# Could you find your home, starting from orbit? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 17, 2008, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706 "2008-04-17T11:06:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/101 "2008-04-18T03:36:50Z")
I tried to land in Seattle but ended up in some nearby mountains. Sigh. Well, I’ve only been here 4 1/2 years. :smack: I tried going home to Mother and Dad’s in New Brunswick, Canada, and landed pretty much in their backyard. That clinches it. I’ll go home to Mother if I get abducted, then. ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/102 "2008-04-18T03:43:09Z")
I was curious and tried again with my parents’ house in Texas. I ended up in a one pony town about 170 miles west, south of Abilene. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/103 "2008-04-18T03:47:21Z")
Piece of cake. But then, Vancouver Island makes it easy to find my bay. Landed in my front yard. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/104 "2008-04-18T03:48:47Z")
I landed on my roof. The airport is very near my town and my house is right beside a large shopping centre, both handy reference points. ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/105 "2008-04-18T03:50:05Z")
I can’t do it without being able to glide just a little. I’m a half-mile off the South Platte River, and once I get close enough to pick out the valley between Denver and North Platte, I can zoom directly in on it. But getting close enough is the trick. I ended up in Kansas the first time – mistook some range in New Mexico for the Palmer Ridge. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/106 "2008-04-18T04:37:41Z")
I tried a one shot and ended up about 50 miles east of Houston, which was what I was aiming for. With multiple clicks it was pretty easy, but I was still off by about two blocks. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/107 "2008-04-18T04:44:48Z")
Maybe I spend too much time fooling around with Google Maps and geography porn in general, but this was no challenge at all. The St. Lawrence River is not the sort of gossamer phenomenon that readily escapes notice, and we happen to be the second-largest island on it. I didn’t run into trouble until I realized that I couldn’t tell which of the two dozen townhouses on my block my apartment is in, but hell, setting down in the local park would probably be safer and just as convenient (I could even go for ice cream after). ---
**Author:** ![puppygod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@puppygod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puppygod)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/108 "2008-04-18T09:26:18Z")
[QUOTE=enipla] So you folks that land on your house are just centering the map over what you believe to be your house, and then zooming in. Not doing any panning at all as you zoom in? :dubious: [/QUOTE] Well, I just placed mouse pointer over general area that I though my home is, and then used mouse roller to zoom-in. After more detailed map loaded, I again placed mouse pointer over my home and zoomed some more and so on, until maximum zoom showed my home and parking area right next to it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/109 "2008-04-18T09:48:11Z")
[QUOTE=puppygod] Well, I just placed mouse pointer over general area that I though my home is, and then used mouse roller to zoom-in. After more detailed map loaded, I again placed mouse pointer over my home and zoomed some more and so on, until maximum zoom showed my home and parking area right next to it. [/QUOTE] That’s the technique I’ve been trying to recommend. Mouse wheel zooming centres on the mouse pointer (as does double-clicking, although that seems to me harder to control). If you can zoom in to your house or neighbourhood without clicking and dragging the map (even if you have to pause a little between zooms, to take stock), and without zooming back out again to get your bearings, you succeed. If you need to drag the map, because your zooming has moved your destination off the edge of the visible area, you fail - and you have to walk. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/110 "2008-04-18T10:43:47Z")
Naah, I was ripped off. I have played with Google Maps and Google Earth so many times, I thought I’d ace it. I had the pointer right over the centre of the Sydney metropolitan area, but when I zoomed in, I was in rugged bushland, so I assumed I’d landed in the Blue Mountains or Kuring-Gai National Park (both about fifty miles from my house). Turns out I wasn’t even in the right _state_, but in Victoria, about **500** miles away. I know I didn’t screw up that badly. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/111 "2008-04-18T11:29:53Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] Naah, I was ripped off. I have played with Google Maps and Google Earth so many times, I thought I’d ace it. I had the pointer right over the centre of the Sydney metropolitan area, but when I zoomed in, I was in rugged bushland, so I assumed I’d landed in the Blue Mountains or Kuring-Gai National Park (both about fifty miles from my house). Turns out I wasn’t even in the right _state_, but in Victoria, about **500** miles away. I know I didn’t screw up that badly. [/QUOTE] Did you use the zoom slider? That tends to screw stuff up. If I use the slider with the map centred over my house, I end up in the Champagne region of France. Which would be OK, really. ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/112 "2008-04-18T12:42:34Z")
Finding a spot by the coast is way easier than inland. First try I nearly landed at Heathrow (runway 27L I think 😃 ) rather than at home just south of Oxford. The easiest marker for me ought to be the Thames but you just can’t make it out from high altitude and when you get too low one bend looks like another :dubious: I’ve now tried for my Dad’s house in Dundee (Scottish east coast) and had no problem hitting it first go. Between the the Firth of Tay and the Law - an extinct volcano - it was a doddle. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/113 "2008-04-18T13:24:38Z")
[QUOTE=Staggerlee] I landed on a farm in Somerset, so I’ll have to hitch a lift back to Bristol. I told the farmer it was just a newfangled weather balloon, so no cause for concern. [/QUOTE] Yeah, I was confused by the Bristol Channel being rendered as an amorphous greeny-yellow blob. I didn’t know the pollution had got _that_ bad. ---
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/114 "2008-04-18T13:44:21Z")
I double click zoomed until I thought it would be close. I was about 35-40 miles off. Brendon Small ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/115 "2008-04-18T13:56:16Z")
I tried a straight drop from orbit this time. I clicked once to center the map and then roller zoomed all the way in. Ended up a little southeast of Georgetown, about 12 miles from my house. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/116 "2008-04-18T14:19:25Z")
Perfect landing in the driveway, took fifteen double-clicks, no scrolling or zooming out needed, we have a one-acre bass pond on our property which acted as a landmark at around click #10, but I was right on target regardless ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/117 "2008-04-18T15:59:21Z")
I’ve always considered myself good with maps and geography. Without any road or city labels, I wound up about 50 miles Southeast of my home. I guess I’ve got some walking to do. The trouble with Central VA is there aren’t mountains or waterways nearby to navigate by, all forest and fields. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/118 "2008-04-18T16:25:24Z")
Zooming straight in with no mouse movement, I wound up on the sidewalk by the correct expressway exit. That’s maybe 5 miles from my apartment. Adjusting between zoom levels took me straight to my front door, but on the last zoom, I elected to land on the golf course next door so I wouldn’t block my neighbor’s driveway. ---
**Author:** ![freekalette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@freekalette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freekalette)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/119 "2008-04-18T16:29:03Z")
Damn, I ended up in Dayton (about 75 miles southwest of my house.) BOTH times. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706/120 "2008-04-18T17:12:28Z")
Okay, first time I didn’t really understand the rules, but I mucked up anyway by orienting on the wrong great lake, Erie instead of Ontario. If I hadn’t zoomed back out, I’d have had to make a landing in Toledo. 😃 Second time, very easy. The western end of lake ontario makes a GREAT landmark for finding my home town, and then I need to pay a lot of attention to the local street patterns, finding ‘the delta’ and then ‘queenston circle’ and looking for my cross-street. ETA: Maybe this should be moved to the games forum. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-find-your-home-starting-from-orbit/445706.md?page=7)