NASA's OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft captured stunning new images of Earth recently as it whipped past the planet during a high-speed slingshot maneuver, sending the probe on a fast track toward the famous asteroid Apophis.
The photos showcase Earth in striking detail during a flyby on Sept. 23 when OSIRIS-APEX — short for "Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security-Apophis Explorer" — flew just 2,136 miles (3,438 kilometers) above the planet during its closest approach.
