# Google Earth question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345 "2006-06-04T02:44:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/1 "2006-06-04T02:44:50Z")
Everything I try to zoom in on appears ultra bluring and unseeable, not crisp like the examples they show. Any way to focus this better? ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/2 "2006-06-04T02:59:59Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Everything I try to zoom in on appears ultra bluring and unseeable, not crisp like the examples they show. Any way to focus this better? Zoom in on somewhere with better resolution. Look for Google Headquarters, Mile High stadium, Washington DC, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/3 "2006-06-04T03:01:00Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Everything I try to zoom in on appears ultra bluring and unseeable, not crisp like the examples they show. Any way to focus this better? A) Some locations don’t have ultra-close-up maps. Chicago, NYC, bigger cities like that tend to. Podunk Downstate Illinois, like where I’m from, doesn’t. It’s blurry. B) Google Earth downloads maps dynamically. When you’re over the whole state of Illinois, for example, it downloads one big low resolution map to show you. As you zoom in, it tells the server you need the closer-in maps, and downloads them accordingly. Thus, if you don’t have a superfast connection, you might have to let the program sit for a bit so it has a chance to download the maps (once it does, I believe they’re cached, so you don’t have to do it again). ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/4 "2006-06-04T17:24:18Z")
Some parts of the world are rather uninteresting and thus have no ultra-close zoom images, like some places in rural Ireland. :rolleyes: Other places have important strategic/tactical value, thus detail is purposely obscured For example, near Arlington, Va. a circular section is blurred/pixelated. 38 deg. 55’ 17" N, 77deg. 04’ 00" W, elev. 260 ft. (can someone post a screencap of this, please?) Of course, this rule isn’t absolute…just type in Area 51 and see what I mean! ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/5 "2006-06-04T17:49:29Z")
Hmm. [It certainly is](http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=38+55+17N,77+04+00W&ll=38.921389,-77.066667&spn=0.01,0.023496&t=h&om=1). I supposed that [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_One_Observatory_Circle) must be the reason. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/6 "2006-06-04T18:16:23Z")
Funny how the White House and the Pentagon isn’t. Can somebody find CIA Headquarters? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/7 "2006-06-04T18:27:05Z")
The city of Oxford is very blurry and underrepresented, but worse, the Thai island of Phi Phi, which previously had a 3D topographical profile and everything, just disappeared a few months ago. Nothing there but sea now. How could this happen? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/8 "2006-06-04T18:36:31Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > The city of Oxford is very blurry and underrepresented, but worse, the Thai island of Phi Phi, which previously had a 3D topographical profile and everything, just disappeared a few months ago. Nothing there but sea now. How could this happen? Global warming/sea level rise? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/9 "2006-06-04T18:39:50Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Global warming/sea level rise? I hope not, my friend just emailed me from it. ---
**Author:** ![Mandarax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Mandarax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mandarax)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/10 "2006-06-04T18:46:04Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > Other places have important strategic/tactical value, thus detail is purposely obscured > > For example, near Arlington, Va. a circular section is blurred/pixelated. More discussion of the pixellation at [http://eyeball-series.org/seats-uneyeball.htm](http://eyeball-series.org/seats-uneyeball.htm) ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/11 "2006-06-04T23:43:45Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > Can somebody find CIA Headquarters? [Good morning, CIA,](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=38.952413,-77.146125&ll=38.952476,-77.146125&spn=0.003654,0.010729&t=k&om=1) I have a feeling that it’s going to be a wonderful day… ---
**Author:** ![coop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@coop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coop)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/12 "2006-06-05T13:14:08Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > [Good morning, CIA,](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=38.952413,-77.146125&ll=38.952476,-77.146125&spn=0.003654,0.010729&t=k&om=1) > I have a feeling that it’s going to be a wonderful day… Maybe a silly question, but why is there such a HUGE carpark around it 😕 ---
**Author:** ![T\_SQUARE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@T\_SQUARE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_SQUARE)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/13 "2006-06-05T13:34:59Z")
> [@Bobotheoptimist](#): > > Zoom in on somewhere with better resolution. Look for Google Headquarters, Mile High stadium, Washington DC, etc. Mile High was torn down 5 years ago. Can you still see it on Google Earth or are you talking about Invesco? (I don’t have the program at work) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-earth-question/359345/14 "2006-06-06T19:12:07Z")
One of my favorites: downtown Chicago. Use the rotate button, and it looks like you’re in a helicopter peering down over the skyscrapers. Vertiginous in a good way. 😉