A Marvelous Night for a Moondance

There is no question that 1968 was one of the most eventful years in history. It was jam-packed full of personal, national and global life-changing moments. In some ways, that year feels like ancient history. At other times, it feels like just yesterday. . .

In December 1968, Apollo 8 became the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon. Its three astronauts, Bill Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell actually circled it 10 times on Christmas Eve. On their fourth orbit, as they came around from the dark side of the moon, they were greeted by a spectacular vision of Earth emerging above the lunar horizon. Bill Anders seized the moment and shot his stunning color photograph, "Earthrise".

“Earthrise”

The image was later chosen by Life Magazine as one of the best of the century and became an iconic symbol of the environmental movement. It also had a profound impact on the astronaut. According to Anders, a lifelong Roman Catholic, the photo "really undercut my religious beliefs. The idea that things rotate around the pope and up there is a big supercomputer wondering whether Billy was a good boy yesterday? It doesn't make any sense." Apparently, the photo's extraterrestrial point of view gave Anders a new perspective on life.

Maybe that powerful Christmas Eve image was the perfect cherry on top for the crazy year of 1968. In it, we are invisible passengers on Planet Earth, a spectacular blue and white sphere rising above a lunar landscape. The two celestial bodies are engaged in an endless dance amidst the silent infinity of space. All of mankind's disasters and triumphs are impossible to see. War, poverty, racism and crime have vanished. The specters of nuclear and environmental destruction do not exist. The sun, one of a billion trillion stars, lights up our beautiful world in the darkness.

What a wonderful world this could be.

Imagine.