When astronauts see Earth from space, they often experience a profound cognitive shift. This unexpected emotion is the result of looking at something they are intimately familiar with but couldn’t fully appreciate until they took a step back from it. Sure, isn’t it all around us, all of the time. That familiarity can lead to an underappreciation of its beauty, of what it gives and does. Sometimes, the best placed to make an assessment are those close enough to recognise it and distant enough to see it whole.

Source: Irish Examiner January 19, 2026 15:00 UTC