The February 12, 2020the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of NASA in Pasadena, California, posted a new version of a very special image to celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of the most iconic views of the Voyager mission. This image is known as the “Pale Blue Dot” (Pale Blue Dot). Using modern software and image processing techniques, but respecting the intent of those who planned the original image, this new version offers an updated, sharper view.
Why is this image so special?
The original image shows our planet as a single, bright blue pixel in vast space. Rays of sunlight, dispersed within the camera's optics, pass through the scene; one of these rays dramatically intersected the Earth. This view was obtained on February 14, 1990just minutes before Voyager 1's cameras were intentionally turned off to conserve power, as the probe, along with its twin Voyager 2, would no longer make close encounters with other objects during its operational lifetime.
The context of the Voyager mission
The famous view of the Voyager 1 was part of a series of 60 images designed to produce what the mission called the “Solar System Family Portrait.” This sequence of camera pointing commands returned images of six of the solar system's planets, as well as the Sun. The view of the Pale Blue Dot was created using color images of Earth taken by Voyager.
The popular name of this sight is traced to the title of the book of 1994 Of Carl SaganVoyager imager scientist, who originated the idea of using Voyager's cameras to immortalize distant Earth and played a critical role in enabling family portrait images.
The probes were built by JPL, which continues to operate both. JPL is a division of Caltech in Pasadena. The Voyager missions are part of NASA's Heliophysics System Observatory, sponsored by the Heliophysics Division of the Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
And you, what do you feel when you look at that little blue sphere in the great void of space? Does it make you think about our place in the universe?
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