Satellite photos of Japan, before and after the earthquake and tsunami

Aerial photos taken over Japan have revealed the scale of devastation across the country

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This one-meter resolution satellite image of Fukushima Daiichii Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, right, was taken one day after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck the Oshika Peninsula on March 11, 2011. According to news reports, this is the largest earthquake to hit Japan in recorded history. Analysts believe the powerful earthquake moved Japan's main island eight feet, shifted the Earth on its axis four inches and unleashed a devastating tsunami. The image shows extensive destruction to buildings, vehicles and infrastructure. Entire regions have been flooded, swept away or reduced to ruin. The image was taken by GeoEye's IKONOS satellite at 10:36 a.m. (local time) on March 12, 2011 from 423 miles in space. The image on the left is a satellite images of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant taken by the GeoEye-1 satellite on November 15, 2009.