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NASA's 'Most Amazing' High Def Image of Earth So Far

from NPR

The "Blue Marble" image of Earth snapped by the crew of Apollo 17 in 1972 is one of the most famous photos ever taken. When it appeared, we all suddenly saw the world in a much different way. In the years since, NASA has added other "Blue Marble" photos to its collection, and has used technology to enhance and sharpen the images.

On Wednesday the space agency unveiled what it's calling the "most amazing high definition image of Earth--Blue Marble 2012." This one was taken "from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA's most recently launched Earth-observing satellite--Suomi NPP," NASA says, and is a "composite image [that] uses a number of swaths of the Earth's surface taken on January 4, 2012."

So how does this new composite image compare to some of the others? Check them out.