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Credit & Copyright: Apollo 17 Crew,  
NASA  
  
Explanation:
Welcome to Planet   
Earth, the third planet from a   
star named the   
Sun.   
  
The Earth  
is shaped like a sphere and   
composed mostly of rock.   
  
Over 70 percent of the   
Earth's surface is water.   
  
The planet has a relatively thin   
atmosphere composed mostly of   
nitrogen and   
oxygen.   
  
The above picture of Earth, dubbed   
Blue Marble,   
was taken from   
Apollo  
17   
in 1972 and features Africa and Antarctica.    
  
It is thought to be one of the most   
widely distributed photographs   
of any kind.  
  
Earth has a single large   
Moon that is  
about 1/4 of its diameter and, from the planet's surface,   
is seen to have almost exactly the same angular size as the   
Sun.   
  
With its abundance of liquid   
water,   
Earth supports a large variety of   
life forms,   
including potentially intelligent species such as   
dolphins and humans.   
  
Please   
enjoy your stay on Planet Earth.  
  
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Earth - Apollo 17
Publications with words: Earth - Apollo 17
See also:
