Here Are the Latest Updates to Google Earth

At its heart, Google Earth is designed to bring the world together, letting users explore the world without leaving their homes. Google Earth has been a useful tool for everything from finding directions to exploring faraway places. But with its newly-introduced features, Google Earth proves our world is even more beautiful than we thought.

Ever since Google Earth acquired a small satellite mapping company in 2004, developers have been making improvements to the program. Throughout the subsequent decade, Google updated the software to make it more functional and, of course, engaging. In April 2017, Google rolled out its newest update: Google Earth Version 9.0. Here are a few of the ways this update will make us even better armchair travelers.

Read More: Travel the World with Google Earth for Android

Improved Detail

One of the best features of the update is the improved detail in all of Google Earth’s satellite images. This feature experienced over two years of development. Google worked to improve this functionality, making users able to zoom in and out of locations with better picture quality.

3-D Button

This new feature lets you click to see any place in the world from multiple angles. You can also look at the view at its most picturesque — in a “postcard” view, according to a Google Earth developer.

Voyager

As Google describes it, Voyager offers a “showcase of interactive tours” that let users discover cities they want to explore. For example, you can tour all of the buildings around the world that were designed by famous architect Frank Gehry. Or Jane Goodall can show you through a Tanzanian park, explaining her most recent chimpanzee research. Google also hasn’t forgotten the kids. Videos of the Muppets are designed to teach children around the world about new cultures.

Voyager is, essentially, a Google Earth version of Google Arts & Culture. Like Google Arts & Culture, these early Voyager projects are about telling stories, but they’re also a great learning tool. In the future, Google developers hope to give more people the opportunity to tell their own stories using the program. Voyager took two years to create and is free for users.

“I’m Feeling Lucky” Button

The popular “I’m Feeling Lucky” button has been applied to Google Earth in this new update. When you click on the button, you’re taken to a random location on Earth. This can be an exciting way to learn about a new, possibly unknown, city, or country. It may just inspire your next trip.