google earth

Coordinates: 45 07’25.17″N, 123 06’47.52″W

Firefox Crop Circle

Crop circles are usually associated with aliens, but this crop circle is of the geek-next-door variety. Carved into a field in Oregon, it was created by Firefox folks, Oregon State’s Open Source Lab students and others, who worked through the night after doing a practice run on a nearby field.

Coordinates: 10 54’13.84″N, 19 56’6.13″E

Small Herd of Elephants

Although the poaching of elephants is illegal, it is still a huge problem. For example, the elephant population in Chad’s Zakouma National Park, one of central Africa’s remaining wildlife strongholds may vanish within the next two to three years if poaching continues at recent levels. Elephant poaching is on the rise in other places as well, making this image in Google Earth all the more special.

Coordinates: 31 15’15.53N, 24 15’30.53W

The Lost City of Atlantis?

Few discoveries would be more exciting for an armchair explorer than finding the mythological sunken city of Atlantis. And plenty of folks thought just such a discovery was made when these mysterious lines were found in February. Alas, no lost city. Instead, scientists explained away the lines as ship tracks that were created from echosounding, which measures the time it takes for sound to go from the ship to the ocean floor and back.

Coordinates: 51 38’59.21″N, 3 15’24.39″W

Sultan the Pit Pony

Located centrally within Caerphilly County Borough in Wales, Sultan the Pit Pony is the UK’s largest figurative earth sculpture, according to Google Sightseeing. Created by landsape sculptor Mick Petts, this 655-foot long earth-sculpture is named for a famous pit pony that used to work in the old underground coal mine.

Coordinates: 33 13’32.40″N, 111 35’51.86″W

Oprah Corn Field Maze

Apparently, hero worship can take the form of farm art. In 2004 Arizona’s Schnepf Farms channeled its adulation for the media mogul, talk show host, and philanthropist into a 10-acre corn field maze.

Coordinates: 50 00’27.35″N, 110 07’08.07″W

Native American Rock

Located in the badlands of southern Alberta, Canada, is a Native American listening to his iPod—or that’s what it looks like anyway. The rock formation is the product of weather and erosion working their magic on the rocks. The “face” measures about 837 feet across and 738 feet long. The earbud “cord” is really a road that leads up to a natural gas wellhead located where the “head’s” earhole would be.

Coordinates: 44 14’39.93″N, 7 46’02.93″E

Giant Bunny

On the side of a 5,000 foot high mountain in northern Italy’s Piedmont region you will find a 200-foot-long toy rabbit. Created by the art collective Gelitin, the rabbit was “knitted by dozens of grannies out of pink wool” and stuffed with straw. Why? The group wants hikers to smile, and also encourages them to climb the rabbit’s 20-foot-high sides, relax in its belly, and generally enjoy themselves.

Coordinates: 6 37’46.20″S, 31 08’12.96″E

Hippos Taking a Bath

The name hippopotamus comes from the Greek words “hippos,” which means horse, and “potamus,” which means river. True to their name, hippos spend much of their time in the water as these in Tanzania are doing. Once found through all of sub-Saharan Africa, the hippopotamus is becoming vulnerable to extinction.

Coordinates: 48 48’22.04″N, 2 06’59.53″E

Chateau de Versaille’s Smiley Face

The awe-inspiring gardens of the Chateau de Versailles/Palace of Versailles cover about 800 hectares of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French Garden style. The gardens contain beautiful lawns, blooming flowers, and breathtaking sculptures. Thanks to Google Earth we now know they also contain this smiley face.

Coordinates: 27 22’49.22″N 33 37’55.87″E

Desert Artwork

Covering about 62 miles, these cones and holes in the Egyptian desert were created by Greek artist Danae Stratou and the DAST art team in the mid-1990s. Called “Desert Breath,” the artwork took several years to create and is designed to slowly erode over time.