An image depicting the actual distance between the Earth and the Moon has left many in awe.
A popular Reddit post has once again highlighted just how small and ultimately insignificant our existence might seem. Those who often ponder the meaning of life might want to brace themselves before delving any deeper into this topic.
It’s commonly understood that space is immense, but a specific photograph taken by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft truly emphasizes this vastness.
NASA launched the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on September 8, 2016.
Just over a year later, on September 25, 2017, it captured a striking image that has left many people amazed.
The spacecraft’s NavCam 1, part of its ‘Touch-and-Go’ camera system, took the photograph from a distance of 804,000 miles (1,297,000 kilometers) from Earth and 735,000 miles (1,185,000 kilometers) from the Moon.
OSIRIS-REx did not take this image solely for our astonishment; it was part of a test for its cameras and navigation systems on its journey to the asteroid Bennu.
The spacecraft had bigger missions in mind, including collecting a sample from an asteroid and returning it to Earth, which it accomplished in 2023.
However, during its journey, it provided us with this astonishing photo, depicting the Earth and the Moon separated by approximately 249,000 miles (401,200 kilometers).
While many might think they can visualize that distance, it’s likely much greater than anticipated.
A Reddit user shared the photo with the SpacePorn community, which has four million members, gathering 8,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments.
“The actual Earth-Moon distance seen by OSIRIS-REx probe,” they stated.
One commenter on Reddit said, “That is insanely cool,” while another reflected, “How small Earth is compared to everything else in space… truly makes you wonder how insignificant it all is but how miraculous it all is too.”
Another user agreed, “This made me feel so insignificant in the best way possible.”
Someone else added, “I already knew my irrational fear of the moon crashing into the Earth was well… irrational, but now I just feel ridiculous.”
Others expressed astonishment that the entirety of the solar system could fit into the space between the Earth and the Moon.
Indeed, NASA confirmed that the seven other planets in our solar system—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—could “just about” fit within that distance.
It’s fascinating what you can learn!