Ever wondered what Area 51 looks like from an alien's perspective? For such a heavily guarded area, it's suprisingly easy to find out: google it.

By typing "Rachel, Nevada" into Google's map search, switching to satellite view (top right), zooming out a few notches, and nudging the view to the left, you'll get a perfect aerial view of Groom Lake. Ahh, technology.

(If you look very closely at the oblong building by the dry lake bed, you'll see an Above Top Secret sunbather taking his lunch break in a Sheffield Forum tee-shirt).

(These can be very slow loading)...

To give you an idea of scale - these are cars parked around buildings at full zoom (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=36.981225,-116.037920&spn=0.005794,0.007918&t=k&hl=en)
A circular airfield (runway heads north-east) (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=36.927999,-116.008093&spn=0.005794,0.007918&t=k&hl=en)
Odd circular mounds (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.025728,-116.017942&spn=0.046349,0.063343&t=k&hl=en)
A mound close-up - it looks like a quarry? (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.029483,-116.013619&spn=0.005794,0.007918&t=k&hl=en)
Groom Lake (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.237301,-115.816669&spn=0.092697,0.126686&t=k&hl=en)
They seem to be growing their own crops up there (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.638474,-115.804653&spn=0.092697,0.126686&t=k&hl=en)
A circular UFO bunker, or a desert convention centre? (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.138596,-116.131926&spn=0.023174,0.031672&t=k&hl=en)
Close-up: Whatever it is, it's massive and casting a huge shadow (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.143102,-116.135970&spn=0.005794,0.007918&t=k&hl=en)
The main airport (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.788978,-116.769326&spn=0.011587,0.015836&t=k&hl=en)
The more I look... (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.833374,-116.727440&spn=0.005794,0.007918&t=k&hl=en)
...the more it makes me wonder ! (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.843180,-116.734929&spn=0.023174,0.031672&t=k&hl=en)
Huge circular ploughed fields (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.918968,-116.781664&spn=0.023174,0.031672&t=k&hl=en)
Close-up (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.911673,-116.787543&spn=0.005794,0.007918&t=k&hl=en)
Close up: a big black one (remember the size of the cars when you view this) (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.926843,-116.768832&spn=0.005794,0.007918&t=k&hl=en)
A very peculiar make-shift airport (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.406924,-116.232154&spn=0.011587,0.015836&t=k&hl=en)
Anyone any ideas what these are? (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.273521,-116.476021&spn=0.092697,0.126686&t=k&hl=en)

Whether or not it you believe Groom Lake is the testing ground for reverse-engineered downed ufo's or simply a perfectly sited US military aircraft development area, it's a weird looking place. And I'm VERY suprised that those administrating it allow Google to reveal it in such detail!

google maps are great.

You can actually drive around the surrounding area of Area51. There are a number of people who photograph the place. They do have a few patrol cars and a helicopter that make sure your not misbehaving though.

Check these links out: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/25/area_51_hackers/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/28/area_51_charges_dropped/

The bloke who was concerned in those links has a large amount of high quality photo's of the area on his website.

There's an inteersting 'serious' book about that area called The Dreamland Chronicles' which is fairly open minded about the whole issue of Area 51.

Last I heard is that the Groom Lake complex gets used for training in 'special' combat techniques (so called 'red' or 'Orange' force tactics where US pilots are trained to think like the enemy) and also used in parts as a waste dump.

There are other areas that are less overlooked from the surrounding hills that are repouted now to be used for the 'advanced systems' people.

I could say more but then I'd have to kill myself and ocer 10,000 forummers.

And my colleague here from Epsilon Eridani says that Groom Lake Saucer Spares are rip-off merchants of the highest order, fitting him with a new plasma injector when all he needed was a squirt of WD40 in the old one... :)

The maps are cool - thanks for sharing!

Joe

It's amazing what you can google...

Area 51 (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=groom+lake&sll=37.247086,-115.807228&spn=0.124798,0.168056&sspn=0.124798,0.168056&t=k&hl=en)

More Area 51 (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.048559,-116.021118&spn=0.031199,0.042014&t=k&hl=en)

Originally posted by steev
It's amazing what you can google...

Area 51 (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=groom+lake&sll=37.247086,-115.807228&spn=0.124798,0.168056&sspn=0.124798,0.168056&t=k&hl=en)

More Area 51 (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.048559,-116.021118&spn=0.031199,0.042014&t=k&hl=en)

might be just me but be carefull, those links crashed my computer!

That map thing is brilliant, I love maps, I'll be entertained for hours now looking for places I've visited.

Wow, those Area 51 images are REALLY weird.

Perhaps the weirdest thing is the "2005 Google" that is written all over the ground. :D

Where did you find this information (http://www.livejournal.com/community/the_unexplained/37956.html) out Ant ;)

Originally posted by pussycat
Wow, those Area 51 images are REALLY weird.

Perhaps the weirdest thing is the "2005 Google" that is written all over the ground. :D

I thought that, it's like those giant hummingbirds in Peru, but neater.

Where did you find this information out Ant

Should I have acknowledged my source? Oops! Sorry, Kirk. On my first post I did acknowledge it, but then I found that I could link to the pictures directly. I wasn't after glory, just sharing the sites.
(The links are mine, btw - I spent hours scouring the mountains last night !)

If you zoom into the "make-shift" airstrip I've linked to, it's surrounded by craters - it seems to be a cheap and nasty target range.

I'm racking my brains to think of somewhere else to explore. I can only think of Guantanamo Bay, but I think that'd be too small and rather dull. I did hear that a lot of the action had moved from Dreamland to another area whose location escapes me - I'll google it, it may be worth another session of snooping.

PINE GAP in Austrailia :suspect: the truth is out there

Hi, Jon big fella. (Was going to email you to have a look at the pics but I ran out of time). You're a respected ufo investigator of many - MANY - years standing. What's your take on the pictures? This (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.143102,-116.135970&spn=0.005794,0.007918&t=k&hl=en) is the most perplexing. It's larger than Woodhouse (you can compare it with the size of the two planes on the Main Airport picture). It casts a shadow so it's dramatically elevated, and two roads lead underneath it.

What's all this Pine Gap thing? Am I missing out on another ufo conspiracy?

PINE GAP is the new area 51. The Quarry picture looks like bomb craters to me. The Stealth Fighters where first tested at Area 51. Have the yanks built there very own Millennium Dome at area 51?

The one you linked to last lookes like a bomb crater, these (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=groom+lake&ll=37.103062,-116.049528&sll=37.039268,-116.021719&spn=0.007800,0.010504&sspn=0.007800,0.010504&t=k&hl=en) look like craters from underground explosions (or very evenly spaced subsidence)

It's the more out of the way bits that get me, like what's at the bottom of this lake? (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=groom+lake&ll=36.984218,-115.994071&sll=37.039268,-116.021719&spn=0.007800,0.010504&sspn=0.007800,0.010504&t=k&hl=en)

The Quarry picture looks like bomb creators From a distance, yeah they do. But zoom in and you'll see that they are mounds, not depressions. There are tracks leading onto all of them. Joe's waste disposal theory may held explain their function.

Anyone checked out the company who took these pictures? Digital Globe

Originally posted by Jon
Anyone checked out the company who took these pictures?

NASA? If you zoom right out the picture is a NASA composite (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020305.html) taken from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on Terra.

DigitalGlobe.com - it looks like a private satellite imaging company.

Originally posted by Ant
...mounds, not depressions...

There are both, depending on where you look. these (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rachel,nevada&ll=37.012596,-116.014853&spn=0.015600,0.021007&t=k&hl=en) have got to be depressions, you don't generally get ponds forming on the top of hills.

Originally posted by Ant
DigitalGlobe.com - it looks like a private satellite imaging company. Wonder if you can get views of Packman lane?

yep http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&X=451000.278725794&Y=382000.511278585&width=700&height=410&gride=450914.278725794&gridn=381795.511278585&srec=0&coordsys=gb&db=GB&pc=&zm=0&scale=10000&in.x=6&in.y=8 :thumbsup:

Originally posted by Bikertec
yep http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&X=451000.278725794&Y=382000.511278585&width=700&height=410&gride=450914.278725794&gridn=381795.511278585&srec=0&coordsys=gb&db=GB&pc=&zm=0&scale=10000&in.x=6&in.y=8 :thumbsup: :hihi: look at the fine details you can see from Multimap

Hey you didn't specify how good a quality you wanted lol:hihi: :hihi:

Ah, (at least) one of the craters is somewhat famous.

"Sedan Crater was formed when a 100 kt. Explosive buried under 635 feet of desert alluvium was fired at the NTS on July 6, 1962, displacing 12 million tons of earth. The crater is 320 feet deep and 1,280 feet in diameter."

From here (http://www.fas.org/irp/imint/doe_nts_nf121.htm)

Originally posted by Ant
Should I have acknowledged my source? Oops! Sorry, Kirk.
I'll let you off this once then :P

Thing i if you seriously buy all this "big conspiracy thoery" stuff, then surely you believe that any information you do find is probably planted by someone hiding the "Real" truth .

Don't get me wrong. I'm an old cynic, but you can't go through your whole life thinking that nothing is real.

Hi gang,

Just came about this.......

http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=9733

I found this really interesting!!!

Is there somthing we should know or do you think it would totally abbliterate our mindful knowledge of the world as we know it....hence the cover up?

Enjoy!

There is mention of the explosion craters here :

http://www.shreddies.org/gmaps/category/weirdness/

[scroll down to B-BOMB] - the bullseye for target practice is rather cool

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Mercury,Nevada&ll=37.487583,-116.228313&spn=0.041628,0.060854&t=k&hl=en

The giant compass mentioned at the bottom of the page is cool too [looks like there are two Blackbirds parked there as well, near the 270 marker ?]

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=CA+93524&ll=34.953947,-117.873430&spn=0.021157,0.033345&t=k&hl=en

Some people have WAY too much free time and money !

I'm pretty sure its been known for many year that theres a runway/test facitatly there. If the U.S government really didn't want you to know about it then you wouldn't.

Plus when this info comes from some guy with a rubber duck in his mouth then i'm kinda like>>>>>:rolleyes:

Originally posted by Ant
From a distance, yeah they do. But zoom in and you'll see that they are mounds, not depressions.
no, they are defintely craters.

check the angle of the shadows on structures and vegetation. They are all depressions.


nomme sent me this link www.keyhole.com , and it is quite impressive, although they don't have the groom lake hi alt pics on the map, st pauls comes through very clearly.

The real benefit of Keyhole is the 3D terrain mapping....

http://www.nv.doe.gov/nts/tours.htm

http://ndep.nv.gov/boff/maps.htm

http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/

http://www.shundahai.org/nevada_test_site_history.htm

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.angelfire.com/sk/syukhtun/images/bombcraters.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.angelfire.com/sk/syukhtun/pacificbombs.html&h=446&w=657&sz=56&tbnid=BykDn1pkNQYJ:&tbnh=92&tbnw=136&start=20&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnuclear%2Btests%2Bnevada%26hl%3Den%26 lr%3D%26sa%3DN

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.norsar.no/NTB/general/monitoring/NTS_crater_s.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.norsar.no/NTB/general/monitoring/seismic.html&h=191&w=300&sz=30&tbnid=AhlcMH2ZfEoJ:&tbnh=70&tbnw=110&start=24&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnuclear%2Btests%2Bnevada%26start%3D20 %26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN

Further reading about these "mysterious domes" in the Nevada desert... ;)

Oh, and that Keyhole software is AMAZING!

Stuff about Pine Gap in Australia...

http://www.rense.com/general2/wx.htm

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/pinegap.htm
The above link all goes a bit David Icke towards the end!

http://www.ufos-aliens.co.uk/cosmicgap.htm

Ah, NOW I see craters. The domes on the Google pictures still look domey to me (they're not even popping up and down as an optical illusion would - they're just domey).

Another mystery solved. ;)