Does the "air" ball contain all the water vapor in the atmosphere?

Gee, how did they get all the water to stick together like that?

Surface tension.

That's superb. I remember one of the astronauts describing the world's atmosphere as 'like an onion skin'.
So fragile, so precious.

If water vapor, the size would depend on the temperature and pressure. Must be condensed. An even greater technical feat.

Damn! Put that shit back, man! All the fish will die and everybody'll suffocate!

I thought Gaia was a feminine representation. How did "she" end up with testicles?

Very cool. I like pictures like that.

7: Her ovaries are just in closer proximity than most women's.

Thanks a great image, Apo, thanks for posting it. We may end up using it in the museum, or our planned extension, some time.

John asked: "Does the "air" ball contain all the water vapor in the atmosphere?"

And it seems, from the Science Photo Library site that the water vapor is accounted for in the water ball, not the air ball. But it is accounted for somewhere.

Damn. The oceans are really that shallow??

(Also, PK is thrilled with this picture: "I was RIGHT that the atmosphere has more air than water!" And so he was; he was hypothesizing about this just yesterday.

11: It's a pretty big rock, all in all.

Nice graphic representation. Perhaps more to the point: Human beings (i.e. consumers and polluters) have a tendency to think of these resources as infinite when in fact they are finite and fragile. And to think the entire biosphere depends on these tiny droplets.

I think a lower angle shot with the huge ball of water looming up over the horizon (so we get a better sense of how tall it is) would be cool.

How come the ball of air casts a shadow?

Also, the air is pink on the Science Photo Library original. Since it has been changed, I'm curious as to the correlation between air and blue balls?

16: Because it`s being held in an opaque balloon, naturally. An atmosphere is not needed for objects to cast shadows.