What causes this effect in Google Maps?

[eastcheap]

@Mr_Downtown

Just a note: The aerial imagery is shot from a plane, not a satellite, everywhere except pretty remote areas.

I do believe you’re right, sir. I had a look at some GeoEye images (the best Google has access to) and they’re nothing like as good (0.5m resolution). It also explains why the plane appears to be moving backwards.

Same difference though: something like a line of cameras snapping shots clickclickclickclick as each passes over the same spot.

[chorpler]

@Aspidistra

So - what’s the reason why (on a completely different tack) when you zoom in past the fourth-largest image the plane suddenly disappears and you’re clearly looking at a whole different picture? (different exposure, subtly different angle I think).

I don’t see that when I google-map my own location

Because that part of Baltimore has the “45 degree” image set available, and you have the “45 degree” option enabled in Google Maps (I believe it’s enabled by default now, because it looks cooler than an overhead image). If you go to the menu under the “map” square, and turn off the “45 degree” option, it will stay on the weird plane image all the way to 100% zoomed.

[Keeve]

@Mr_Downtown

Just a note: The aerial imagery is shot from a plane, not a satellite, everywhere except pretty remote areas.

Are you sure? I would think that the OP’s example proves the opposite.

Here’s my reasoning: The split of the plane into four separate easily-identifiable images shows that that plane is moving too quickly for the shutter speed of the camera, while the images of the ground have no such problem. This means that the plane is moving relatively fast compared to the camera, but the ground is moving relatively slow compared to the camera. Now, that makes perfect sense if the camera is on a satellite in a geostationary orbit. But if the camera is on an airplane, the plane would have to be going a LOT slower than the one in the photo, which is unlikely. Even less likely is the possibility that the camera is panning to stay aimed at a specific spot on the ground.

[dasmoocher]

@Keeve

Are you sure? I would think that the OP’s example proves the opposite.

Here’s my reasoning: The split of the plane into four separate easily-identifiable images shows that that plane is moving too quickly for the shutter speed of the camera, while the images of the ground have no such problem. This means that the plane is moving relatively fast compared to the camera, but the ground is moving relatively slow compared to the camera. Now, that makes perfect sense if the camera is on a satellite in a geostationary orbit. But if the camera is on an airplane, the plane would have to be going a LOT slower than the one in the photo, which is unlikely. Even less likely is the possibility that the camera is panning to stay aimed at a specific spot on the ground.

I don’t know if the camera is on a satellite or plane (but why would it need to be geostationary if on a satellite?). But if the camera is on a plane, couldn’t you get this effect even more if the planes happened to be traveling in opposite directions?