# What's wrong with this picture? (google earth)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 19, 2005, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266 "2005-12-19T06:01:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**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:** [December 19, 2005, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/1 "2005-12-19T06:01:51Z")

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\<?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“UTF-8”?\>  
\<kml xmlns=“[http://earth.google.com/kml/2.0](http://earth.google.com/kml/2.0)”\>  
\<Placemark\>  
\<name\>Manhattan Island\</name\>  
\<description\>\<![CDATA[Enable \<b\>Buildings\</b\> in the control panel below.\<p\>Enable the \<a href=“[http://bbs.keyhole.com](http://bbs.keyhole.com)”\>\<b\>Google Earth Community\</b\>\</a\> layer in the \<b\>Layers Panel\</b\> at the lower left. Then click on one of the \<b\>Information Icons\</b\> that appear on the screen.]]\>\</description\>  
\<LookAt\>  
\<longitude\>-74.0135161531766\</longitude\>  
\<latitude\>40.70399949812894\</latitude\>  
\<range\>1136.693225849449\</range\>  
\<tilt\>71.97876731209369\</tilt\>  
\<heading\>26.98589710041852\</heading\>  
\</LookAt\>  
\<styleUrl\>root://styles#default\</styleUrl\>  
\<Point\>  
\<coordinates\>-74.0135161531766,40.70399949812894,0\</coordinates\>  
\</Point\>  
\</Placemark\>  
\</kml\>  
Uh…I guess linking the coordinates’ image dosen’t compute. :dubious:

Anyways…look for the tall building halfway between the WTC site and Central Park.

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**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/2 "2005-12-19T06:12:52Z")

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Do you mean the two buildings pointing at each other?  
40º44’53.21"N and 73º59’12.62W

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**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/3 "2005-12-19T06:28:43Z")

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> [@Enola Straight](#):
>
> Anyways…look for the tall building halfway between the WTC site and Central Park.

That’s not very specific.

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**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/4 "2005-12-19T07:08:34Z")

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Without seeing exactly what you mean, I’m guessing that you’re looking at two buildings with different angles of tile.

I’ve noticed this in many places too, especially in large cities where the skyscrapers are a giveaway.

It’s just compiled from several different pictures. The plane flying overhead takes lots of different pictures, and they have to be spliced together somewhere.

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**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/5 "2005-12-19T07:14:51Z")

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er… different angles of _tilt_, that is.

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**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/6 "2005-12-19T13:24:22Z")

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I deal with this effect at work when looking at aerials of my county. In particular, the condos on the south end of Estero Island lean towards each other.

You get a lot of weird effects from imagery composed of multiple sources. In some places, you can see half a car on the road. In the ocean, there’s a sort of “scan-line” effect caused by the different colors that water will appear depending of the angle of the sun in relation to the aircraft taking the imagery.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/7 "2005-12-19T14:44:26Z")

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Is there a way to just plug in coordinates? We can see from the XML in the OP it’s  
-74.0135161531766,40.70399949812894

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/8 "2005-12-19T14:58:45Z")

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OK, I saved the XML in the OP to a file with .kml extension, and double-clicked it, but it took me to a place SE of the WTC site, not halfway between the WTC and Central Park (assuming I’m recognizing Central Park properly, and I think I am).

**Enola Straight** , maybe if you were zoom completely onto the buildings in question, and do again like you did in the OP.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/9 "2005-12-19T15:27:23Z")

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> [@Jpeg Jones](#):
>
> Without seeing exactly what you mean, I’m guessing that you’re looking at two buildings with different angles of tile.
> 
> I’ve noticed this in many places too, especially in large cities where the skyscrapers are a giveaway.
> 
> It’s just compiled from several different pictures. The plane flying overhead takes lots of different pictures, and they have to be spliced together somewhere.

I thought these were photos from satellites, at every level. Are some levels taken from planes?

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**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:** [December 19, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/10 "2005-12-19T15:33:54Z")

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I don’t think so; some of the ‘stitch’ marks don’t run east-west like I’d expect them to if they were taken from an orbiting satellite, but even if they _are_ taken from satellites, a satellite can only be directly above _one point_ when the picture is taken.

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**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/11 "2005-12-19T16:45:40Z")

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> [@Revtim](#):
>
> I thought these were photos from satellites, at every level. Are some levels taken from planes?

Yes, all of the close up zoom levels were taken from aircraft, not sats.

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**Author:** ![Emerald\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Emerald\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emerald_Hawk)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/12 "2005-12-19T20:21:59Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> I don’t think so; some of the ‘stitch’ marks don’t run east-west like I’d expect them to if they were taken from an orbiting satellite, but even if they _are_ taken from satellites, a satellite can only be directly above _one point_ when the picture is taken.

Yes, much of Google maps/earth is made of imagery from the [Quickbird](http://www.ballaerospace.com/quickbird.html) imaging satellite which is in 98 degree [Sun-Synchronous Orbit](http://collections.ic.gc.ca/satellites/english/anatomy/orbit/sunsynch.html). It can generate photos with elevations as low as 65 degrees or so, and often from completely different azimuths. This can be a pain when making mosaics and often leads to discontinuities at the seams.

I didn’t look at the scene in question though. It’s probably aerial photos in a popular city like NY.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/13 "2005-12-22T04:16:29Z")

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Any more info on what we are trying to see **Enola Straight**?

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/14 "2005-12-30T15:30:35Z")

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Hello?

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**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:** [December 30, 2005, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/15 "2005-12-30T17:32:30Z")

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OH SHIT!

thought the thread was dead, sorry.  
The spot I tried to link to is a mosaic of at least three perspectives, so the buildings literally seem to rise up from the ground at odd angles and smash into each other.

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**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/16 "2005-12-30T20:02:38Z")

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All right, I’ll do it, you slackers. 🙂

[Here’s a screenshot I took](http://coldfire.50megs.com/images/Google%20Earth%20NYC%20weirdness.JPG) from somewhere between Lower Manhattan and Central Park.

I’m assuming this is what you were thinking of?

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**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/17 "2005-12-30T21:50:02Z")

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I found some buildings “leaning” towards each other just about due East of some round building. The coordinates 40º44’53.21"N and 73º59’12.62W that **Fern Forest** mentioned were spot on. Looked a lot like that.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/18 "2005-12-30T22:36:19Z")

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> [@Enola Straight](#):
>
> The spot I tried to link to is a mosaic of at least three perspectives, so the buildings literally seem to rise up from the ground at odd angles and smash into each other.

Maybe do like I suggested in a previous post, zoom completely onto the buildings in question, and do again like you did in the OP. Maybe we can simply save the XML into a .kml file and double-click it.

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**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/19 "2005-12-31T00:24:28Z")

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Hope it’s not too much of a hijack, but you should check out MSN Virtual Earth (now called Windows Local Live or something). While not as quick or user-friendly as Google Earth, actually, kind of cumbersome.

That said, they have certain cities from 45-degree angles. Way cool.

Check the Birds-Eye view.

[http://local.live.com/](http://local.live.com/)

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**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266/20 "2005-12-31T02:13:06Z")

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> [@Coldfire](#):
>
> All right, I’ll do it, you slackers. 🙂
> 
> [Here’s a screenshot I took](http://coldfire.50megs.com/images/Google%20Earth%20NYC%20weirdness.JPG) from somewhere between Lower Manhattan and Central Park.
> 
> I’m assuming this is what you were thinking of?

The perspective in that image makes the Baby Jesus’ brain hurt.

[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-google-earth/336266.md?page=2)