Gain Some Perspective on the Effects of Planetary Change Thanks to This NASA Photo Series

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]