Explanation:
The first APOD appeared seventeen years ago today, on 1995 June 16.
Although garnering only 14 page views on that day,
we are proud to estimate that
APOD has now
served over one billion space-related images over the last 1.7 decades.
That early beginning, along with a nearly unchanging format, has allowed
APOD to be a consistent and familiar site on a web frequently filled with
change.
Many people don't know, though, that APOD is now
translated daily into many major languages and featured on
social
media sites and smartphone applications.
We again thank our
readers and
NASA
for their continued support, as well as
the folks who created the great pictures -- many times with considerable
effort -- that APOD has been fortunate enough to feature over the years.
Many can be contacted by following links found in the credit line
under the image.
Today's birthday collage includes numerous galaxies captured by the
Hubble
Space Telescope.
Vote:
APOD entered in Three Quarks Daily 2012 Science Writing Contest
APOD Retrospectives:
Anniversary
day today and
every day.
