Eerie Apollo 11 photo of Earth taken by ‘most isolated astronaut in the universe’ has people freaking out

Over the years, a number of fascinating photos from deep space have emerged, truly putting our lives into perspective.

From a creepy snap of an asteroid from space, to the sheer distance between the Earth and Moon being laid bare, sometimes it's hard to wrap our heads around just how huge our universe really is.

Yet there's another iconic photo taken by a NASA astronaut which is doing the rounds - perhaps because it's spinning people's heads a bit.

On July 20, 1969, the world watched on as the US made space history with its ambitious Apollo 11 mission.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to ever walk on the Moon, proudly planting the American flag and taking their own series of incredible photos.

The mission had launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on July 16, and it took just over three days - about 76 hours - for the crew to travel the nearly 240,000 miles to the Moon.

While Armstrong and Aldrin are the main men you might associate with Apollo 11, there was actually a third astronaut who was vital in making it all happen.

That was Michael Collins, who become 'the most isolated man in the universe' as he waited, utterly alone by the command module, for his teammates to set foot on the Moon.

While up there, Collins captured an eerie photo which shows just how tiny (and lonely) our home planet looks.

You can see the cold, barren Moon in the foreground, the fragile spacecraft alone in the void, and then Earth - so small and distant - suspended in the blackness of space.

Collins' photo is truly breath-taking (NASA)

Discussing the spectacular photo on Reddit, one person wrote: "We don't give Mike enough credit," as a second added: "He has the coolest accomplishment in human history. He is the person that has been further away from any other human than anyone ever."

A third weighed in: "That's a very hard-hitting image. My goodness," as a fourth wrote: "Incredible... such an impressive photo."

Another mused: "The idea that he's the only person in the entire world not in that photograph has blown my mind for years."

In a candid admission, Collins said he was 'sweating like a nervous bride' waiting for his buddies to return.

He wrote: “My secret terror for the last six months has been leaving them on the Moon and returning to Earth alone; now I am within minutes of finding out the truth of the matter.

NASA astronaut Mike Collins in the 1960s (Space Frontiers/Getty Images)

"If they fail to rise from the surface, or crash back into it, I am not going to commit suicide; I am coming home, forthwith, but I will be a marked man for life and I know it.”

Later, he went on to write a book about becoming the person furthest away from Earth, titled Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journey.

In there, he revealed his thoughts, writing: “I am alone now, truly alone, and absolutely isolated from any known life. I am it.

"If a count were taken, the score would be three billion plus two over on the other side of the Moon, and one plus God knows what on this side.”