Earthrise from the Moon. This photograph was taken during the Apollo 8 mission of 21-27 December 1968. The lunar horizon is about 570 kilometers from the spacecraft, whilst the Earth is 384,000 kilometers distant. In this view, the Earth is seen with the South Pole as the white patch at the left end of the terminator. Part of the west coast of Africa may be seen at the right end of the terminator, North and South America being hidden by cloud at the top of the disc. The lunar terrain in the foreground is near the eastern limb of the Moon, as viewed from Earth.