The image on the left shows Garden City, Kansas in 1972. Try switching between 1972 and 1988. Try the map. Many images and icons have pop-up messages if you point to them. You can also watch your browser's status bar for tips.
Clear water reflects little radiation, so it looks black.
Pavement and bare ground reflect a lot of radiation, so they look bright. Urban areas usually look light blue-gray. Vegetation absorbs visible light but reflects infrared, so it looks red. This is a customary way to show satellite images. For more details, read the help article on EMR represented by RGB .