One of the most powerful online tools at your disposal is the sprawling Google Earth project, which allows you to use satellite imagery to view a three-dimensional representation of the planet, including impressive landscapes and bustling cities.
While using the program, you can stumble upon some truly bizarre finds and curiosities that you might feel compelled to share with others on the internet. One place where you can do this is the popular ‘Google Earth, Structures and Anomalies’ group on Facebook, which documents some of the weirdest and most interesting places people have stumbled upon on their computers and phones. We’ve collected some of their most recent unusual pics that you can look at as you scroll down.
Bored Panda got in touch with the super friendly team looking after the online community, and the creator of the group, Josie, was kind enough to answer some of our questions. You'll find what she shared with us below!
#1 My Son Found This On Google. My Father Teaching Him How To Ride A Bike When He Was 2. My Father Passed Away In 2022
Image credits: Michelle West Wilsher
#2 Google Earth Photo Of The Inman Railroad Yard; Atlanta, Georgia
Image credits: Diyani Kaimuddin
#3 Crab In Northern Chile
Image credits: Daniel Alejandro Chirino Suñer
Bored Panda had a friendly chat with Josie, the founder of the brilliant ‘Google Earth, Structures and Anomalies’ group on Facebook. We were curious to find out how the community has changed as it continues to grow, and whether there have been any new challenges that came with this.
For one, the team running the group had to expand. "The only changes we have had to make is to take on some more moderators as the group is growing," Josie told Bored Panda.
However, she mentioned that the people in the community "are still the same." She joked that they still "generally like to argue over everything."
"All in all, the growth of the group is still on the up," Josie said, adding that people enjoy engaging with each other within the group.
#4 These Streets In Nova Scotia
Image credits: Diyani Kaimuddin
#5 Our Advice To Drivers Wanting To Reach The Neighbouring Beach
Image credits: Jm Kidd
#6 Gulliver Park, Spain
Image credits: Diyani Kaimuddin
Meanwhile, we asked the creator about the most fun aspects of using Google Earth, as well as the features that she and the other moderators wish the program would include in the future. She shed some light on this for us.
According to Josie, the most fun part about using Google Earth remains "the same exploring" of the planet we all live on, as well as "finding new things" that we didn't know were there at all.
Meanwhile, she shared a couple of ideas for how the Google Earth program could potentially be improved to make it even more user-friendly. One suggestion is to create a tool "to go back in time," while another idea is to "bring back an easy way to mark your location."
#7 You Never Know What You Will See Scrolling Through Google Street View
Image credits: Nicholas Sambrick
#8 In Egypt We Have A Very Old Movie Theater In The Middle Of The Desert, It’s Never Been Operated And Most Of Egyptian Doesn’t Know Anything About It, Actually There Is Not Much Information About It, I Find That Very Creepy
Image credits: Dahaf Dahaf
#9 Pomezia (Roma, Italy)
Image credits: Giuseppe Pedro Gasperini
You’ve probably used Google Earth, which was originally created in 2001, over the past couple of decades for fun, navigation, studies, or work at some point in your life. In short, it is a web and computer program that takes satellite images, aerial photography, and GIS (Geographic Information System) data and superimposes all of this on a 3D globe.
This then allows you to view locations from various angles. And if you’re anything like us, you’ve definitely searched for your home on the app.
#10 As If, Back In 1593, They Knew There Would Once Exist Something Like Google Earth
Image credits: Sity Aminah Johan
#11 Military Jet Caught On Google Earth 2018 Over Ouachita Mountains In Southeastern Oklahoma
Image credits: Ira Blackburn
#12 Crazy How The Aral Sea Got Drained So Much. Wow
Image credits: Furious Thoughts
You can also use Google Earth to explore the planet and various cities, locations, and landscapes using coordinates. The program covers most of the globe (97% back in 2019). However, some governments view it as a threat to national security, and the program is banned in some nations. Meanwhile, certain sensitive locations (for instance, military facilities) are censored for obvious reasons.
In 2019, the program had captured 10 million miles of Street View imagery and 36 million square miles of Google Earth imagery, covering most of the planet. Meanwhile, as of 2020, around a billion people use Google Maps, launched in 2005, every month.
#13 Another Crashed Plane, This Time A Bomber From The Second World War I Think. Found Between Russia And Alaska
Image credits: Silk Carnage
#14 Old But Gold I Wonder Where This Kid Is Nowadays
Image credits: Elmo Antonio
#15 Seals On Sable Island, Nova Scotia. Just Thought It Was Kinda Pretty
Image credits: Dolly Tinkles
The ‘Google Earth, Structures and Anomalies’ group has been growing by leaps and bounds over the years! It has become increasingly popular since being founded in March 2020.
Currently, the group has 2.2 million members, many of whom are very active and willing to engage with the community as they share their most interesting Google Earth screenshots.
#16 Two Burglars
Image credits: anon
#17 400ft 'Ice Ship' In Antarctica
Image credits: Furious Thoughts
#18 In 1997, William Moldt Disappeared After Leaving A Club To Go Home. He Wasn't Found Until 2019 When A Man Using Google Earth To Check Out His Old Neighborhood In Florida Discovered A Car Submerged In A Pond
Image credits: Malik
The last time that we covered this community, it had an impressive 1.1 million members. The group has doubled its member count since then, which just goes to show how much the internet enjoys solving small mysteries and looking at unexpected content.
It also helps that much of the world has access to Google Earth, so if you’re reading this, you clearly have access to the internet and can do a bit of exploring, too.
#19 In An Isolated Corner Of Kazakhstan, There's A Large Pentagram, Measuring Roughly 1,200 Feet (366 Meters) In Diameter, Etched Into Earth's Surface. The Five-Pointed Star Surrounded By A Circle, Located On The Southern Shore Of The Upper Tobol Reservoir, Shows Up Vividly On Google Maps
Image credits: Dipak Kumar Ghosh
#20 Nessie?
Image credits: Silk Carnage
#21 A Realtor Shared A Home For Sale, I Looked It Up On Google Earth, Dallas Love Field Flight Path
Image credits: Jon Griffin
You can also easily verify other people’s finds by inputting their coordinates, so there’s the added dimension of trust and transparency. According to the team that administrates the group and moderates the content, the community is a place for “anyone who loves” looking at things on Google Earth and has found “strange structures, anomalies, or something that can’t be explained.”
During a previous interview, Bored Panda reached out to the founder of the awesome ‘Google Earth, Structures and Anomalies' Facebook group, Josie. She told us that she had been a big fan of Google Earth for a long time. "I have been looking on Google Earth for about 12 years," she told us at the time.
"It is a hobby of mine and during lockdown I had more time on my hands," she said. The founder opened up to us that she took using Google Earth, her pastime, and turned it into a place online where she could store her most interesting finds. The group took off! However, Josie told us that she “never imagined it would turn into what it has.”
#22 May Be An Image Of Text Zena Raine Eorsdtosnp P Af M 27g : A 1 F A 00 0 H 2 J Au 3 1 7 3 A R 1 U 2 Iu N 1 2 T 9lag2uh6t9a Y · Inspector Gadget Spotted Just Outside The Village Of Cotherstone In England, UK
Image credits: Zena Raine
#23 Creepy
Image credits: Vu77777
#24 Man-Shaped Lake In Brazil. I Found It On Google Earth. 21°48'18"S 49°5'23"W
Image credits: Priti Ray
The founder had the highest praise for both the great community and the active team of admins and mods who help her out.
“We are a really friendly group and have an amazing admin team that works 24 hours around the clock to keep everything running smoothly. I would like to say 'thank you' to them all,” she said.
#25 This Makes Me Laugh
Image credits: Josie Paine Thurlow
#26 For Over 18 Years, The Google Earth App Has Been More Than A Tool—it's Become A Passion, With Thousands Of Hours Spent Exploring The Globe. Whenever I Watch Videos About Ancient Sites, I Can't Resist Diving Into The Satellite Imagery To Uncover Something Others Might Have Missed—and More Often Than Not, I Do
Image credits: Reski Amalia Gasali
#27 Go To Your Google Earth And Type Kent St. 44305 In Search And Click Street View You’ll See This Guy, Doing Whatever It Is He’s Doing
Image credits: Gentawjya
From Josie’s perspective, people enjoy Google Earth-related content, especially with a strange twist, because they are curious about the world they live in. Back when Josie first created the group, there weren’t many similar communities, which left an unfilled niche. "There weren't many Google Earth groups when I created my one," she told Bored Panda earlier.
According to the creator of the group, the best way to get started with using Google Earth is… get started! Use the program. Get used to it. Explore. Experiment. And just have fun. “I would just start looking at somewhere you have always wanted to visit, and maybe anywhere else that has piqued your curiosity and you have always wanted to see up close. Photo Sphere, a tool of Google Earth, is a great way to see photos people have taken and shared with the app.”
#28 Found This Guy On Google Street View. Just Relaxing, Using His Phone Under A Pile Of Rocks
Image credits: Claude Mercure
#29 While The Artist Is Capturing The Scene Before Him, The Street Car’s Camera Captures Him At Work. Meanwhile, Some Passers-By Are Spotted Getting Legless In The Park
Image credits: Carol Cediel
#30 Somewhere In Germany
Image credits: Sabrina Naeter
Which of these anomalies intrigued you the most? Which pics did you think were the most aesthetic? Have you ever found anything bizarre on Google Earth or Google Maps? If so, what was it?
We’d love to hear from you! Grab a hot beverage, get cozy, and share your thoughts in the comments.
#31 Discovered This Giant Human Today. -0.294722,-91.308333
Image credits: Priti Ray
#32 Guess The Country
Image credits: Antonio Pentrella
#33 Just Me And My Cats Sat Minding Our Own Business On The Doorstep
Image credits: anon
#34 Old Tennessee State Prison. A Few Movies Have Been Filmed Here, Two Of Which Were Ernest Goes To Jail And The Green Mile
Image credits: Diyani Kaimuddin
#35 It Looks Like Human Lips... In Sudan (12°22'13.32″n, 23°19'20.18″e). In My Opinion, It Resembles Lips
Image credits: Faiha Zahwa Arifi
#36 What Kind Of Ship...??
Image credits: Marcos Javier Márquez Colguan
#37 But Why Though? 39.459833, -76.184835
Image credits: Ellie Weaver
#38 Door Behind Mount Rushmore
Image credits: William Mace
#39 Sobotište, Slovakia, Europe 48.741756,17.374131
Image credits: Courney Douglas
#40 Clicked On A Random Spot In Bolivia And Found These Gorgeous Mountain Peaks. I Love Nature
Image credits: anon
#41 Kempsey, Nsw Australia
Image credits: anon
#42 Why Is The Water Reservoir Completely Dry In The Palasaide?? Who Knows How Long It’s Been Empty For
Image credits: anon
#43 ?????? (35.8900450, -117.6712762)
Image credits: Νικ. Δήμητρα
#44 In 2012, A Group Of Australian Researchers "Undiscovered" An Island The Size Of Manhattan In The South Pacific. A Mysterious Place Called Sandy Island Had Popped Up On Maps, Northwest Of New Caledonia. It Even Showed Up As A Black Polygon On Google Earth. But When Scientists Sailed There In November 2012, They Found Open Water Instead Of Solid Ground
Image credits: Sanjoy Sarkar
#45 A House In Canberra, Australia. White Goods Cover All Of The Front And Rear Yards. I Have Driven Past This A Few Times And Thought To Google It To See How Bad It Really Was
Image credits: Litz Nik
#46 Phone Was Stolen In Las Vegas And This It Where The Last Know Location Pinged. I Have So Many Questions.....what The What??
Image credits: anon
#47 Found This On Google Street View Nearby Me
Image credits: Linus Grundström
#48 In The Middle Of Nowhere..37°20'51"N 113°45'42"W
Image credits: Melita Migan Zgombić
#49 Navy Hovercrafts Near Norfolk, Va. These Can Carry Up To 70 Tons Of Payload (The Equivalent Of An M1 Abram’s Tank) Or Up To 180 Troops
Image credits: Rick Brokaw II
#50 Predator?
Image credits: Héctor Cruz
