# Using no instruments could you visually navigate your way home from earth orbit? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 10, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216 "2006-06-10T17:20:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216/41 "2006-06-13T04:25:57Z")
I’m having trouble understanding why this would be difficult for anyone, unless you’ve just moved to a place you know nothing about. I’ve moved 30+ times in my life, and I can find every place I’ve ever lived in, easily. And every place I’ve ever traveled to, just as easily. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216/42 "2006-06-13T04:59:20Z")
I think we might be underestimating the effects of cloud cover. And even for us Southern California types, if we got lost anywhere around Atascadero or Coalinga, we’d be lost indeed. And what **LSLGuy** said. And yeah, it would be fun to try. ---
**Author:** ![tashabot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tashabot/32/6250_2.png) [@tashabot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tashabot)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216/43 "2006-06-13T05:13:36Z")
Easily. I live due east of Lake Tahoe. Now, landing on my STREET may be hard, but I could at least get to the big ass park across the highway from my place, which is maybe a five minute walk from where sit. Although, I dunno. Google Earth clearly shows my car and my van parked in front of my place (distinct so you can tell which they are) so maybe I could locate my street if I tried. ~Tasha ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216/44 "2006-06-13T06:47:49Z")
Nope. I just tried this and ended up in Pittsburgh instead of central Kentucky. Not very impressive. How I missed the Appalachian Mountains and Ohio River is a good damn question. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2006, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216/45 "2006-06-13T07:23:25Z")
I think so, in fact I tried this on Google Earth (and succeeded) before I did it by keying in my actual location. For me, it’s a case of Find Europe\>Find Great Britain\>Find the Isle of Wight, then find my home by the distinctive pattern of terrain and roads on the nearby mainlaind. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216/46 "2006-06-13T14:48:32Z")
I’ll be honest - I don’t know if I could, for all the reasons **LSLGuy** ’s already said. Like **Diogenes** , I live in a pretty easy to locate place, provided I don’t get lost and lose landmarks over Wisconsin. I think that I’d incorrectly estimate the distance from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi and end up following the wrong river. While I like looking out of the window as much as the next person, there’ve been plenty of times I was unable to precisely identify the cities passing below me on long flights. Sure, for the large stuff (like the Grand Canyon), it’s easy to identify. But when you’re close enough that you’ve lost the larger geographic locators and all you see is a large plain and you live in Omaha? Good luck - I doubt I could do it. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216/47 "2006-06-13T23:35:03Z")
Not the slightest bit difficult. Find California, find the SF peninsula, find Golden Gate Park, find Kezar Stadium, land in it, walk across the street. Flying from Portland to SF, coming in for a landing from the north into SFO, I can usually find my house in a matter of seconds. (If I can see SF. Even if it’s fogged in, I can usually find Sutro Tower poking out and spitball it). ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216/48 "2006-06-14T00:09:01Z")
I don’t think so. I could find the region of Indiana easily, but unless I spent a very long time scouring many miles for some roads I recognize, I wouldn’t be able to ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216/49 "2006-06-14T00:21:39Z")
**LSLGuy** raises some good points, but in my case I live on the south shore of Lake Michigan near an industrial area that looks remarkably like Mordor. I am also accustomed to navigating that region by eyeball from several thousand feet of altitude. Finding, say, Moline, Illinois on the other hand I would probably find extremely difficult, as it’s one patch of town amidst farm fields in hundreds and hundreds of miles of the same. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216/50 "2006-06-14T01:10:44Z")
[QUOTE=Strinka] I don’t think so. I could find the region of Indiana easily, but unless I spent a very long time scouring many miles for some roads I recognize, I wouldn’t be able to [/QUOTE] ::Resist the urge to make the obligatory Indiana joke…Resist the urge to make the obligatory Indiana joke…Resist the urge to make the obligatory Indiana joke…:: ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216/51 "2006-06-14T02:08:33Z")
Previous [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=260934) on this topic. Who knew Google Earth was coming? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-no-instruments-could-you-visually-navigate-your-way-home-from-earth-orbit/360216.md?page=2)