On April 29, 1999, NASA Earth Observatory (EO) started delivering science stories and imagery to the public through the Internet. So much has changed in those 20 years…

In 1999, all EO readers came to us through a computer, mostly desktops. One third of them were connecting via dial-up modem. Today, about 40 percent of our audience arrives to the website via mobile phones and tablets on public wifi and cellular networks. The technology of science and the Internet has changed in a generation, and our site has evolved and grown with the changes. But our core values have not changed. You find us on more platforms and with some new approaches, but you can still count on us to deliver beautiful, newsworthy, interesting, and scientifically important images and stories.

As we celebrate our 20th year, we are going to share some looks back and some looks ahead. In the next twelve months, look for…

• EO on This Day – a chance to see some of the most memorable Images released on each day of the calendar year
• New puzzlers, videos, and social media events
• Stories of science evolving, as we revisit images, global maps, and science stories from the past 20 years and ask “what have we learned in two decades and where do we go next?”
• Our first photo essay book, available in print, on the web, or downloadable to your tablet.

If you have been with us for many (or all) of our 20 years, thank you. We have some of the most engaged, challenging, and thoughtful readers on the planet, and we work hard to live up to your trust and interest. If you are new to the site, bring a friend. We have 15,000 stories about Earth to share, with more being added every day.

earthobservatory.nasa.gov