Google Maps Swaffham Turbine Anomoly

My mate showed me this today, it's Swaffham Turbine.

Notice in the pic it's casts a full shadow, but the tower itself is not complete?

So how did this happen?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=ts176qy&sll=54.531081,-0.997267&sspn=0.009401,0.013454&g=ts123da&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Stockton-on-Tees,+Cleveland+TS176QY,+United+Kingdom&ll=52.656856,0.683183&spn=0.001001,0.002704&t=h&z=19

Spooky.

The images that make up Google maps are made up of multiple datasets which aren't all taken at the same time (they are flown in strips), because these images are all geo-referenced they can be updated at different times without affecting the overall coverage. the images are colour balanced and then blended with surrounding images automatically.

What has probably happened here is the first flown strip overflew the turbine itself, then the flight which captured the segment to the left was flown at a later date, after the turbine was completed, and hence the shadow is there.

You occasionally end up with areas which have shadows in opposite directions if the flights covering adjacent "tiles" are flown at significantly different times of the day too.

Mike

I can't see any 'splits' between tiles on that bit though, look at the field above it's EXACTLY the same all the way across.

I can't see any 'splits' between tiles on that bit though, look at the field above it's EXACTLY the same all the way across.

There is no evidence of tiling at all

A small cloud?

Big fooking tree?

Defo not tree shadows, I've seen the same place on Bings maps & there is no sign of the trees looking like that.

Not likely to be a cloud in that shape

Big fooking tree?

Thats what i was thinking!

Looks like the trees could be casting part of that shadow

What does it look like fully built?

Spooky... Reminds me the Eurostar train that materialises itself at Waterloo station:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=waterloo+station&sll=52.656887,0.683242&sspn=0.000926,0.00284&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Waterloo+Station,+London+SE1,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.499027,-0.114804&spn=0.00095,0.00284&t=h&z=19

The other option, which is probably more likely in hindsight, is this.

Multiple images are taken as it the aircraft flies along. These images deliberately overlap geographically so that they can be blended together seamlessly. Each image, due to parallax, contains more, or less, coverage of the sides of any objects in view. When the software stitches the images together one image will contain the full turbine, the next will have none in it the result is decapitation of the turbine.

This is particularly noticable on tall buildings which are affected more by the parallax effect of the photographing process. There will be plenty of other examples throughout the dataset.

Mike

Looking at it you can see that Mike, the turbine is taken on an angle, yet the hedge above it looks as if it was taken directly looking down, well done, 1 gold star to you

Theres no conspiracy here people, everything is as it seems and nothing is out to get you, move along......

Another google pic shows the turbine :

http://www.ukprobase.com/img/landing_swaffham1.jpg

The other option, which is probably more likely in hindsight, is this.

 

Multiple images are taken as it the aircraft flies along. These images deliberately overlap geographically so that they can be blended together seamlessly. Each image, due to parallax, contains more, or less, coverage of the sides of any objects in view. When the software stitches the images together one image will contain the full turbine, the next will have none in it the result is decapitation of the turbine.

 

This is particularly noticable on tall buildings which are affected more by the parallax effect of the photographing process. There will be plenty of other examples throughout the dataset.

 

Mike

and thats a wrap

Big fooking tree?

Yes, a tree with a canopy higher up than the surrounding trees and bushes on the border of that field, which make it look a bit weird IMO.

EDIT: After looking at it again, and the additional turbine blades after the next round of photos were taken (ahem).

Definitely evidence of government-funded alien research about human experiments to prevent reproduction on a global scale and kill all the children. Or, it's an optical anomaly and purely Google's fault.

I vote for option A! [/tinhat]

Very intresting!! I live literally spitting distance from it. It's bloody massive.

Very intresting!! I live literally spitting distance from it. It's bloody massive.

"literally" ?