Google Earth has revolutionized how people perceive of their world. Now you don’t need special satellites to get an all-encompassing view of where you or someone else lives, and in the process, you can also some things you probably weren’t meant to as well. Here are 25 examples of some wild images frozen in time by Google Earth satellites.
1. The Face of Satan
Who knew the Devil was in the details? This Google Earth image captures what looks very much like the face of the Devil just off a highway. You don’t have to believe in the supernatural to see the face of evil staring up at you. But it’s comforting to know that Satan is no longer concerned with pretending he doesn’t exist.
2. Lake of Blood
This is like something straight out of the Biblical Plagues. Google Earth captured an image of a lake in Sadr City, Iraq that looks like it’s made of blood. No one seems to know why, though speculation is that chemicals used to treat the water form a bright red color. But anyone with slight superstition will likely believe in a more ‘spiritual’ explanation.
rarelyknown.org
3. Lake Shaped Like a Man
This is a lake in Brazil that appears to be shaped like a human male. There’s no Photoshop or trickery, this is just a natural formation. But it is freaky, right? It’s almost like a crop circle, except it’s in water. Who’s to say that aliens didn’t create this lake to communicate with invading space ships? Ok, that’s crazy, but of such illogic are conspiracy theories born.
4. Croatian Island That Loves Everyone
This Google Earth image is of Galesnjak, an island in Croatia. It’s definitely an island that loves all who gaze upon it from above. What makes it special is that the heart-shape isn’t perfect, but that’s part of the island’s charm. And the blue hues of water surrounding the island are pure perfection.
5. Have Gun, Will Travel
This is like something out of an action movie. The ‘commando’ in the center of the picture has bad intentions. You can tell by the way he grips the gun, and the way he’s stalking forward. And whoever the guy is in the back, he should probably head somewhere else before the bullets start flying.
6. Your Worst Nightmares
This is a Google Earth image of a man or woman in Mexico. All that’s missing is the saloons on both sides to mimic a Wild West showdown. This figure is wearing a scary mask, and appears to be holding some type of device. The whole thing is like a Dali painting.
7. What’s Around the Bend?
You always hear stories about drivers smacking into deer and moose. But you don’t ever get to see it happen live. Well, this Google Earth image doesn’t show a car on animal accident, but you just know that there’s a vehicle coming around the bed that’s about to have a close encounter with Bullwinkle. And judging by the size of those horns, the car will lose.
8. En Garde!
So there’s two guys who actually spent time dressing in medieval clothing and fighting with pretend swords. And they were not ashamed to do this in public. And they actually look kind of cool in mid-swing. But then again, the fact that they were captured by Google Earth doing this means that they’ve obviously done it before. Which is problematic on a basic, act-like-an-adult level.
9. Dubai From Above
Dubai is famous for a lot of reasons, but mostly because if money can buy it, then you’ll find it in Dubai. This shot shows Palm Island, an entirely man-made island that looks incredible from this vantage point. Note all the houses that are built right at the edge of the man made beach, each owned by a millionaire.
10. Kansas Crop Circle
This looks like an intricate fabric design. Or a wild chess board. Or a crop circle designed by aliens to communicate their intent to invade our Earth. Whatever this is, it’s beautiful and eerie and unexplainable.
dyckarboretum.org
11. Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright
Yep, there’s a tiger walking in this parking lot. The tiger is chilling, though, as if it takes this leisurely stroll every day. There is not a human being in sight, but the parked cars show that they are around somewhere. But peep this: there is a real-life, bonafide tiger in a parking lot, and that alone raises so many questions that makes you wish there was a follow-up image that answered it all.
12. Squeeze Play
This canine is either fleeing something or going after something, but either way, it’s in a tough spot. Someone is going to have to pull this dog out of its predicament. But let’s think about this for a moment. What on Earth would compel this dog to think that it could make it through this narrow opening. Maybe it saw a cat do the same thing, and blinded by a desire to chase the cat, forgot that it was a dog? Work for you?
13. Island of Mauritius
This is an image of the south west part of Mauritius. When viewed from above, it appears as if the water is being sucked into a waterfall. The illusion has something to do with shifting waves and perspective, but who cares? This is a wicked photo, beautiful, unbelievable and rare.
Huffington Post
14. I Really Like What You’ve Done With Your Hair
The redhead on the ground is modeling her new hairstyle to the woman who is standing. The redhead appears not to mind that the other woman is pulling out her roots. The woman who’s standing looks like she could box a grown man without flinching. What? You’re telling me this is actually a street fight between two Russian women? Whoa!
corriereobjects.it
15. Timberrrrrr!
Look, skateboarding is a young person’s game, let’s just admit that right now. It’s also best performed by someone who’s in shape. This woman doesn’t fit the bill on either count, hence this photo capturing her as she’s about to splat on hot asphalt and likely scrape her knees, elbows and likely her face. By the way? No one skateboards with flip-flops.
thesun.co.uk
16. Put Me Down!
This is either a runaway child being carried back to a waiting car, or a kidnapping in progress. It could also be a lover’s quarrel. Or a fugitive on the run from…ah, forget it, this is obviously a woman who got tired of walking and politely asked her man to bear her full weight to the car. Duh.
17. Another Tiger Story
Why is there a tiger in a boat? Why is the tiger jumping from the boat? Why are the men watching and taking photos instead of fleeing? How far can a tiger swim? No, but really, why is there a man-sized tiger in a boat?
18. It’s A Double Jumbo Jet
Planes always look like attacking birds of prey from above. But when you blend two planes together on a tarmac, you get this double jumbo jet that is very cool. It actually looks like a space shuttle if it were horizontal instead of vertical. Google Earth illusions are always better than real life, because real life is boring.
19. Airplane Crash Memorial
This aerial shot shows a memorial that was built by the families of the victims of the 1989 UTA Flight 772 that exploded in the Sahara Desert, killing 170 people. The memorial was built in one of the most remote areas on Earth, and utilized dark stones to make a 200 foot circle. The area is so remote that when the families arrived to build the memorial, they found pieces of wreckage from the crash.
i.idenes.cz
20. Don’t Move a Muscle
The handcuffed man is only partially visible, lending more mystery to this photo. The cop with the automatic rifle is staring at something off-screen, likely the scene of a crime. He’s been tasked with guarding the man in the back of the truck, but you can tell he’d rather be in the thick of the action. But as the classic poem says, “They also serve who only sit and wait.”
21. Council Bluff, Missouri
This is a stunning shot of Council Bluff, an area of Missouri. The lakes are shaped like giant prehistoric sharks, looking like the missing pieces of a puzzle. The roads snaking through are like veins in a sea of green, and the entire effect is of a piece of land from a time long past.
22. Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands are actually a volcanic formation in the Pacific Ocean. This image gives you a really intense view of that formation, surrounded by the blue on blue of the Pacific. Filled with hundreds of animal species, the Galapagos Islands are among the most diverse in the world.
