We are kicking off 2025 with much to look forward to but also much to look back on. In 2024, over 7.5 million readers visited our website to read our stories, and many millions more viewed our imagery on the NASAEarth social media channels and elsewhere. Since our founding in 1999 (2024 marked our 25th anniversary), we have produced text and imagery for over 15,700 stories.
Notable events
A new fissure opened on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland near Grindavík in December 2023 and continued erupting throughout 2024.Whether sparked by lightning, intentional land-clearing, or human-caused accidents, wildland fires are burning longer and more often in some southern latitudes as the world warms.Auroras and a total solar eclipse darkened our days and lit our nights.Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated portions of the Southeast U.S. with winds, rain, and storm surge.
From growing fruits and vegetables in China and flowers in the Netherlands to building new capital cities in Egypt and Indonesia, people have transformed the land.
