Sometimes it can be hard to appreciate large-scale change when we’re standing in the middle of it. Whether it’s the effects of global warming, urban development, or natural disasters, our all-too-human perspective can be a limiting factor in our understanding of the scale and scope of the world around us.
Fortunately, when it comes to perspective, NASA offers some of the best on—and off—Earth, thanks to their eyes in the sky, which peer not only out into the depths of deep space, but back at us here at home, as well.
In their Images of Change series, NASA has collected hundreds of side-by-side photographs which show the varying ways—and degrees to which—the surface of our planet has changed over time. As they write on the series’ homepage:
Our Images of Change gallery features images of different locations on planet Earth, showing change over time periods ranging from centuries to days. Some of these effects are related to climate change, some are not. Some document the effects of urbanization, or the ravage of natural hazards such as fires and floods. All show our planet in a state of flux.
What follows are a few of the most striking side-by-sides NASA has compiled. The complete Images of Change gallery can be found here.
[h/t design taxi]
A young lion playing with an older animal
A colorful bird appears to be yelling at it a friend
An otter appears like it's holding its face in shock
Two young foxes playing in the wild
Two otters appear to be laughing together in the water
A fish looks like it's afraid of the shark behind it
A bird appears to be ignoring their partner
A squirrel looks like it's trapped in a tree
A bear holds hand over face, making it appear like it's exhausted
A penguin looks like its trying to appear inconspicuous
A young squirrel smells a flower
An insect appears to be smiling and waving at the camera
An otter lies on its side apparently cracking up laughing
Two monkeys caught procreating
A young chimp relaxes with its hands behind its head
A snowy owl appears to be smiling 
A monkey holds finger to face as if it's lost in thought
A turtle crossing the road under a 'slow' sign
A polar bear lies on its back like it's trying to hide
A rodent strikes human-like pose
An excerpt of the faxCanva
Robert Redford advocating against the demolition of Santa Monica Pier while filming "The Sting" 1973
Image artifacts (diffraction spikes and vertical streaks) appearing in a CCD image of a major solar flare due to the excess incident radiation