Earthrise: the iconic photograph behind Earth Day

Why #Earthrise? The iconic photograph behind Earth Day's hashtag
Earthrise - shot by astronaut William Anders in 1968 from Apollo 8 (Image credit: William Anders/NASA)

Earth Day celebrates its 53rd birthday weekend. Since 1970, April 22 has become a day to reflect on the environment, and for people to share their concerns for the planet. Founded by a US senator, Earth Day has grown into a global phenomenon –with over a billion people expected to be engaged with the day across 190 countries.

We’d come 240,000 miles to see the moon and it was the Earth that was really worth looking at

William Anders

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Chris George

Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in 2017. He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years – and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography. 


His first serious camera was the iconic Olympus OM10, with which he won the title of Young Photographer of the Year - long before the advent of autofocus and memory cards. Today he uses a Nikon D800, a Fujifilm X-T1, a Sony A7, and his iPhone 11 Pro.


He has written about technology for countless publications and websites including The Sunday Times Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Dorling Kindersley, What Cellphone, T3 and Techradar.