Overview effect

Earthrise (1968). Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders recalled, "When I looked up and saw the Earth coming up on this very stark, beat-up Moon horizon, I was immediately almost overcome with the thought, 'Here we came all this way to the Moon, and yet the most significant thing we're seeing is our own home planet, the Earth.'"[1]

The overview effect is a cognitive shift[Note 1] reported by some astronauts while viewing the Earth from space.[2] Researchers have characterized the effect as "a state of awe with self-transcendent qualities, precipitated by a particularly striking visual stimulus".[3] The most prominent common aspects of personally experiencing the Earth from space are appreciation and perception of beauty, unexpected and even overwhelming emotion, and an increased sense of connection to other people and the Earth as a whole.[3] The effect can cause changes in the observer's self concept and value system, and can be transformative.[3]

Immersive virtual reality simulations have been designed to try to induce the overview effect in earthbound participants.[1][4]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Grist_20220209 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference FrontiersDigitalHum_20190522 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Yaden_2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gallagher_2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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