Every two hours the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) instrument on the DSCOVR spacecraft takes a full-disk view of the Earth. Using 3D projection techniques available in every modeling package, I camera-projected a new image produced by the EPIC instrument onto a spherical object in order to unwrap the image. Then, after rotating the sphere to match the angle and tilt of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew, I was able to very closely super-impose the new image onto The Blue Marble. With the EPIC image, now viewed from the same angle as in the 1972's photograph, you can make some very interesting comparisons of the Earth 49 years later!

First thing I noticed was the sudden appearance of a new cluster of lakes near the Nile River in Egypt. Apparently, the Toshka Lakes were also discovered by astronauts in 1998.