21 Photos You Need to See to Understand the World Better
Curiosities
05/24/2020

The world has its tricks. It’s not easy to calculate how large the planet Jupiter is, how much food is thrown away at a buffet. There’s nothing better than an image that puts an explanation before your eyes or at least opens them up to a new perspective with which to see the world.
Here at Bright Side, we’re very curious and have looked for pictures that tell stories capable of gently shaking up your way of thinking.
1. Using ultraviolet and infrared filters, the moon reveals hidden features.
2. A tree half-saved from a fire
3. This is what ancient hieroglyphics looked like before the colors faded.
4. A 392-year-old Greenland shark who’s wandered the ocean since 1627
5. This is the entire observable universe squeezed into one image.
6. Paper under a microscope
7. The border between San Diego, CA and Tijuana, Mexico
8. If Jupiter was the same distance as the moon was from Earth
9. A turtle coming out of brumation
10. Colliding rivers in Geneva, Switzerland
11. Seiko stunned many in 1982 with the world’s first TV watch.
12. On Earth, a candle burns with a tall, yellow flame. In space, a smaller, blue flame burns in the center of the wick.
13. Same place, same time, each photo in a different month
14. “Data comparison of 138.24MB vs 128GB”
15. A modern tomato vs one grown from 150-year-old seeds
16. This is $5,000 worth of gold compared to $5,000 worth of silver as a ratio of 110:1.
17. A ski trail sign in the summer vs the winter
18. A glacier in Iceland in 1986 vs 2019
19. “I ordered snacks from room service and they sent a refrigerated robot butler to deliver them.”
20. “Yesterday’s waste was 99 lb (45 kg).”
21. Full-grown giant sequoias have an average trunk diameter of 20 to 26 ft.
Have you discovered something new after seeing any of these pictures? Did any of them make your eyes shine in a special way? Do you have a photograph that reflects what the world we live in is really like? We’d love to see it!
Preview photo credit Timothy C. Roth / Task Force Turtle / Twitter
Comments
Get notifications
Related Reads
11 Hidden Cartoon Details That Went Unnoticed by Kids but Were Spotted by Their Parents

Films
04/09/2021
12 Moments That Prove Kindness Isn’t Weakness, It’s a Hidden Superpower

People
03/10/2026
16 Raw Human Moments That Prove Quiet Kindness Is Still Our Greatest Gift

People
03/25/2026
14 Stories That Teach Us Why Quiet Empathy Is the Heart of Great Parenting

Family & kids
04/10/2026
14 Moments That Prove Hope and Kindness Is the Only Path to Healing Hearts

People
04/24/2026
14 Stories That Prove Kids’ Kindness Lights the Way in Dark Times

Family & kids
03/21/2026
12 Moments That Show How Quiet Kindness Can Change Someone’s Entire Day

People
04/10/2026
11 Moments That Prove Hope and Kindness Are the Light That Guides Us to Happier Hearts

People
04/29/2026
My DIL Humiliated Me at the Beach and Still Assumed I’d Cover the Trip

Family & kids
04/20/2026
12 True Stories That Prove Kindness, Compassion and Love Can Light Up Even the Darkest Moments

People
04/10/2026
My Dad Left Everything to My Ex-Husband—The One Who Cheated on Me and Ruined My Life

Family & kids
03/16/2026
15 Stories Where One Moment of Kindness Led to a Lifetime of Happiness

People
03/17/2026



















