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This is the flag we'll plant when we conquer an alien planet

Are you excited for the day when a benevolent global government rules over the Earth and all humans are united in pursuit of ambitious scientific and technological goals like exploring the depths of our solar system and staking claim over other planets? Do you at least think it'd be cool if astronauts started planting flags on extraterrestrial bodies in the name of Earth, rather than the country that they come from? Maybe that day isn't in the immediate future, but graphic designer Oskar Pernefeldt has taken the time to imagine what that planetary flag might look like when it finally arrives.

In a project titled "The International Flag of Planet Earth," Pernefeldt mocks up a planetary flag and how it would appear in different uses, including sewn onto a space suit, planted on another planet, and held up in what one can only assume is a high-stakes interplanetary sporting event. The flag he designed is largely blue with a series of white, intersecting circles through the center. Pernefeldt went with a primarily blue flag to represent the overwhelming mass of water that covers Earth. The specific shade of blue was chosen with its display in space in mind — it's supposed to stand out well against both the white of a space suit and the black of space.

The seven intersecting rings, perhaps meant to symbolize the continents, are supposed to look like a flower, representing life on Earth. "The rings are linked to each other, which represents how everything on our planet, directly or indirectly, are linked," the project's website says. The flower also feel a bit like an extension of the Olympic rings, redesigned for a more global era. Although, you could probably argue that this part is a bit more of a stretch — the rings kind of echo Community's Greendale flag (it stands out a bit more when you watch them all come together in the project's design video). This is by no means the first flag made for the Earth, but the mockups do a good job of depicting a simple future when such a flag might actually be used. You can see all of the images below.

International Flag of Planet Earth images

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