Satellite Easter Eggs 508
TheChocolatay writes "Wired has a story on hidden finds in satellite images. They range from sporting events to natural disasters to bombs and firefights in Iraq. Some very interesting and cool pictures." From the article: "Part of it is that we collect so much imagery that a lot of times no eyes have seen a lot of this stuff,...And so (we) go to an area, pop it open, and wow, we didn't intend to capture this icebreaker pushing this submarine."
Please send beer (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Please send beer (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Please send beer (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Please send beer (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Please send beer (Score:3, Insightful)
Fuck (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Fuck (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Fuck (Score:5, Funny)
Don't say that to her face...
Re:Fuck (Score:3, Funny)
Interesting, yet... (Score:4, Funny)
"It was the Babylonians in 2300 B.C. that first etched the lay of the land on clay tablets. Google will be taking this to a whole new level."
Indeed, the engravers were working so fast that they hardly noticed they had captured one of Sargon's armies on the move.
Re:Interesting, yet... (Score:4, Interesting)
It will be nice if Google maps actually showed most of the stuff that they're talking about.
As an aside, a fun challenge is to find landmarks from space without looking at the "map" part - only satellite images. I did pretty well on Niagara Falls and the Golden Gate Bridge, but utterly failed at finding Old Faithful.
Re:Interesting, yet... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Interesting, yet... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Interesting, yet... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Interesting, yet... (Score:3, Informative)
"Baghdad and Afghanistan aren't in the US" (Score:3, Funny)
Grammar nazi with a sense of of humor...
gosh, I'm doomed 8)
Planetary Easter Eggs (Score:3, Interesting)
Therefore, as a person with too much timne on their hands, he contrived moved the rocks, pebbles, and bolders aroun
Re:Planetary Easter Eggs (Score:2, Informative)
Hitler Youth had planted some trees in the Black Forest which changed color earlier in the autumn showing a very large swastika from the air. It was in Time or something several years ago. The article indicated many of the trees would be cut down.
A shame, it's not like the trees had done anything wrong...
Re:Planetary Easter Eggs (Score:5, Interesting)
This photo was taken on November 14, 2000. The 60 x 60 meter swastika consisted of Larch trees in a Pine forest near the village of Zernikow (110 km Northeast of Berlin). It was only visible from the air a few weeks in the Spring and a few weeks in the Fall when Larch trees stood out in contract to the surrounding Pine trees.
These trees were planted in the 1930's by a local resident during Nazi times. They were largely forgotten until after the German reunification in 1992 when planes once again flew over the area.
Local forestry officials cut down 25 of the Larch trees after this photo appeared in several German tabloids. Swastikas are mostly outlawed in Germany.. Coins and stamps are exempt from the ban.
Zoom out and you see even more (Score:5, Funny)
Nothing New (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Nothing New (Score:2)
Re:Nothing New (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Nothing New (Score:2)
Re:Nothing New (Score:2)
Re:Nothing New (Score:3, Insightful)
You: "Reconnaissance satellites are steerable"
Me: "How can a satellite steer its orbit"
You: "Obviously a satellite
What eggs? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Intentionally placed? (Score:4, Interesting)
To illustrate the point of stitching the images together, this link presents an interesting example of that: DC Buildings (Google.com) [google.com]. Notice at that the four buildings show a different side and shadow as though the vantage point were different for each of them.
Interesting enough, if you pan to the East and slightly to the South, you'll see a portion of the image is intentionally distorted. For those who would prefer to go directly to the area, click here [google.com].
Now if ... (Score:5, Funny)
Uhhh... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, I am often amazed that I'm able to jump on Earth while moving at 29.77 km/s*.
*Speed of the Earth in Orbit
Re:Uhhh... (Score:2)
As opposed to the Speed of Earth out of Orbit? I hope not
Re:Uhhh... (Score:2)
Best Game for Bored Workers (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Best Game for Bored Workers (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Best Game for Bored Workers (Score:2)
Re:Best Game for Bored Workers (Score:3, Informative)
A plane taking off at SFO [google.com]
Edwards, with two SR-71 Blackbird [google.com]
Niagara Falls [google.com]
Norfolk, with two aircraft carrier [google.com]
Mount St-Helens [google.com]
Hollywood, litterally [google.com]
To find the picture of a particular position, use:
http://maps.google.com/?t=k&z=3&ll=LATTITUDE,LONGI TUDE
LATTITUDE and LONGITUDE in degree (like 100.003441).
Enjoy!
Re:Best Game for Bored Workers (Score:3, Interesting)
Dynamic Engine test stands at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama [google.com]. Used to test the F1 Engines for the Saturn V as well as the Space Shuttle main engines.
Dynamic test stand also at MSFC [google.com].
Also if you look to the upper left you can see the first test stand that was used at Redstone Arsenal for rocket engine testing by Werner Von Braun and his team.
Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL [google.com]
Here you can see one Saturn V on its side, one mo
Re:Best Game for Bored Workers (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Best Game for Bored Workers (Score:2)
Re:Best Game for Bored Workers (Score:2)
Re:Best Game for Bored Workers (Score:2)
One thing I think Google should do is allow searching by region and date. So if you are viewing the map at a certain zoom level, Google Maps could highlight the regions that were taken on a certain day. So you could zoom out to a certain area of interest, select your historical date of interest (eg: September 11, 2001), and see what shows up. How about night images? Ever wonder what's going on for a new year's party at a certain place?
Re:Best Game for Bored Workers (Score:5, Interesting)
The Keyhole LT Client [keyhole.com] is kind of fun to play with as well.
Re:Best Game for Bored Workers (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:That's nothing (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Blackbird... (Score:3, Interesting)
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=San+Diego&ll=32.7270 48,-117.153225&spn=0.006276,0.005976&t=k&hl=en [google.com]
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=San+Antonio&ll=29.39 0391,-98.620609&spn=0.006276,0.005976&t=k&hl=en [google.com]
Ok, I give up (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Ok, I give up (Score:3, Funny)
Here [google.com], I guess
In Related News ... (Score:3, Funny)
Coincidence?
Re:In Related News ... (Score:2)
Re:In Related News ... (Score:2)
railfan (Score:3, Interesting)
-russ
I guess (Score:5, Informative)
How are these Easter Eggs? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:How are these Easter Eggs? (Score:2, Informative)
Why is everyone so impressed with Google Maps? (Score:2, Informative)
Sure, Google Maps is great if you want your route overlayed on the images, but for finding easter eggs it's nothing special.
Re:Why is everyone so impressed with Google Maps? (Score:2)
Re:Why is everyone so impressed with Google Maps? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Why is everyone so impressed with Google Maps? (Score:5, Insightful)
What terraserver are you using? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Why is everyone so impressed with Google Maps? (Score:3, Informative)
The Plane capture (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:The Plane capture (Score:2, Informative)
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=vancouver,bc&ll=49.
Re:The Plane capture (shadow) (Score:2)
During the Cold War... (Score:5, Funny)
In Soviet Russia... (Score:3, Funny)
USA fucks YOU!
Re:In Soviet Russia... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:During the Cold War... (Score:3, Funny)
horn tooting (Score:5, Informative)
perljam.net/notes/interesting-google-satellite-ma
http://www.paulrademacher.com/housing/ [paulrademacher.com]
www.shreddies.org/gmaps/ [shreddies.org]
cryptome.org/usndc-eyeball.htm [cryptome.org]
del.icio.us/knodi/google_maps [del.icio.us]
www.returnofdesign.com/feature.php?article=12 [returnofdesign.com]
gmaps.nicj.net/ [nicj.net]
-ted
I guess I was at work that day... (Score:2, Funny)
And the lost continent of Atlantis too... (Score:2, Interesting)
What's This? (Score:5, Funny)
And the really weird part is that the US military says it doesn't exist.
It doesn't. (Score:3, Funny)
What you think you're seeing is just an artifact of the imaging system. Nothing is really there.
Under the USA PATRIOT act, you are hereby ordered to the nearest Federal Reporting Station for re-education.
Re:What's This? (Score:3, Interesting)
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=groom+lake,nv&ll= 3 7. 404842,-116.238613&sll=36.518555,-115.561924&spn=0
Or go south and west an check out the craters in the valley. Take a wild guess at what they are from...
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=groom+lake,nv&ll=3 7. 129326,-116.051846&sll=36.518555,-115.561924&spn=0
Re:What's This? (Score:3, Informative)
And for the record, Groom Lake was publicly acknowledged years ago. No mystery there. It's just an Air Force base.
Another "egg" (Score:2)
Strange messages (Score:2, Funny)
The Capitol (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:The Capitol (Score:2)
Re: Snipers (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:The Capitol (Score:4, Funny)
*runs to the kitchen for some more foil*
Re:The Capitol (Score:2)
Re:The Capitol (Score:3, Funny)
Re:The Capitol (Score:4, Informative)
And the Whitehouse isn't blurred but the roof is has been 'cleaned' off
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=washington+DC&ll=38
Before or after Burning Man (Score:2)
Re:Before or after Burning Man (Score:3, Informative)
Cheers,
Twilight1
Re:Before or after Burning Man (Score:3, Interesting)
I think it's before for a bunch of reasons: not all the JOTSs are there yet, there's a bunch of stuff around the temple (way more than there would be for clean up) and most importantly only the roads have been broken up, after the burn I'd expect the surface color between the roads to be lighter as it gets broken up.
BTW for the record this [google.com] is where we [aeropac.org] launch rockets. The large horizontal line along the bott
Spotting environmental crimes (Score:5, Interesting)
Dating when Google's Satellite Images occurred (Score:2)
If you look at this link [google.com], you will see the Pentagon building, and you will see there is a repair going on at the time. This was the repair of the September 11 attack, which was completed within one year. That dates these images to sometime before September 11, 2002 when the repairs were completed.
Google Board Meeting (Score:4, Funny)
"...and our satellites have just gone online."
"How did we hide this from the public?" the man asked still facing away.
"We told them that it was another beta feature being added to Google Maps" his underling replied.
"So everything's on schedule then?" asked another man at the table.
"Yes" the dark figure replied.
The chair slowly turned until it was facing them. His face is barely visible in the shadows.
He smiles as he pets the cat in his lap.
"Our plans for world domination are proceeding nicely."
Civil war re-enactment (Score:4, Funny)
The first mapping company I worked for flew aerial photos flights for counties. For the type of mapping we did (cadastral, planimetric, and topographic), we generally took the photos in late Fall (after the leaves were pretty much off the trees and before the snow fell) or early Spring (after the snow and before the leaves appeared). For a particular job, we unfortunately caught a major civil war re-enactment where they were shooting off a lot of cannons. Needless to say, the counties requirements for ground visibility required us to refly a portion of the county to retake the photos.
The CIA (Score:4, Interesting)
Two SR-71s on the ground, outside the hangar (Score:4, Interesting)
And the USAF Thunderbirds (F-16s)
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=CA+93524&ll=34.9145
Re:Two SR-71s on the ground, outside the hangar (Score:3, Funny)
Even better! I found the Stargate! [google.com]
Found it. (Score:3, Interesting)
Giant Easter Egg [unl.edu]
Another pic [webshots.com]
more info [vegreville.com]
Re:Google Maps doesn't work right (Score:2)
I did take a look at the google sat pictures, and they don't have my hometown in very good resolution, but it is good enough to see my parents' acreage.
Re:Where's the grassy knoll? (Score:2)
Re:Boring (Score:2)
Re:Worldwind eggsses (Score:2)
Re:Imagery (Score:5, Interesting)
For those of us not willing to simply imagine the images mentioned in the Wired story, try the mirrored story over at Mirrordot [mirrordot.org].
For more sights to see...
Interesting Google Satellite Maps (virtual sightseeing) [perljam.net]
highlights:
highlights:
Playboy Mansion from Terraserver. (Score:4, Interesting)
Playboy Mansion [microsoft.com]