24 December 1968 16:40:07 UTC, T plus 75:49:07

Earthrise (William A. Anders/NASA)
“Earthrise” (William A. Anders/NASA)

William Anders:

“For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you.”

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Jim Lovell:

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Frank Borman:

And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good.

“And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you – all of you on the good Earth.”

This video from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center describes the taking of this iconic photograph:

© 2015, Bryan R. Swopes

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6 thoughts on “24 December 1968 16:40:07 UTC, T plus 75:49:07

  1. I enjoy pointing out to people that the crew of Apollo 8 also were the first humans on terrestrial record ever to fly TO EARTH (having to maneuver actively to enter its gravitational field), just as any other visitor might.

    Take that, aliens! You must document in the future any claims of being first…

  2. One of my favorite photos of all time.
    Lovell’s quote: “a grand oasis in the vastness of space” …. So eloquently stated. 🇺🇸

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