by Claire O'Neill

Today marks the annual celebration of Earth Day that started in 1970. Here's an interesting look at our planet: aerials taken by GeoEye satellites. Headquartered in Dulles, Va., GeoEye is commissioned by various defense, intelligence, urban planning and environmental monitoring groups to keep an eye on Earthly developments. Take a look at some of the things this satellite has seen, from millions of swarming people on Inauguration Day to Ayers Rock to Versailles.

  • South Africa in 2003.
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    South Africa in 2003.
  • Millions of people attended the Inauguration Day celebration in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2009.
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    Millions of people attended the Inauguration Day celebration in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2009.
  • This satellite image shows Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in 2005.
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    This satellite image shows Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in 2005.
  • 1,230 miles northwest of Honolulu, part of the Pearl and Hermes Atoll looks more like a microscopic organism than a landform.
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    1,230 miles northwest of Honolulu, part of the Pearl and Hermes Atoll looks more like a microscopic organism than a landform.
  • This image of Kenai Fjords in Alaska was collected on Aug. 5, 2005. Time-lapse images of similar bodies of ice will be valuable tools for environmental research.
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    This image of Kenai Fjords in Alaska was collected on Aug. 5, 2005. Time-lapse images of similar bodies of ice will be valuable tools for environmental research.
  • The green symmetry of Versailles is pictured in 2005.
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    The green symmetry of Versailles is pictured in 2005.
  • Mount St. Helens in 2004.
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    Mount St. Helens in 2004.
  • Niagara Falls seems a lot less menacing when seen from above.
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    Niagara Falls seems a lot less menacing when seen from above.
  • From far away, the Nile Delta and River dwarf the communities along the coast.
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    From far away, the Nile Delta and River dwarf the communities along the coast.
  • The misty white and blue Iguazu Falls lie between Brazil and Argentina.
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    The misty white and blue Iguazu Falls lie between Brazil and Argentina.
  • Sacred to some indigenous groups of Australia, Ayers Rock, or Uluru, rises in the southern region of the Northern Territory.
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    Sacred to some indigenous groups of Australia, Ayers Rock, or Uluru, rises in the southern region of the Northern Territory.
  • This image shows charred hillsides near Ramona, Calif., after a forest fire in 2007.
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    This image shows charred hillsides near Ramona, Calif., after a forest fire in 2007.
  • This 2009 image shows Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano, 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, as it emits a steady plume of ash.
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    This 2009 image shows Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano, 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, as it emits a steady plume of ash.

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