Today is the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, and to celebrate NASA has planned a series of activities to celebrate the beauty of our little corner of the galaxy.
NASA astronauts are given some credit for the beginnings of Earth Day as the pictures they have taken of our planet from space, such as the Earth rising over the moon photo snapped by the Apollo 8 crew in 1968, showed the appearing as a delicate blue marble floating through space.
"NASA uses the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future," the space agency wrote in a statement. "The agency develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records, shares this unique knowledge, and works with institutions around the world to gain new insights into how our planet is changing."
To celebrate, NASA has planned events around the country and social media as well. In Washington, D.C., at the Union Station main hall, NASA will be exhibiting science and providing hands on activities and science demonstrations for the public throughout the day. Several NASA leaders will also be present for the festivities and speaking at the Hyperwall stage including Ellen Stofan, chief scientist at NASA, and John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's science mission directorate.
At Dulles International Airport, NASA will show off a gallery of large format satellite images courtesy of the agency's fleet of Earth observing satellites. The gallery first opened on April 16 and will run through May.
If you are on the west coast, the NASA Ames Research Center in California will host an exhibit about Earth science research as a part of the U.S. Army Reserve's 63rd Regional Support Command Earth Day Fair free family event. Between April 25 and 26, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT (12 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT), NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will have an exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific's Earth Day Festival. The event takes place at 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, California.
If you can't make some of these events, you can always take to social media to be a part of the festivities. No matter where you are standing on Earth, NASA wants you to share your favorite views of the Earth. Snap a picture or record a video and share it with the hashtag #NoPlaceLikeHome and post it to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Google+.
So kick off this Earth Day with NASA and share your favorite images of the little blue planet we call home.
