It was Christmas Eve in 1968 when three brave astronauts, the first humans to leave Earth orbit, circled the moon. As the 45th anniversary of that event approaches, NASA has released a video that recreates the iconic Earthrise image that has captivated the world since.

Using imagery obtained from its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the video released by NASA yesterday allows viewers to see Earthrise as it was first witnessed 45 years ago.

Audio from the Apollo 8 mission provides commentary from the astronauts as they conducted routine observations – until the spacecraft oriented itself to allow them view the planet. The astronauts then scramble to get cameras in place to capture the event.

Read the rest of this story and check out the amazing video on Examiner.com