{"id":356198,"date":"2026-04-23T11:56:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T11:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/23\/observer-2000-images-and-counting-six-years-of-copernicus-image-of-the-day\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T11:56:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T11:56:30","slug":"observer-2000-images-and-counting-six-years-of-copernicus-image-of-the-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eodatahub.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/23\/observer-2000-images-and-counting-six-years-of-copernicus-image-of-the-day\/","title":{"rendered":"OBSERVER: 2,000 images and counting \u2014 six years of Copernicus Image of the Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

OBSERVER: 2,000 images and counting \u2014 six years of Copernicus Image of the Day
\nsonia<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Since its launch on 2 April 2020, the Copernicus Image of the Day (IOTD) has published, 365 days a year, a daily image based on Copernicus data, highlighting significant environmental, meteorological, climate- or disaster-related phenomena, and the shifting state of our planet’s land, sea, and atmosphere. Over six years, the series has reached policymakers, journalists, educators, and the general public, helping to make complex Earth Observation (EO) data understandable and usable for a wide range of audiences. In this Observer, we mark 2,000 Images of the Day and look at its impact through selected images from the series.<\/h5>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Launched on 2 April 2020, the\u00a0Copernicus Image of the Day<\/a> (IOTD) is a daily publication of images created using\u00a0Copernicus<\/a> data, designed to make the benefits of the EU Space Programme\u2019s Earth Observation component accessible to a wider audience. Each image provides a snapshot of the Earth’s surface or atmosphere ranging from observations of land, sea, and ice to records of significant events such as wildfires, floods, and earthquakes. Some images document longer-term changes, placing current conditions alongside historical data to illustrate how a landscape or ecosystem has shifted over time.<\/p>\n

Behind each Image of the Day is an editorial process involving the identification of relevant events, the selection of appropriate Copernicus data, and the preparation of imagery and context for publication. Maintaining a daily publication 365 days a year requires continuous monitoring of environmental developments and the ability to act quickly to cover significant events when they occur.<\/p>\n

Over six years, the series has reached a broad and varied audience. For policymakers and institutions, it has provided a clear and accessible representation of the environmental observations enabled by Copernicus data. Images from the series have also been taken up by international organisations and media outlets. For example, IOTD images have been featured in social media posts and news items from the\u00a0World Meteorological Organization (WMO)<\/a>. International media outlets including\u00a0CNN<\/a>,\u00a0National Geographic<\/a>, and\u00a0Bloomberg<\/a> have drawn on the IOTD to incorporate satellite imagery into their coverage of environmental stories. For educators and students, it has become a freely available tool for learning about our planet and its processes. More broadly, the IOTD makes Earth Observation data accessible to audiences who may not otherwise be able to access it directly.<\/p>\n\n

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Images from Copernicus Image of the Day are used by international organisations such as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and their senior staff to support communication on environmental issues. This example shows a post featuring a CAMS-based visualisation of the Antarctic ozone hole. Credit:\u00a0<\/em>Roberta Boscolo, WMO (LinkedIn)<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

A record of our changing planet<\/h3>\n

The Copernicus Sentinel satellites’ global coverage and short revisit times enable them to capture environmental phenomena as they unfold. Drawing on that data, the IOTD can document these phenomena and present them to the public in a way which is relatable and easy to understand. On 8 February 2024, Copernicus Sentinel-2 acquired imagery of the Fagradalsfjall eruption on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula less than 10 hours after it began. The\u00a0IOTD posted the following day<\/a>\u00a0provided a clear visual account of the eruption and its extent.<\/p>\n\n

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View of the Fagradalsfjall volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, acquired by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite less than 10 hours after its eruption began on 8 February 2024, with the lava flow and smoke plume clearly visible near the city of Grindav\u00edk. Credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In September 2024, severe wildfires swept through northern and central Portugal, prompting the activation of the\u00a0EU Civil Protection Mechanism<\/a> and the\u00a0Copernicus Emergency Management Service<\/a>. The Copernicus Sentinel-3 image acquired on 17 September showed a smoke plume stretching approximately 100,000 km\u00b2 over the Atlantic Ocean.\u00a0Published the following day<\/a>, the IOTD made the public visually aware of the scale of the crisis.<\/p>\n\n

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Imagery highlighting the magnitude of the<\/em>\u00a0wildfires ravaging northern and central Portugal in September 2024<\/em><\/a>, acquired by Copernicus Sentinel-3 on 17 September, showing a smoke plume stretching approximately 100,000 km\u00b2 over the Atlantic Ocean. This event prompted the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. Credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-3 imagery.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sometimes the Image of the Day captures particularly rare or visually striking examples of environmental or meteorological phenomena, which generate buzz far beyond the IOTD itself. In late October 2025,\u00a0Hurricane Melissa<\/a> intensified into one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record before making catastrophic landfall in Jamaica.\u00a0An Image of the Day created using Copernicus Sentinel-2 data captured the eye of the storm just hours before landfall on 28 October<\/a>, showing the hurricane near its peak intensity. The image was subsequently featured by a range of mainstream media outlets including\u00a0CNN<\/a> and\u00a0Space.com<\/a>, and reposted widely on social media, demonstrating how Copernicus imagery is used in international reporting on major weather events.<\/p>\n\n

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A Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite acquired a rare image of the eye of Hurricane Melissa on 28 October 2025, just hours before the storm made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica. Credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond natural hazards and disasters, Copernicus data enable the monitoring of slower, longer-term environmental changes which are better evidenced when observed over time from space. Some of the most striking IOTDs are those which place the present alongside the past, illustrating shifts which have unfolded over months or years. To illustrate the growing impact of drought on water resource management across southern Europe,\u00a0National Geographic<\/a>\u00a0republished an\u00a0IOTD<\/a> image based on a pair of Copernicus Sentinel-2 images showing the surface area of Lake Mornos in Greece shrinking from 19.1 km\u00b2 to 8.7 km\u00b2 between 2022 and 2025.<\/p>\n\n

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Copernicus Sentinel-2 images of Lake Mornos, Greece, acquired on 3 January 2022 (left) and 9 October 2025 (right), showing the reservoir’s surface area shrinking from 19.1 km\u00b2 to 8.7 km\u00b2, a reduction of close to half its volume over four years, attributed in part to prolonged drought and reduced rainfall. Credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Copernicus Sentinel satellites are also equipped with sensors able to detect phenomena which are invisible to the human eye. On 14 February 2026, the TROPOMI instrument on board\u00a0Copernicus Sentinel-5P<\/a> detected a sulphur dioxide plume stretching more than 550 km across the Indian Ocean following the second eruption of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano on R\u00e9union Island. This data was used to produce an\u00a0IOTD<\/a>\u00a0showing atmospheric gas concentrations which are otherwise not visible.<\/p>\n\n

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Data acquired by the TROPOMI instrument on board Copernicus Sentinel-5P on 14 February 2026, showing a sulphur dioxide (SO\u2082) plume extending more than 550 km across the Indian Ocean towards Madagascar, emitted during the second eruption of the\u00a0Piton de la Fournaise volcano on R\u00e9union Island in 2026. Credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-5P imagery.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

2,000 editions and counting<\/h3>\n

Six years after its launch, the Copernicus Image of the Day continues to show how Copernicus data can be used to monitor and better understand our planet. Yesterday, 23 April 2026, the 2000th image was published, marking a milestone for the series. As Copernicus continues to grow with new satellite missions, products, and data, the Image of the Day will evolve alongside it, providing its audience with a visual window into Copernicus and insight into our changing environment.<\/p>\n

View IOTD #2000 here<\/a>, and\u00a0subscribe<\/a> to receive the Image of the Day directly to your inbox. You can also explore an archive of IOTD images on the European Commission\u2019s\u00a0audiovisual portal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A mosaic of satellite imagery composing the number 2,000 and the words \"Copernicus Images of the Day\", marking the 2,000th edition of the Copernicus Image of the Day series. The Copernicus and European Commission logos appear at the bottom of the image.<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OBSERVER: 2,000 images and counting \u2014 six years of Copernicus Image of the Day sonia Thu, 23\/04\/2026 – 13:56 Since its launch on 2 April 2020, the Copernicus Image of the Day (IOTD) has published, 365 days a year, a daily image based on Copernicus data, highlighting significant environmental, meteorological, climate- or disaster-related phenomena, and…
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