APOD 1.1

In the picture "Earth and Moon from MESSENGER" (September 1, 2010), NASA satellite MESSENGER took a photo from its orbit around mercury of the earth and the moon. The picture reminds me of the photo called "Pale Blue Dot" which was a picture of the earth taken my a different satellite as it was passing pluto. Just like "Pale Blue Dot," this photo gives a sense of insignificance to the earth. The earth is just a ball of light slightly larger than the moon, and from the photo one can see no sign that there is any life on it. The only thing distinguishing the Earth from every other star in the photo is its proximity to the photo. "Earth and Moon from MESSENGER" provides a fascinating perspective of the Earth from the closest planet to the sun.