How do I love Google Maps? Let me count the ways. How the app gets me from A to B, the helpful updates – and now the fact that an image of a B-2 stealth bomber has been captured mid-flight. Awesome.
Yes, despite offering the best in low-observable, or “stealth,” characteristics, even the B-2 stealth bomber can't escape the all-seeing eye of Google Maps and, for that matter, the sharp-eyed Redditor who first spotted the flying craft in the app.
View the stealth bomber on this Google Maps grid reference
Redditor u/Hippowned shared the image to r/Damnthatsinteresting, which later went into semi-meltdown as users raced to understand what on Google's green earth they were looking at. And let's be clear: though the image is blurry, it's without a shadow of a doubt a B-2 stealth bomber. Why am I so sure? Well, like many of us, I've enjoyed my fair share of B-2 stealth bomber killstreaks on Call of Duty and it looks damn close to what rolls through the multiplayer map after a nine-player wipeout on what has to be one of the best PS5 games.
All jokes aside, the aircraft in the Redditor's image looks straight out of Area 51 whatever it is, with the snap even featuring some eerie-looking colors emanating from its metal chassis. What's scarier though is the thought of the plane's engines being hidden deep inside the craft to cloak any sound of it hurtling towards you. Presumably, you'll never see or hear it coming.
Now you see me, now you don't
Whatever the real story behind the image, the technicolor circles are likely from satellite images and how they are captured. Google is known to pull from a variety of sources for its Google Maps images, so that could go some way to explain why it's a touch out of focus.
Either way, while planes have been spotted on Google Maps before, we're pretty sure nothing comes close to the ultra-coolness of this particular image. That's especially true considering the B-2 is supposed to be the zenith of modern stealth technology, meaning you wouldn't expect it to pop up on Google Maps quite as it has done.
Speaking of things captured in motion, Google Maps also has a fantastic travel-tracking tool, which you can use to pull your stats from the app from a specific period of time. It's a great way to check how far you've traveled and to what locations in an easy-to-use interface. This is also now easier to do thanks to a cool free usability upgrade, which is another signal of Google's deep commitment to making Google Maps more user-friendly as we roll into 2022. Happy New Year!
