Pale Blue Dot Image Turns 35

Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach in collaboration with NASA’s Universe of Learning partners: Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Video imagery:

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A grid of photographs of celestial bodies moves up. A white line moves down and another across. Text: News from the universe. The text is above an image of Jupiter. 

 

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Text: FEBRUARY 28. 2025. PALE BLUE DOT IMAGE TURNS 35. 

 

A point of light in streaks against a blue background. 

 

Text: In February 2025, the famous Voyager 1 image of Earth turned 35. 

 

Animation: A spacecraft turns. 

 

Text: As the Voyager 1 spacecraft approached the edge of our solar system, the mission team had it look back, providing humanity an unprecedented view of our home planet. 

 

The spacecraft recedes into the distance until it is a dot. 

 

Text: When the image was taken, Voyager 1 was 3.7 billion miles (6 billion kilometers) from the Sun, beyond Neptune's orbit. Earth appears as a point of light about a pixel in size. 

 

The point of light in the streak is labeled Earth. 

 

Text: Scientist Carl Sagan said of the image, "To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known." 

 

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