Yes, life is often dull—when it’s not hurtling towards disaster (minor or otherwise). But our world is also achingly beautiful. The stuff of dreams is also the stuff of stardust. Lyrical excesses aside, this iconic view of Earth was captured on December 24, 1968 during the crewed Apollo 8 mission to the Moon. NASA astronaut Jim Lovell said at the time: “The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realise just what you have back there on Earth.” 

Want more? Here’s a time-lapse video of the Milky Way taken by astrophotographer Aaron Jenkin in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand—one of the darkest places on Earth.