a convert to all the ideas in this book but I did get a better understanding of where people are coming from.
As someone who is firmly from the Sci-Fi, space exploration, let's go exploring mindset it was enlightening to read this. It's like being a guest in a house and finally understanding all the subtext and background of what everyone is talking about. It traces the environmental movement, the Gaia as Earth-Mother, ecology movements. Poole dwells as much - if not more - on the cultural and spiritual aspects of this as the scientific side. Again, it's enlightening to me because I have a scientific approach.
I didn't walk away a convert to all the ideas in this book but I did get a better understanding of where people are coming from.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews