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“The Blue Marble” as a visual argument

A visual-analysis exercise, and a companion to the “Earthrise” page. Both are public-domain NASA images, so the whole picture can be shown and worked on here.

The Blue Marble

Maker
The crew of Apollo 17, NASA
Date
7 December 1972
Medium
Colour photograph, en route to the Moon

One of the most reproduced photographs in history — a whole, finite planet in a single frame.

The fully lit disc of the Earth against black space, showing Africa, Antarctica and swirling clouds
“The Blue Marble”. Photograph taken by the crew of Apollo 17, 7 December 1972. NASA, public domain. Shown in full.
Subject

What we are looking at

Image
“The Blue Marble”, taken by the Apollo 17 crew on their way to the Moon, with the Sun behind them
Date
7 December 1972
Why analyse it
Along with “Earthrise”, this is one of the most reproduced photographs in history, used on flags, book covers and campaign posters as an image of one shared, finite planet.
Source
Wikimedia Commons — image page →

This is a public-domain NASA image, shown in full and credited above. The reading below is original analysis.

Compare

“Blue Marble” versus “Earthrise”

Earthrise (1968)

Earth small, off-centre, half in shadow, above a lunar horizon

Blue Marble (1972)

Earth centred, large, fully lit, alone in black

Different arguments

Earthrise: fragile, rising, hopeful. Blue Marble: whole, finite, “this is all there is”.

Mood

What the image feels like

complete precious serene finite whole alone alive limited still
complete / serene precious / alive finite / limited alone
Reading it

Visual techniques

  • The Earth is centred and fills the frame

    The planet is close to the middle, large, and almost the only thing in the picture.

    Effect: a centred, dominant Earth reads as complete and self-contained, a whole world rather than a distant object; it commands the viewer's full attention.

  • Fully lit disc

    Unlike “Earthrise”, the whole face of the Earth is in sunlight, with no shadow line.

    Effect: a fully illuminated planet looks knowable and open, everything visible at once; there is no hidden or dark side to worry about.

  • Recognisable geography

    Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Antarctic ice cap are clearly identifiable.

    Effect: being able to find real places makes the image feel like our planet, not an abstraction, and invites the viewer to locate themselves on it.

  • Weather as texture

    Cloud systems swirl across the oceans and continents.

    Effect: visible weather shows the Earth as a living, moving system, which supports arguments about a single connected climate.

  • Black, empty surround

    The planet sits against total black, with no stars visible.

    Effect: the void isolates the Earth and makes it look small and alone despite filling the frame, reinforcing the “only home we have” reading.

  • Roundness and wholeness

    A near-perfect circle, symmetrical, with no edges cropped.

    Effect: the complete sphere reads as unity and finitude; you can see the whole of it, so you can see that it is limited.

Try it

Practice angle

Write a paragraph comparing how “Earthrise” and “The Blue Marble” each make a visual argument about the planet. Focus on the size and position of the Earth in each frame, the lighting, and what is or is not shown around it.

Get feedback

Write a visual analysis of this image

Draft a paragraph or a full analysis using the techniques above, then send it for marking against the VCAA criteria, with detailed feedback in 72 hours.

See essay marking