PDN Photo of the Day

March 20, 2017

Exploratory Mission

"Eclipse of the Sun by Earth." The solar corona— the outer atmosphere that surrounds the Sun—and magnetic loops during an eclipse of the Sun by Earth. Ultraviolet photograph. Solar Dynamics Observatory, 2 April, 2011. Credit: NASA SDO/NASA GSFC/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"A Massive Prominence." View of the solar chromosphere, the second of the Sun’s three main layers of atmosphere, while a massive prominence curls upwards in a characteristic looped shape. Ultraviolet photograph. Solar Dynamics Observatory, 6 December, 2010. Credit: NASA SDO/NASA GSFC/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Crescent Earth." The Caribbean Sea appears illuminated by an immense spotlight. Known as a specular reflection, the phenomenon occurs when the angle of the Sun’s rays causes them to bounce directly off the water’s reflective surface. Composite photograph. GOES West, 18 May, 2015. Credit: NOAA-NASA-GOES/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Sahara Sandstorm." A vast wall of wind-borne sand sweeps across the western Sahara before extending out across the Atlantic and impacting the Canary Islands. Acqua, 3 March, 2004. Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, Lucian Plesea, MODIS LRRT/NASA GSFC/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Crescents Moon and Earth." In this historic image, both the Moon and Earth are seen for the first time as paired crescent worlds, with the western half of the Moon’s far side visible. This photograph was taken during the Apollo-8 mission. Lunar Orbiter 4, 19 May, 1967. Credit: NASA LOIRP/Austin Epps/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Moonlight on the Adriatic." In this luminous view of southern Europe, the Adriatic Sea with its many islands gleams in reflected moonlight. In the centre, the Italian peninsula extends into the Mediterranean Sea. Mosaic photograph. ISS 023 crew, 29 April, 2010. Credit: NASA JSC/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Cloud-covered Venus." In visible light, the dense carbon dioxide atmosphere makes Venus look like a bright, largely featureless ball. But here, in ultraviolet light, details of its swirling atmosphere are revealed. Ultraviolet photograph. Mariner 10, 5 February, 1974. Credit: NASA/Calvin Hamilton/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Sunset on Mars." Sunset colors on Mars in far cooler tones than those typically seen on Earth. The central blue glow is caused by sunlight scattering in the Martian atmosphere, the same phenomenon that makes Earth’s sky blue. Composite photograph. Spirit Rover, 19 May, 2005 Credit: NASA/JPL/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"The Valles Marineris Canyon System." The largest canyon in the Solar System, Valles Marineris on Mars is almost 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres) long—nearly the width of the United States. Mosaic composite photograph. Viking Orbiter 1, 16 July, 1978. Credit: NASA/JPL/ Dr Paul Geissler/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Mars and the Milky Way." Mars against the backdrop of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Composite photograph. Rosetta, 3 December, 2006. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Mimas Transits Saturn’s Ring Shadows." Saturn’s tiny moon Mimas drifts against the backdrop of the planet’s northern latitudes. The long, dark lines are shadows cast by Saturn’s rings. Mosaic composite photograph. Cassini, 18 January, 2005. Credit: NASA/JPL/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Eclipse of the Sun by Earth." The solar corona— the outer atmosphere that surrounds the Sun—and magnetic loops during an eclipse of the Sun by Earth. Ultraviolet photograph. Solar Dynamics Observatory, 2 April, 2011. Credit: NASA SDO/NASA GSFC/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"A Massive Prominence." View of the solar chromosphere, the second of the Sun’s three main layers of atmosphere, while a massive prominence curls upwards in a characteristic looped shape. Ultraviolet photograph. Solar Dynamics Observatory, 6 December, 2010. Credit: NASA SDO/NASA GSFC/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Crescent Earth." The Caribbean Sea appears illuminated by an immense spotlight. Known as a specular reflection, the phenomenon occurs when the angle of the Sun’s rays causes them to bounce directly off the water’s reflective surface. Composite photograph. GOES West, 18 May, 2015. Credit: NOAA-NASA-GOES/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Sahara Sandstorm." A vast wall of wind-borne sand sweeps across the western Sahara before extending out across the Atlantic and impacting the Canary Islands. Acqua, 3 March, 2004. Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, Lucian Plesea, MODIS LRRT/NASA GSFC/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Crescents Moon and Earth." In this historic image, both the Moon and Earth are seen for the first time as paired crescent worlds, with the western half of the Moon’s far side visible. This photograph was taken during the Apollo-8 mission. Lunar Orbiter 4, 19 May, 1967. Credit: NASA LOIRP/Austin Epps/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Moonlight on the Adriatic." In this luminous view of southern Europe, the Adriatic Sea with its many islands gleams in reflected moonlight. In the centre, the Italian peninsula extends into the Mediterranean Sea. Mosaic photograph. ISS 023 crew, 29 April, 2010. Credit: NASA JSC/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Cloud-covered Venus." In visible light, the dense carbon dioxide atmosphere makes Venus look like a bright, largely featureless ball. But here, in ultraviolet light, details of its swirling atmosphere are revealed. Ultraviolet photograph. Mariner 10, 5 February, 1974. Credit: NASA/Calvin Hamilton/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Sunset on Mars." Sunset colors on Mars in far cooler tones than those typically seen on Earth. The central blue glow is caused by sunlight scattering in the Martian atmosphere, the same phenomenon that makes Earth’s sky blue. Composite photograph. Spirit Rover, 19 May, 2005 Credit: NASA/JPL/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"The Valles Marineris Canyon System." The largest canyon in the Solar System, Valles Marineris on Mars is almost 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres) long—nearly the width of the United States. Mosaic composite photograph. Viking Orbiter 1, 16 July, 1978. Credit: NASA/JPL/ Dr Paul Geissler/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Mars and the Milky Way." Mars against the backdrop of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Composite photograph. Rosetta, 3 December, 2006. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures
"Mimas Transits Saturn’s Ring Shadows." Saturn’s tiny moon Mimas drifts against the backdrop of the planet’s northern latitudes. The long, dark lines are shadows cast by Saturn’s rings. Mosaic composite photograph. Cassini, 18 January, 2005. Credit: NASA/JPL/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures

If you’re like me, you enjoy perspective-altering experiences that help you see life in a different way. Photography is capable of delivering these revelatory moments, particularly when a picture shows us something we’ve never seen, or when it brings us a fresh view of something we thought we knew. Otherworlds: Visions of Our Solar System, a new book by artist Michael Benson and planetary geologist Dr. Joseph Michalski, published by Abrams Books, does both of these things. Relying on data collected by robots that have explored our solar system over the past four decades, Benson has carefully created color landscape images that offer readers a new look at Earth and its nearest neighbors.

Through a complicated system of data translation, Benson has pieced together 100 photographs that closely approximate the color the human eye would see. (In a funny aside about the need to composite some of the images, Benson notes that his iPhone makes higher resolution photos than a spacecraft launched 19 years ago.) One image shows the sun glinting off the Pacific Ocean from the perspective of the International Space Station; another, based on images captured in 1978 from the Viking Orbiter, pictures a Martian canyon system nearly as long as the United States is wide. A photograph of Jupiter’s largest moon, Io, the “most volcanic object in the solar system,” shows two of the continuous eruptions that spew from Io’s more than 400 active volcanoes.

Michalski’s texts and captions describe each image, adding to the sense of wonder and scale. In his introduction, Benson argues that the “visual legacy of planetary exploration” may be one of this epoch’s lasting monuments. If that turns out to be the case, it will likely signal a shift in our collective, anthropocentric point of view. As Michalski notes in his foreword, “The photographic perspective on immense, distant alien planets and moons toys with the human mind.” —CONOR RISCH

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A Deep Look into NASA’s Apollo Photo Archives

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