Internet resources: Google Earth has added pictures of Earth made from a kite

Users of Google Earth had an opportunity to examine the images of the earth's surface, taken by cameras mounted on a kite and a balloon.

As stated in the Lat Long Blog, maintained by a team of developers, to access the new images a user must download a special KML-file, which contains the needed data and open it in the Google Earth. The authors of the images of the "very high" resolution are employees of The Public Laboratory project. It is worth noting that ordinary Google Maps also feature images taken from a balloon.

At Google, the resolution of photos taken with amateur tools (The Public Laboratory staff even provide detailed instructions on how to assemble kites and balloons for all the interested), is referred to as "impressive." Users can also use a free program Map Knitter to combine several pictures into one.

Apart from satellite photographs of the Earth, the Google Earth also contains photographs of the planet Mars, the starry sky and the ocean floor.