--- title: NASA Satellite Captures Earth Timelapse Over 20 Years description: A new 20-year NASA timelapse taken from space shows in just a few minutes how life on Earth shapes the planet year by year canonical: https://time.com/5030054/nasa-timelapse-earth-climate-change/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-17T21:37:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T18:18:01.128Z article:section: Science og:title: See How the Earth Has Changed Over the Past 20 Years in This NASA Timelapse og:description: Based on satellite footage og:url: https://time.com/5030054/nasa-timelapse-earth-climate-change/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe59a41055e631a7/6988e65722fb854f64e23bd0/earth-nasa-gif.gif?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: earth nasa og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See How the Earth Has Changed Over the Past 20 Years in This NASA Timelapse twitter:description: Based on satellite footage twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe59a41055e631a7/6988e65722fb854f64e23bd0/earth-nasa-gif.gif?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See How the Earth Has Changed Over the Past 20 Years in This NASA Timelapse  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Nov 17, 2017 9:37 PM UTC  NASA captured 20 years on Earth and turned it into a minutes-long timelapse NASA captured 20 years on Earth and turned it into a minutes-long timelapseNASA  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Nov 17, 2017 9:37 PM UTC A new 20-year [NASA timelapse](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/the-changing-colors-of-our-living-planet) taken from space shows in just a few minutes how life on Earth shapes the planet year by year. The timelapse follows two decades of constant image collection from a NASA satellite capturing both seasonal patterns that occur every year and longer term changes. “That’s the Earth,” said Gene Carl Feldman, a NASA oceanographer, in a press release. “That is it breathing every single day, changing with the seasons, responding to the Sun, to the changing winds, ocean currents and temperatures.” The receding level of ice in the Arctic is among the trends captured in the NASA visual. Researchers have long raised alarm at the fast disappearing ice in that region as result of man-made climate change with Arctic sea ice hitting a [winter low](http://time.com/4709913/arctic-sea-ice-winter/) this year and losing ground as the planet continues to warm. NASA has also shown the growth of “biological deserts” — uninhabitable regions — that have expanded their footprint in the last two decades. Green shrubs have also expanded their reach in areas once too cold for life. The data collection serves a practical purpose beyond creating a compelling image. 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