Blue Marble 2012
NASA / Suomi NPP, 2012
The Americas in one sharp day. Clouds, and a blue that is mostly ocean. Everyone you love is on a disk you could cover with a thumb. The dark around it does not negotiate.
About this work
In January 2012 NASA released a new Blue Marble: a composite image of the Western Hemisphere made from data collected by the Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite. According to NASA's caption for PIA18033, the composite was made from four orbits of the satellite earlier that month and digitally projected onto a globe; Suomi NPP had been launched the previous October and was renamed after Verner Suomi, often called the father of satellite meteorology. Because a satellite in low Earth orbit cannot photograph the whole planet at once, images like this are stitched from many passes, chosen for as little cloud as possible. The 2012 image drew more than 3.1 million views on Flickr in its first week, and NASA released an Eastern Hemisphere companion on February 2, 2012. The name echoes The Blue Marble, the photograph of the whole Earth taken by the crew of Apollo 17 in 1972. Features of North America and the rest of the Western Hemisphere are particularly clear in this view.
Sources: Wikipedia: The Blue Marble · NASA Image and Video Library
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 8,000 × 8,000 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 53 × 53 in
- Sizes
- Small (20 × 20 in) · $100 · 400 ppi
Medium (24 × 24 in) · $150 · 333 ppi
Large (36 × 36 in) · $300 · 222 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of Blue Marble 2012?
Here. Blue Marble 2012 is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (20 × 20 in) for $100, Medium (24 × 24 in) for $150 and Large (36 × 36 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for Blue Marble 2012?
The file is 8,000 × 8,000 px, so every size is sharp: even Large (36 × 36 in) prints at 222 ppi. Choose Large (36 × 36 in) for a large wall; Small (20 × 20 in) suits a narrower space.
Is it legal to print Blue Marble 2012?
Yes. NASA made this photograph, and NASA material is not protected by copyright in the United States unless noted, so it can be printed and sold. A print does not imply NASA endorsement, and NASA's logos and insignia are not covered.
