Social media was buzzing as a strange blue haze had residents looking up, only to find the phenomenon was an internet-only occurrence. Google maps, which cover more than 98 percent of the world, showed the airspace over Okotoks covered in a blue hue.
Locals considered weather, government activity and even extraterrestrials to be the cause, however, the answer is a lot less dramatic than expected.
According to Google, it was an issue in the satellite view of Okotoks. The Google Canada comms for visibility told Okotoks Online that Google Earth is made up of a mosaic of satellite and aerial photographs taken on different dates (under different lighting and weather conditions) and sourced from many different providers.
Screenshots of the strange haze that had residents turning to social media for answers. In this case, the images were taken during the winter when there was snow on the ground and clouds in the sky, which caused the bluish haze.
The issue has since been resolved.
Google is currently updating it's popular street view maps in Ontario and British Columbia and have no Alberta plans at the moment.
Thu, Apr 25, 1:00 PM
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