Google Earth Has Captured Some Mind-Blowing Moments And We Can’t Look Away
Google Earth has given us a new perspective of the world. It's one of the first times that anyone at any time can explore the world from the comfort of their own home. Christopher Columbus would be rolling in his grave if he knew how easy it is to see the world now.
There are entire online communities who task themselves with searching the world via Google Earth with a fine-tooth comb to find the most unusual sightings. That sounds like an awful job, but we're very thankful they do it because the results are outstanding and straight up bizarre.
Just Your Everyday Big Friendly Giant
Located in Huara, Chile is a big friendly giant which is capable of giving you nightmares for a lifetime.
Imagine being the person exploring Google Earth and then seeing this. Would you a) immediately find the nearest spaceship shuttle to Mars? Or b) find the country that's geographically the farthest place away from Chile?
Well, This Is Terrifying
Please tell me this is out of a scary movie and not something that's real. Either these people are apart of this 'Furries' movement and they missed the mark completely, or they're serial killers.
There's nothing in-between, literally nothing. If you're going to join the Furry community, at least buy a mask that attempts to look like you're enjoying it.
The Suburban Samurais
This is a public service announcement for anyone who is single and looking for a few studs with weird hobbies.
I know girls won't even look at a guy as a potential boyfriend unless he's over six feet, but these guys will have no problem protecting you. These are the guardian angels that you've dreamed of.
Don't Knock It Till You Try It
While everyone seems to be all in that dogs and cats are the best pets, they're wrong. If you've never felt the warm embrace of an alpaca, you're missing out.
These things might not be the cutest creatures on the block, but they're productive and useful. Talk to me when you can ride your dog to brunch like this man rode his alpaca. This guy probably doesn't even know what Uber is.
Send Her To Area 51
Okay, someone needs to call the authorities because we've found the first confirmed sighting of an alien. Weirdly enough, it's just like us and wanted to take a stroll by the Mayan Ruins in Mexico.
Listen here "Alienette" — you're not fooling anyone. Just because you're wearing a sundress to look normal doesn't mean that you are. Those legs are telling a different story.
Well, This Is Alarming
Not going to lie, trying to act tough while wearing a frying pan isn't necessarily the best play.
Why didn't frying pan man's buddies tell him that he's ruining their intimidation factor? They look badass while he looks like the end result of a Hell's Kitchen blow up with Gordon Ramsay.
The House That's Blurred
This is one of the only places in the world that is blurred out on Google Earth. It's the home of Ariel Castro in Cleveland, Ohio.
He infamously held three women hostage in his home for over 10 years. He fathered their children until one of them escaped. He committed suicide in prison shortly after he was caught. The house has been demolished, but the area remains blurred.
If you think the doves in Central Park are bad, just wait until you see these "doves" coming up.
A Wreckage And Efforts To Salvage The Cruise Ship
This picture shows the wreckage of the Costa Concordia which partially sank in 2012 off the coast of Italy.
This picture was taken during the attempt to salvage the cruise ship which didn't happen in full until July 2017. There was luckily no injuries or deaths that occurred which is miraculous.
This Looks A Little Bit Sinister
As much as I have so many questions about this picture, I'm really not interested in asking them for fear of the truth.
This looks like an image that could be in the teaser for the next Law and Order season. The coordinates for this picture point to a dock near a public park in the Netherlands.
The King Of The Jungle
Lion King fans rejoice. This interesting carve out of a lion is right in the middle of a field in Dunstable, UK.
It's interesting to note that the movie was actually going to be titled King of the Jungle, but they changed the name when they realized that lions don't really live in the jungle.
"That's A No For Me Dawg" - Randy Jackson
What kind of hipster cult is this? Is this some type of counterculture movement to try to get people to like pigeons? It's not going to happen.
Pigeons are the worst bird alive, period. There's no if's, and's, or but's. They contribute nothing to society other than their stupid squawks and their bread eating ability.
This Is Nuts
On average, over 3,000 people die from car accidents across the world every day. So it shouldn't really come as a surprise that Google Earth was able to capture the exact moment a major car crash happened.
In addition, 20-50 million people are currently injured or disabled from an accident. It's interesting to note that most road deaths come from young adults ages 15-44.
Ever Wonder What The Grass Looks Like Behind A Jet?
It shouldn't come as a surprise that jets are powerful, but this visual of just HOW powerful is quite impressive.
This is a picture that shows the destruction of the grass behind some of these fighter jets. Its safe to say that those patches of green have seen better days.
Okay E.T, You're Not Fooling Anyone
Listen here E.T. I know it's been a while since you've been in the spotlight (36 years to be exact) but you deserve better.
You shouldn't be living in a crummy apartment in the middle of New Mexico. You were once a star that captivated the world. We miss you, come back.
No One Is Safe, Not Even Gumby
This shows just how cruel kids can be. Bullying affects everyone, even your childhood heroes like Gumby.
How many days do these kids have to take his lunch money? Just because he's a bonified star, doesn't mean that he doesn't have emotions or feelings. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Gumby.
There's A Blood Lake In The Middle East
No, this is not a crime scene, and yes, this is an actual lake that isn't photoshopped. The body of water turned deep red because of algae and bacteria.
The warm water's high salt concentration is what makes this lake a prime breeding ground for algae that can turn the color of the lake red.
The Airplane Boneyard
One of the most amazing pictures on Google Earth is of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
This site was established after World War Two and has been dubbed the "Airplane Boneyard." It's the largest of it's kind. After the war, there was an aircraft inventory that numbered over 65,000.
You Can Feel The Heat From Here
If you're interested in seeing the inside of a volcano, but you're not interested in getting within 5000 miles of ones, Google Earth is your spot.
This volcano is on an island in the South Pacific called Vanuatu. It's about 1,000 miles away from Australia, which would be the closest I'd be coming to this cauldron of lava.
Did Anyone Misplace a Giant Pink Bunny?
The Google Earth shot was taken high above the town of Artesina, Piemont, Italy. The large pink rabbit is actually an art installation by the Gelitin artist group. Rabbit (2005) is constructed from mostly straw and wool and took the artist group around five years to make. Legend has it that dozens of elderly women knitted one ton of wool into the rabbit's skin.
The installation is intended to stay in the grassy opening for 20 years. The group does not maintain the rabbit as decomposition and rotting are all part of their vision.
This Guy...
Maybe don't do this? Even though this time this guy got caught staring at this woman, I can bet this isn't the first time weirdly staring at someone.
This just makes me uncomfortable.
This Is A Killer View
This skull was found in Novaya Zemlya, Russia and it's there are many different theories as to why this skull is here.
The area was the site of one of the major nuclear test sites managed by the USSR. In 1961 they set off the Tsar Bomba, which was the largest and most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated.
These Are Dolls, Not People
At first glance, it appears that these are people in this yard. But look closer and you can see that they're actually large dolls. Google Earth captured this rather creepy yard in a small Japanese village called Nagoro.
Nagoro has a population of just 37, including artist Ayano Tsukimi. Tsukimi began sewing and dressing the Cabbage Patch kid-like dolls to replace neighbors, family, and friends who have either died or moved away. Touching, but mostly creepy.
When Working for Google Turns Dangerous
This incident captured by Google Earth is terrifying and also likely evidence in a legal case. Google Earth captures landscapes worldwide by attaching cameras to Google-branded cars. But when a man in the Colombian town of Villavicencio saw a Google Earth car in his neighborhood, he wasn't happy.
The man has been blurred out, but he attempted to shoot at the car. You can tell by the little girl running away that this was obviously a tense scene.
That's a Steep Hill!
Ok, this actually isn't a steep hill, and instead, is a computer glitch that occurred while Google Earth was filing in Orio, Spain. But still, it's fun to imagine the type of mischief we'd get into if we could drive our cars down a hill that steep, let alone on a major highway.
On second thought, it's definitely for the best that this is just a glitch and not real life. That would be a death trap waiting to happen.
A New Species Or a Glitch?
We want to believe that somewhere out there is a dog-wolf hybrid that hops around on two legs. But something tells us that this was simply another glitch in the matrix that is Google Earth.
This hilarious screenshot was discovered by Aaron Rose. In Google Earth, it's located at the Far North Bicentennial Park and was taken in June 2016. We wonder if the owner of this glitchy pup will ever see this?
North Sentinel Island Is Spooky
At first glance, North Sentinel Island looks like an unassuming island, covered by a thick layer of trees. But this island is home to one of the last uncontacted people on the plant. The island is also completely untouched by modern civilization.
What's more interesting is that we know very little about North Sentinel Island and its inhabitants besides that they do not want any contact with the outside world and have turned violent. For now, Google Earth views are all we have.
An Abandoned Camp In Antarctica
This small structure is known as Scott's Hut. Located on the north shore of Cape Evan on Ross Island in Antarctica, it was built in 1911 and used as a base of operations for the British Antarctic Expedition between 1910 and 1913.
The expedition was led by Robert Falcon Scott and still stands today, although is unoccupied per Scott's wishes. Luckily, we have Google Earth to thnk for allowing us to virtually visit it.
Inside Scott's Hut
Google Earth obviously doesn't capture the inside of every building, but in some cases, they do! If you "visit" Scott's Hot on Google Earth you can even go on a virtual tour inside.
This is just one of th views. Notice how amazingly preserved everything is. The hut remains largely untouched and has sat vacant for decades. Thanks to the cold temperatures, everything inside has fared pretty well. Except for the penguin.
In Loving Memory
If you hover over the lowlands of Argentina, particularly in the "Pampas" region, you might see this guitar-shaped forest in the middle of a field. Made up of 7,000 cypress and eucalyptus trees and stretching just over a kilometer, the forest was built for a very special reason.
Pedro Martin Ureta is a 71-year-old farmer who planted the trees with his kids decades ago. In 1977, Ureta's wife passed away and he decided to honor her wish to build a guitar-shaped forest on their farm.
Victory Is Mine!
As if mountain biking through the snowy mountains of Alaska wasn't already cool enough, this woman's triumphant ride was captured on Google Earth. The unidentified woman was mountain biking with what appears to be a few other riders in other views.
The group was riding near the town of Seward Alaska in June of 2017. We wonder if she noticed the Google Earth car and hoisted her bike up, hoping to be caught on camera!
Run!
It looks like this Google Earth employee got more than he bargained for when he was driving through Delamere. Delamere is located in the Northern Territory of Australia and was experiencing significant flooding. It looks like this car ahead in driving through a river, but the guardrails on the sides reveal it's actually a road.
We hope they all made it out safely since flooding can be potentially deadly. In this same area in early 2018, a monsoon hit the area and caused significant flooding. Numerous people had to be rescued from their vehicles.
From Ocean to Table
We have to admit, we're pretty jealous of this situation Google Earth captured a few years ago. The is the small Greek island of Oai.
Oai boasts enviable coastlines, ocean views, and of course, deliciously fresh seafood. By the looks of it, all of those octopi are on the menu tonight!
Um...What?
We're not sure whether to laugh or tremble in fear from this Google Earth capture. This shot was taken as Buzz Mill, a popular coffee shop in Austin, Texas.
As is the case with many businesses, Google Earth ventures inside the coffee shop, which looks completely normal at first. But click forward and head to the game room and you'll be met with these patron donning full-on animal costumes. Funny? Weird? We'll go with both.
Hashima, Japan Is an Abandoned Island
Approximately nine miles from Nagasaki, Japan lies Hashima Island. Also known as Gunkanjima, the island was established in 1887 and operated during the industrialization of Japan. At one point, the island had a population of 5,259, but after the coal mine was closed, life on the island dwindled.
Today, the island is completely uninhabited and most of the buildings have collapsed. Take a virtual tour of the island on Google Earth and you can catch glimpses of a once-bustling island many called home.
Mauna Kea Summit In Hawaii
It's hard to believe this is Hawaii, but it's true! This Google Earth view is from the top of the Mauna Kea volcano on the island of Hawaii. at 13,802 feet above sea level, this is the highest point in the state and the second-highest point above sea level of an island on Earth.
Those peculiar structures you see are part of the Mauna Kea Observatories. These are used for research across the electromagnetic spectrum.
A Once-Active Lava Flow
We all know how much destruction and devastation volcanic eruptions can cause, but it's still shocking to see the after effects of a huge lava flow.
Google Earth captured this area of land on the big island of Hawaii that was completely ravaged by lava years ago. As you can see, new roads have been built around the dried lava, but at one point in history, this area was bustling.
This Mysterious Desert Pattern Is Actually an Art Project
In 2014, a Reddit user uploaded this strange Google Earth image. The mysterious desert pattern is located in the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt and looked to span hundreds of feet. People immediately chimed in and offered explanations, most of the alien kind.
It turns out, however, that this is actually a land art project called Desert Breath. The crop-circle-like piece was created by the D.A.ST. Arteam.
Ever Seen a Buffalo Herd From Above?
Neither had we. That is until Google Earth made it possible. Google Earth captured this incredible image of a buffalo herd traveling through the Kigosi Game Reserve in Tanzania.
Now if only we could nail our David Attenborough voice, then it'd be like we were hosting our very own episode of Planet Earth.
We Get It, You Like Firefox.
We get it, you like Firefox. No need to go putting the logo in our crops. This Firefox logo was constructed by fans of the web browser who took just 24 hours to complete their project.
The Firefox crop circle stretches 220 feet wide and is located in an oat field near Amity, Oregon. It's completely invisible from the road but unmistakable from the sky!
Who Wants to Go Swimming?
If you love to swim, then add this location to your bucket list. While it might not look like much from above, this is actually the world's largest pool. It's located in Algarrobo, Valparaíso, Chile and stretches an impressive 3,324 feet across.
The pool is located at the San Alfonso del Mar resort, which boasts impressive reviews. Considering how good the pool looks from here, we bet it's got to live up to the hype in person.
This Kind Of Seems Dangerous?
On one hand, this is clearly some sort of hold up situation. On the other hand, this man is clearly just holding up finger guns. All in all, it's incredibly hilarious.
A Perfect Place For Introverts
Tired of neighbors being loud all through the hours of the night? Sick of dealing with parking problems? Just move to an inaccessible island and live in a single home on the landmass.
That Looks Like It Hurt
Do you know how candid photos at big events like weddings and graduations always seem to catch you at your most awkward moments? Well, the global platform of Google Maps is no different.
The Traffic Guard We Deserve
I don't want a human crossing guard telling me what to do anymore. I want a tiny green humanoid sign that I think is supposed to be a child with the word "slow" on it.
It Looks Like A Glitch
When the Google satellite was taking aerial images for their maps, they accidentally happened to catch a passenger plane flying over the area. It really looks like an accidental glitch in a video game though.
Maps Coming Through To Help The Little Guy
The owner of this car was dismayed when they were leaving their office building and found out their car had been hit with the perp leaving no note. However, while browsing the maps, he coincidentally came across the street view of the crime.
Google's Out Here Capturing A Family Moment
While looking at his own house on Google Maps, this man came across a street view image of him mowing the lawn. He hadn't realized that his children had been standing outside to watch him.
I'm Happy For Him
The person who posted this photo explained that one random day, he heard his neighbor yelling, "It's here!" A while later, this person was stalking their apartment on Google Maps and saw his neighbor here.
That Is A Lot Of Pinned Locations
Want to go for a nice steam? The entire country of Finland seems to be the perfect place to try and find one. Every single one of those pins marks a public sauna.
A Nice Gift For All Their Effort
Local guides on Google maps are created by volunteers who want to help visitors or browsers see the most interesting parts of the city. As a thank you for their work, Google sent this volunteer a pair of branded socks.
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