File talk:NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg

Wrong Orientation
This picture is often oriented horizontally rather than vertically, which was how it was photographed. Note the terminator from darkness to lightness is going left and right rather than up and down.

Suggest orienting the picture correctly. Charles Oppermann (talk) 09:21, 7 July 2008 (UTC)


 * "Vertical" relative to what? Some part of the spacecraft? There is no "vertical" in space. The orientation of the terminator isn't a good reference at all. The lunar terminator, when seen from earth, may also very well be horizontal, if the observer is located near the equator. Multi io (talk) 02:53, 26 July 2008 (UTC)


 * I agree that there are different ways to interprete "up" in space. The orientation of the photographer and spacecraft cannot be inferred from the image itself. There are two possible references. The moon and the Earth, where the terminator runs north/south and is shown over Africa. If the image was taken on the surface of the moon, then it would obviously use the moon as the reference. But it's taken from a craft orbiting the moon, leaving it debatable as to how it should be oriented. There are many pictures taken of Earth from space, and I believe it's accepted practice to orient Earth with North Up. I can understand both sides of the issue. I'm wondering if there are any precedents? Charles Oppermann (talk) 05:08, 25 December 2009 (UTC)


 * "William Anders framed his photographs from the perspective of being in orbit about the lunar equator. So his horizon was the plane in which he was travelling. This meant he framed it so the edge of the Moon was vertical, with planet Earth a little to the left but with its North and South poles aligned the same way as the North and South poles of the Moon." Source: http://www.abc.net.au/science/moon/earthrise.htm So, assuming a more reliable source can be found, it confirms that the photographer had a particular orientation in mind, and the photograph has been rotated. The same source points out that the black and white photo is horizontal. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dave 402 (talk • contribs) 20:52, 22 January 2010 (UTC)