Google sky RA 5h53m33s and Dec -5*59'42'' why is this blacked out?

Question

Can anyone tell me why this portion on a google sky map is blacked out? What is there to hide in the sky from us as ordinary beings? the coordinates are RA 5h53m33s and Dec -5*59'42'' if yo go to google earth (sky)

Answer 1

It's probably only because the telescope didn't get the image from the area. There's also several such spots on Clementine mapping data on the moon.  I took the coordinates you gave and plugged them into SIMBAD. The star 2MASS J05533270-0558438 is the closest star to those exact coordinates. Go to SIMBAD, http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/ , click on "by identifier" under the "Queries" heading. Put 2MASS J05533270-0558438 in the "Identifier" text area. Click "submit id". Go down a little until you see a section called "Plots and Images" (It's after Basic Data and Identifiers, and before References (0 between #### and 2008). There will be a button called "Aladin Previewer". Clickie.

Your computer will now download an image of the star.

Answer 2

Why would they want to black something out? Those coordinates are just south of the celestial equator and visible in the night sky to almost everyone on the planet for half the year.

Use common sense. If you want to re-word someone's school assignment and pass it as your own, would you white-out their whole essay and write yours on top? No? Too obvious. These people are scientists. I'm sure they could hide something on a photo better than "blacking it out".

EDIT: I've just been there and looked at those co-ords. That's a couple of degrees from Orion. It's one of the most observed pieces of the whole sky. Whatever's there would have been seen long ago by thousands of professional and backyard observers.

Answer 3

That's weird!  I just found it. . .yeah, it must just be a chunk that wasn't photographed. . .or some alien planet that the government is trying to hide, of course.  :)  Or maybe it's a glitch in the program.

Answer 4

Try getting the US Geological Survey 7.5' x 7.5' topological quadrangle for Wetumpka, Alabama. It's difficult to obtain, possibly because there's a state prison there.