Earth Engine: Google's Global Time-Lapse

"Today, Google put out the Earth Engine, a fascinating tool that showcases a scrollable, zoomable time-lapse of the entire planet as seen by Landsat over the decades," writes Colin Schultz. According to Rebecca Moore, Engineering Manager with Google Earth Engine & Earth Outreach, the images paint "the most comprehensive picture of our changing planet ever made available to the public."

"The Landsat photos only go back to 1984," says Schultz, "but they show the dramatic ways in which the planet has changed in such a brief period of time. To help you get started, Google pulled out some highlights to look at, such as the drying of the Aral Sea or the deforestation of the Amazon. But the tool does show the whole planet (just the land, not the oceans), and there are many more cool things to be seen."