Without labels to indicate specific locations or features, it can be difficult to identify where you are or what you're looking at. However, this abstract quality can also be a strength, as it allows the viewer to see the land from a different perspective and appreciate its natural beauty without the distractions of labels and boundaries.Īt the same time, a satellite map without labels can be frustrating for those who rely on maps for navigation or research purposes. The lack of labels can also make the map feel more abstract, almost like a work of art rather than a practical tool. Without labels, the viewer is left to rely on their own understanding of geography, topography, and other clues to make sense of the image. The mounds may be responsible for the aerial pattern of scattered circles, though Sparavigna says on-the-ground confirmation is needed.A satellite map with no labels can be both beautiful and challenging to interpret. 11, 2016 - the paper has yet to be peer-reviewed. Sparavigna discusses her theory in a scientific paper posted online on Jan. These pesky critters can create nesting mounds spanning some 47 inches (120 centimeters) across and are typically surrounded by bare ground up to 108 square feet (10 square meters), according to physicist Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, a specialist in image processing and satellite imagery analysis at the Politecnico of Torino in Ital.

Turns out, the desert around the Grand Canyon is home to red harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus). (Image credit: Google Earth)Īn odd polka-dot pattern near the cinder cone volcano dubbed Vulcan's Throne on the north rim of the Grand Canyon may have a simple explanation: ants. This weird polka-dot pattern in the vegetation near a volcano on the rim of the Grand Canyon could be the work of red harvester ants. Spiral art installation 'Desert Breath' in Egypt

The site was once equipped with missiles in the open air, with embankments between paired launch sites. Here, one of those sites, the Oahu Defense Area in Hawaii, is shown in 1968. His plan is to build a geo-referenced database so that anyone can research the Nike missile sites through Google Earth. Those missiles became obsolete with the advent of long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).ĭavid Tewksbury, a GIS (geographic information system) specialist at Hamilton College in New York, aimed to preserve a visual record of the abandoned Nike missile launch sites before they vanish - either as a result of being reclaimed by nature, repurposed by the military or redeveloped. Some of those missiles even carried nuclear warheads. Nike missiles, which were supersonic surface-to-air missiles, sat ready to launch at nearly 300 sites across the United States during a period of the Cold War, from 1954 to the 1970s. This Google Earth image shows the Oahu Defense Area in Hawaii, which was equipped with missiles in open air with earthen revetments, or embankments, between paired launch sites, shown here in 1968. Mystery structures on Chinese satellite images Word 'Hamad' written on al Futaisi IslandĬhurch of Scientology Bunker in New Mexico Island, in a lake, on an island, in a lake, on an island near Victoria Canadaīoneyard at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona Polka-dot formation on Grand Canyon made by ants

Wheel structures in Azraq Oasis in Jordanīull's eye in wheel structures in Saudi ArabiaĪbandoned launch sites at Oahu Defense Area in Hawaii Island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island Philippines

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