Welcome to the Earth

When you first launch the Google Earth client, or simply Google Earth, you are shown an impressive zoom-in from outer space onto the Earth and shown a view (see Figure 13.1) of the continental United States.

Figure 13.1: When Google Earth first loads, you are shown the default view.

This is the default view shown each time you load Google Earth. You can change the default location, and that is covered later in the chapter. Of course, you must be connected to the Internet to use Google Earth, and it’s highly recommended that you be connected over a fast connection, rather than dial-up. You can still use Google Earth over dial-up - it just takes a bit of time to transfer the large image files to your computer.