# Low-flying airplane near British Museum in Google Maps? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 23, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-flying-airplane-near-british-museum-in-google-maps/656464 "2013-04-23T03:03:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-flying-airplane-near-british-museum-in-google-maps/656464/21 "2013-04-23T23:53:24Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > The aircraft in the link is about 12 nautical miles from Heathrow and positioned such that it would shortly be turning final for one of the westerly runways. At that distance it would most likely be somewhere around 3600 feet above the ground. Yes, planes coming from the assembly point to the northwest of London sometimes follow that track, although usually they go a bit further east before turning. It would be at about 4,000 feet if that’s the case ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-flying-airplane-near-british-museum-in-google-maps/656464/22 "2013-04-24T00:12:50Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The aforementioned BT Tower (more or less due west of the plane) would probably make quite a good reference for calculating the angle of the sun BT tower is reported to be 581’ tall. In this view, it’s casting a shadow that close to 700’ long. This yields a sun angle just under 40 degrees, on the morning of June 26, 2010. It should be possible to calculate the exact time. I’m guessing around 10:00 (LAN was 13:03). ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-flying-airplane-near-british-museum-in-google-maps/656464/23 "2013-04-24T01:47:14Z")
How do you get the URLs for closeups like that? When I change views on Google Maps, the URL shown on my screen stays the same - right now, for instance, I’m looking at Norfolk VA, but according to the URL at the top of the screen I’m still looking at Bike Rider’s Covent Garden view. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-flying-airplane-near-british-museum-in-google-maps/656464/24 "2013-04-24T02:05:11Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > How do you get the URLs for closeups like that? When I change views on Google Maps, the URL shown on my screen stays the same - right now, for instance, I’m looking at Norfolk VA, but according to the URL at the top of the screen I’m still looking at Bike Rider’s Covent Garden view. Click the link icon to the left of the map window (next to the print icon). ---
**Author:** ![newme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e0b2c6/32.png) [@newme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newme)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-flying-airplane-near-british-museum-in-google-maps/656464/25 "2013-04-24T02:36:07Z")
I’m no expert, but that appears to be an Airbus A320 class aircraft; can anyone confirm this? The wingspan of an A320 is 34 meters. The wings of the plane in the photo cover 56 meters of ground according to the distance tool. By my calculations, that puts the camera at a height approximately 2.6 times that of the A320. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-flying-airplane-near-british-museum-in-google-maps/656464/26 "2013-04-24T02:49:16Z")
> [@newme](#): > > By my calculations, that puts the camera at a height approximately 2.6 times that of the A320. Phrased differently, the ground is about 60% further from the camera than the airplane is. I don’t really doubt your numbers, but I do feel I need to ask this, with all due respect: Is it reasonable for both the ground and airplane to be both in such sharp focus? I can easily imagine that when one object in a photo is 10% further away that another object, the lens might aim for the middle and they’ll both still be in focus. But when one is 60% further away wouldn’t one or the other be blurry? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-flying-airplane-near-british-museum-in-google-maps/656464/27 "2013-04-24T09:30:55Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Phrased differently, the ground is about 60% further from the camera than the airplane is. > > I don’t really doubt your numbers, but I do feel I need to ask this, with all due respect: Is it reasonable for both the ground and airplane to be both in such sharp focus? I can easily imagine that when one object in a photo is 10% further away that another object, the lens might aim for the middle and they’ll both still be in focus. But when one is 60% further away wouldn’t one or the other be blurry? Yes it is quite reasonable. With a narrow aperture setting and minimal zoom in the camera lens you will get a deep focus, that is the image is in focus over a broad range of distance from the camera. [Example](http://movieimages.tripod.com/citizenkane/kane09.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2013, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-flying-airplane-near-british-museum-in-google-maps/656464/28 "2013-04-24T22:28:41Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > How do you get the URLs for closeups like that? When I change views on Google Maps, the URL shown on my screen stays the same - right now, for instance, I’m looking at Norfolk VA, but according to the URL at the top of the screen I’m still looking at Bike Rider’s Covent Garden view. > [@Colophon](#): > > Click the link icon to the left of the map window (next to the print icon). Thank you. > [@GreasyJack](#): > > When possible, Google will replace the aerial imagery with huge high-res satellite images which have the same resolution as the aerial ones but don’t have the artifacts from stitching the strip photos together. Judging on how far out you can zoom from this place in London without any obvious stitching, I’m betting that’s what we’re looking at here. Speaking of obvious stitching: [The D&S piers](https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Norfolk,+VA&hl=en&ll=36.938915,-76.329542&spn=0.005245,0.008256&sll=51.522409,-0.126139&sspn=0.002887,0.008256&oq=N&t=h&gl=us&hnear=Norfolk,+Virginia&z=18) at NavSta Norfolk VA. (Go a bit to the left of the uppermost pier in the opening screen, and you’ll see an even earlier picture of the boat, without the tugs alongside.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/low-flying-airplane-near-british-museum-in-google-maps/656464.md?page=1)