# New Area 51 satellite images
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 3, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242 "2005-05-03T16:31:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MrB398](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrB398)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/1 "2005-05-03T16:31:55Z")
A few days ago I was checking out Google’s new satellite maps service and found myself looking at very interesting satellite images of area 51. So I made a simple web site displaying some of the more interesting images I found.
[http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/b/f/bfs124/area%2051%20Pictures/index.htm](http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/b/f/bfs124/area%2051%20Pictures/index.htm)
Some of the images are interesting, some are strange, and some are just plain our freaky. I’m sure most of you will find it interesting, that’s why I’m posting the link here in these forums. What do you guys think of some of these pictures? Some of the pictures are obvious (like the crater) Some of them I can’t even figure out what they are (like the hexagram), but maybe some of you can. Post a reply if you have a clue what some of these images are.
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### Author:  [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/2 "2005-05-03T16:45:10Z")
::::tinfoil hat on:::: It’s obvious to me that this is precisely where they staged the fake moon landing. ::::tin foil hat off::::
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### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/3 "2005-05-03T16:47:49Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#):
>
> ::::tinfoil hat on:::: It’s obvious to me that this is precisely where they staged the fake moon landing. ::::tin foil hat off::::
What moon landing?
Who landed on the moon?
When?
😃
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### Author:  [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/4 "2005-05-03T16:58:23Z")
> [@Duckster](#):
>
> What moon landing?
>
> Who landed on the moon?
>
> When?
>
> 😃
The vast right-wing conspiricy. In the 1960’s. Once. And for 20 minutes.
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/5 "2005-05-03T17:38:11Z")
What’s really freaky is how all the answers this website gives made it into GQ BEFORE the questions were ever asked! :dubious:
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### Author:  [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/6 "2005-05-03T17:47:09Z")
Kennedy, Johnson…
this one was a Left wing conspiracy! The right wing one was in TX. But that one was only 20 seconds or so.
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### Author:  [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/7 "2005-05-03T17:59:44Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#):
>
> ::::tinfoil hat on:::: It’s obvious to me that this is precisely where they staged the fake moon landing. ::::tin foil hat off::::
That’s an interesting theory, I have [a couple of thoughts](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6120812#post6120812) on it.
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### Author:  [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/8 "2005-05-03T18:09:50Z")
Some of these have to have been photoshopped. The [triangle,](http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/b/f/bfs124/area%2051%20Pictures/pages/Triangle-Real%20or%20fake_JPG.htm) [crosshairs,](http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/b/f/bfs124/area%2051%20Pictures/pages/crosshairs-up%20close_JPG.htm) don’t appear to be roads. I think they’re just manipulated photos that someone posted for fun, to get reactions out of the moon hoax conspiracy nuts.
If he ever comes back to post again, maybe **MrB398** could give us his opinion.
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### Author:  [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/9 "2005-05-03T18:11:50Z")
That should be [crosshairs.](http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/b/f/bfs124/area%2051%20Pictures/pages/crosshairs-up%20close_JPG.htm) Preview is my friend!
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### Author:  [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/10 "2005-05-03T18:15:18Z")
> [@Brain Wreck](#):
>
> That’s an interesting theory, I have [a couple of thoughts](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6120812#post6120812) on it.
Um…yeah. I didn’t realize I’d have to explain my sarcasm. Sigh. The photos are interesting, indeed. As far as what the hell we are looking at, who knows? Area 51 has become ever more enigmatic with each decade. My jab was at the secrecy of the place, not the OP. Pardon me for making a rare quip in a post rather than spewing some pedantic diatribe about what the hell I think is going on at the “research-center/landing strip for test planes/nuclear test site/alien museum”
Yeesh.
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### Author:  [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/11 "2005-05-03T18:29:45Z")
Unless TPTB have gotten to Google and made them remove the incriminating images, I think our OP is having us on; if you use Google Maps to look at the area around Area 51, you get:
> [@](#):
>
> We’re sorry, but we don’t have imagery at this zoom level for this region.
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### Author:  [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/12 "2005-05-03T18:50:54Z")
Those black circles are just crop irrigation. I was surprised in the 1980s when I got out in the real world and found that there are people who didn’t see circular irrigation every day of their lives like I always did. Just in case you don’t know, a water pipe is routed to the center of the field, and it feeds an elevated pipe that extends out 1/4 mile or so. This elevated pipe has wheels every 100 feet or so, with sprinkler heads spaced somewhat closer. As it runs, the whole thing circles around the center point where the fixed water pipe terminates, and results in a circular green crop in an otherwise brown landsacpe.
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### Author:  [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/13 "2005-05-03T18:57:15Z")
I liked the “glowing” spots.
I really liked the fact that someone was able to determine that they were “glowing”.
But what I can’t figure out is how they knew those spots were “glowing”, but other bright spots in other pictures were merely bright areas not worthy of comment.
How did they do that?
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### Author:  [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/14 "2005-05-03T19:03:51Z")
For example, here are some circular crops in West Texas:
[http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.841911,-102.507935&spn=0.154839,0.229340&t=k&hl=en](http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.841911,-102.507935&spn=0.154839,0.229340&t=k&hl=en)
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### Author:  [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/15 "2005-05-03T19:17:35Z")
> [@CurtC](#):
>
> For example, here are some circular crops in West Texas:
>
> [Google Maps](http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.841911,-102.507935&spn=0.154839,0.229340&t=k&hl=en)
While the black circles in the OP’s pictures are indeed reminiscent of irrigation circles, I’ve never seen any that are as completely _black_ as these. Most have some sort of green coloring to them, not utter blackness. My guess for these guys is manipulation/photoshopping. Either as a lark or purposely to obscure something else.
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### Author:  [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/16 "2005-05-03T19:23:18Z")
The “Intentionally Blacked Out Areas” are sewage treatment ponds.
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### Author:  [@glilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glilly)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/17 "2005-05-03T19:29:17Z")
> [@Snickers](#):
>
> While the black circles in the OP’s pictures are indeed reminiscent of irrigation circles, I’ve never seen any that are as completely _black_ as these. Most have some sort of green coloring to them, not utter blackness. My guess for these guys is manipulation/photoshopping. Either as a lark or purposely to obscure something else.
The black areas look like water – sewage treatement? The picture captioned “Intentionally Blacked Out Areas?” looks like some pond with aeration (the white spots look like the spray from fountains falling back on the surface of the water).
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### Author:  [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/18 "2005-05-03T19:29:56Z")
If you open these jpegs in Photoshop, and zoom way way way in, you can see thousands of little tiny spaceships, driven by bubble-helmeted space raccoons.
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### Author:  [@glilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glilly)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/19 "2005-05-03T19:30:30Z")
> [@Twoflower](#):
>
> The “Intentionally Blacked Out Areas” are sewage treatment ponds.
I snooze, I lose.
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### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-area-51-satellite-images/302242/20 "2005-05-03T19:35:16Z")
For a satellite view of Area 51, perhaps going to a known credible web site might help - see [http://www.fas.org/irp/overhead/groom.htm](http://www.fas.org/irp/overhead/groom.htm)
I then used the satellite imagery from Google Maps and could not approach the resolution the OP claims he/she got.
Whooshing works best when it’s difficult to debunk the claims. This one was rather easy.
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