Google adds warp drive effect to Google Earth

Google Earth + warp drive animation

Google Maps has added a cool new warp drive effect to its virtual interplanetary travel.

An article by Business Insider India last week pointed to a Reddit user who captured the new animation that appears to have been recently added to Google Earth. Now, when you switch between planets, you’ll be treated to an animation sequence that looks part-warp drive, part-hyperdrive. It’s an effective choice for the app to use, buying loading time, and giving users the illusion of distance.

To see the animation for yourself, simply head to Google Maps in satellite view and zoom all the way out, until you see the full Earth. Then a menu will pop up on the left of your screen, in which you can choose which nearby celestial body you’d like to visit.

Ceres, the dwarf planet between Mars and Jupiter? Sure! Mimas, the moon of Saturn that looks suspiciously like a Death Star? Seems like a good idea! What about Pluto, former planet and current dwarf planet, now residing in the Kuiper Belt? I hear it’s lovely this time of year.

Obviously, the animation is just an animation, you’re not really zooming between planets at faster-than-light speed. But it is a bit of fun, and perhaps just a bit educational, too.