The Windows to the Universe project (http://www.windows.ucar.edu), initiated in 1995, provides students, teachers, and adult learners with a wealth of Earth and space science education materials and activities across a broad range of topics. Windows to the Universe emphasizes Earth and space science content, the interdisciplinary nature of Earth and space science investigations, and ties between science, the arts, and humanities, and the historical and cultural context of scientific endeavors. The web site combines breadth of content (approximately 6,000 HTML documents) with innovative presentation approaches; users can select from "Beginner", "Intermediate", and "Advanced" versions of pages appropriate for elementary, middle school, and high school or adult learners, respectively. The web site is available free-of-charge, and is accessed by millions of users anually from classrooms, homes, workplaces, science museums, libraries and community centers. User surveys show that approximately 65% of our 4 million annual users of the website are K-12 students, and 46% of the users accessed the site at least once per week. The site is currently being translated into Spanish, with an expected completion date of early to mid 2004.

Windows to the Universe includes numerous sections related to solar activity, space weather, Earth's magnetosphere, and interactions with Earth's atmosphere. Although the site includes information about current space weather and solar activity phenomena - including context describing how this activity impacts us on Earth - we also include an historical and cultural context. Ever wonder what the Vikings thought of the aurora? The Norse Mythology section of Windows to the Universe can bring you up to speed. A section of the site currently in development will describe the technology, instruments, and observational techniques used to observe and understand our geospace environment, including solar phenomena, space weather, and the Earth's magnetic field. The forthcoming section will also describe the historical evolution of such instruments and technologies.

With its large audience, content base, and established professional development and dissemination effort, the Windows to the Universe project is now used as a high leverage education and outreach tool for numerous space science research programs, including the Space Physics and Aeronomy Research Collaboratory, the Comprehensive Space Environment Model, the Space Weather Modeling Framework, and the Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling. Core funding for the project is provided from NASA's Office of Space Science Information Technology Research Program and the Earth Science Enterprise Education Program.