The Apollo astronauts spoke with wonder at seeing the Earth from space. Some described it as a religious, life-changing experience and that they were struck that we were all passengers together on a beautiful, fragile world floating through space.

None of us will ever see the Earth from space (probably) so this idea is for the next best thing - a live video feed of the Earth from the surface of the moon. It could be broadcast on a normal television channel, so that as you're idly flicking through channels you'll chance across this beautiful blue, green and white picture of the Earth suspended in the blackness of space and think "Wow! That's what the Earth looks like right now..."
-- hippo, Mar 01 2007

Al Gore's boondoggle idea http://www.spacetod...es/SatEarthWeb.html
[ldischler, Mar 02 2007]

Dish Earth http://hd.engadget....a-big-picture-view/
Not from the Moon, but a very decent view of the Earth [jpk, Mar 26 2010]

I can see the pub from here.
-- Jinbish, Mar 01 2007


you on the moon, Jin?
-- po, Mar 01 2007


[+], but only if solar powered, of course.
-- nuclear hobo, Mar 01 2007


I honestly thought that this idea would enable us to observe the making of cheese.
-- skinflaps, Mar 01 2007


Now you've got me humming that Police song.
-- Ling, Mar 01 2007


Al Gore had this idea ten years ago, but he would have parked it at the L1 spot.
-- ldischler, Mar 01 2007


<wink>Keeping that studio set up and ensureing that no one figures out where the feed is /actually/ comming from will be expensive, but worth it, I think.</wink>
-- James Newton, Mar 01 2007


I though this was how Google Earth worked - A big lunar tick [+}
-- xenzag, Mar 01 2007


I like the idea but the Nasa channel on satellite TV shows live feeds of Earth from a satellite. It is still very much like the image you described, but not from the moon.
-- xandram, Mar 01 2007


//"Wow! That's what the Earth looks like right now..."//

Well actually thats what it looked like 1.1991888 seconds ago.....
-- jhomrighaus, Mar 01 2007


really lovely idea, H.
-- po, Mar 01 2007


[+]
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 01 2007


We have to get there first!
-- Dub, Mar 02 2007


If there was a live video link on the Moon right now, we could get to watch Saturday's total lunar eclipse from two viewpoints. Split screen, Lunar / Solar! +
-- cromagnon, Mar 02 2007


I don't understand all the positive votes. Doesn't anyone realize that, for days during each lunar month, the earth would be barely visible? The old Al Gore idea would be cheaper to put up (no need to land on anything, just park it at L1), and would show the fully illuminated earth all the time.
-- ldischler, Mar 02 2007


[po]: Sadly, no. But that doesn't diminish the fact that I can see the pub from here.
-- Jinbish, Mar 02 2007


got your priorities straight, then.
-- po, Mar 02 2007


Damn it, [Ling], now I've got that song in my head too.
-- hippo, Mar 02 2007


ldischler, use your imagination instead of your intellect on this one. It's a lovely idea, with lovely reasoning.

I wanna see satellites, too. And space junk. Now I've got "Space Junk" by Devo stuck in my head.
-- Murdoch, Mar 02 2007


Lovely reasoning?
-- ldischler, Mar 02 2007


Yeah - "lovely reasoning" as in "the best reason for anything is that it might make the world better for someone", rather than as in "see how clever I am".
-- Murdoch, Mar 02 2007


//the best reason for anything is that it might make the world better for someone//

Odd reasoning for a perfectly pointless idea.
-- ldischler, Mar 02 2007


Jeez, man. What a downer. It's a great idea whose point (to me) is to introduce a little wonder and beauty to someone's day.

If you think the reasoning's odd, then I think your oddly soulless (or cold and unimaginative, if you don't believe in that sort of thing)
-- Murdoch, Mar 02 2007


I don't think this will have any where near the effect of standing there. Does watching T.V. make you feel like you're part of any particular reality?
-- Mr Buttersworth, Mar 02 2007


I saw the lunar eclipse on Saturday night which was very impressive (light pollution being as bad as it is, seeing any astronomical phenomena from west London is pretty amazing). During this eclipse the view from the moon, of the Earth surrounded by a brilliant red ring (of sunlight filtered and diffused through the Earth's atmosphere), would have been lovely.
-- hippo, Mar 05 2007


//using a camera// Mmmm.....
-- Ling, Mar 05 2007


[Ian], great photo set. I saw the second half of the eclipse over Nathan (son of Daniel) Boone's homestead park in Missouri. We were on a ridge at sunset, and waited and watched the horizon. We saw a very faint sliver just after it rose, and watched it grow and brighten as it came up. No camera, though.
-- baconbrain, Mar 05 2007


Ian, what IS behind the last moon in the sequence?
-- po, Mar 06 2007


(I think it's a Clanger and a Froglet)
-- hippo, Mar 06 2007


A bounce for this good idea.

Still humming that song:

Photographs are what you take
Webcam on the moon
I hope my lens don't break
Webcam on the moon
We could walk forever
Webcam on the moon
We could see together
Webcam on, webcam on the moon

(Apologies to Sting)
-- Ling, Sep 03 2007


"only minute angular changes" ? Surely "no angular changes" ? — pjd, Jan 15 2009

The above annotation was made on a similiar idea of mine which said "minute angular changes would be necessary to keep the camera pointed at earth".

The moon oscillates slightly, by about 6.5 degrees, technically I think it is called "librations".
-- neelandan, Jan 16 2009


Instead of schlepping a camera to the moon, only to have it be hit by a meteroite or get smeared with cheese, the camera could view the secret sound stage that NASA used to fake the moon landings. It would be easier to maintain.
-- bungston, Jan 16 2009


what if we see the ice caps melting live. holy crap! idea [+]
-- xkuntay, Jan 16 2009


ActuallyI had planned on putting a 2kg mini rover on the moon with a webcam feed and a little shovel in front, i figure in a year it could slowly dig through the dust and make a pattern visible through a powerful telescope, or put up a little flag and claim the moon! at 2kg-3kg, its not big but you can get it there for less than $100,000
-- Arcanus, Jun 02 2009


I missed this idea the first time around. What a great idea. I'd watch...a lot. Having free time is liberating. Or so they say. A very hearty and snoopy +
-- blissmiss, Jun 02 2009


//what if we see the ice caps melting live//

a time lapse would be a nice addition to this idea

//secret sound stage that//

is on mars, shirley
-- xxobot, Aug 06 2010



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