This silver coin was struck from 3 ounce of pure silver. It is dedicated to our planet. The coin comes in a box with a Certificate of Authenticity. Limited mintage - 317 pieces worldwide. On December 7, 1972, the crewmembers of Apollo 17 spacecraft en route to the Moon took a photo of Earth from space, at a distance of about 45,000 kilometers (28,000 miles). This image is now known as “The Blue Marble”. It remains one of the most iconic photos of the Earth taken from space.  Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large amounts of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface is made up of the ocean, dwarfing Earth's polar ice, lakes and rivers. The remaining 29% of Earth's surface is land, consisting of continents and islands. Earth's surface layer is formed of several slowly moving tectonic plates, interacting to produce mountain ranges, volcanoes and earthquakes. Earth's liquid outer core generates the magnetic field that shapes Earth's magnetosphere, deflecting destructive solar winds.