Mother Earth

As we move out of a dark, freezing winter and look forward to warmer weather, won’t it be wonderful to get outside and enjoy the warmth of the sun?  We live on a glorious and diverse planet hurdling through the universe. Viewed from space, it is even more amazing.  I’d like to take you on a quick “World Tour.”  If you right-click on any picture, you can save it to your computer’s desktop.  Then, zoom in to enlarge it to see the details. Hold onto your seat: here we go.

Let’s begin where the Shuttle begins—in Florida.  You can see Cape Canaveral protruding off the east coast.  Further south is the dark area of the Lake Okeechobee.  Trailing out the south end of the state are the string of beautiful keys.  Oh, the sunshine there!

As we fly eastward you’ll discover what the Earth looks like at night. Recognize the outline of Italy? The people there are lighting up your path—in Naples, Rome, Florence, and Venice. Sicily is to the southwest, Sardinia and Corsica to the west, and the Balkans are to the right. Could Michelangelo have painted a more enthralling sight?

Further east, we’ll see ancient history.  To the left in the picture the green snake of the Nile spreads out into a fertile fan-shaped delta.  Here the pharaohs ruled.  In the middle is the Sinai Peninsula where Moses and his people roamed for forty years.  Over to the right along the curve of the Mediterranean coastline is the green swath that is Israel, the Promised Land, where Jesus walked.

Let’s see an ocean sight.  Speeding across the Pacific you see halos of sapphire encircling dark green islands.  This is the island of Bora Bora.  Imagine the ancient sailors who found this paradise.

As we get back to the United States, it is night again.   Can you locate your home?

For those of us who have seen the Earth from this vantage point, it is a view we will never forget.

What a wonderful world!

-Rhea

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