If you’re a travel junkie, then you have probably used Google Earth more than once.
After all, it’s pretty incredible that with a simple online service, you can see just about anywhere in the world whenever you want. You can wander along the shores of just about any country to take in gorgeous white-sand beaches or even try your luck at getting a glimpse of the Himalayas.
But sometimes, the technology can reveal some of Earth’s dark, creepy secrets. Here are 24 Google Earth images that will give you an idea of where exactly you DON’T want to travel.
1. This large pentagram was found on the southern shore of the Upper Tobol Reservoir in Kazakhstan. It may not actually be that scary though. AsEmma Usmanova explained to Live Science, “It is the outline of a park made in the form of a star.” Stars were known to be popular symbols during the Soviet era and the park’s roadways make the shape more visible.
2. Check out this crimson-colored body of water found in Iraq’s Sadr City. It was first brought to the Internet’s attention back in 2007, which prompted a lot of speculation. Theories abound, the most gruesome of which states that it’s because nearby slaughterhouses dump blood in there, but an official explanation hasn’t been given.
3. These symbols found near Mesa Huerfanita, New Mexico, look like the work of aliens. But actually, it’s the work of Scientologists. The Washington Post explained, “The symbol marks a ‘return point’ so loyal staff members know where they can find the founder’s works when they travel here in the future from other places in the universe.” Alrighty then.
4. This one’s no longer visible today, the S.S. Jassim was once the largest shipwreck visible on Google Earth. The Bolivian cargo ferry met its demise after it sunk off the coast of Sudan in December 2003.
5. These creepy lines found in China’s Gobi Desert have caused a lot of speculation. Some say that this is most likely a Yagi antenna array, which is used to track weather for atmospheric research.
6. This geographical marvel located near Medicine Hat in the south-east corner of Alberta, Canada, appears to resemble an ancient Egyptian face from an aerial view. It’s totally natural and has been dubbed the Badlands Guardian.
7. The satellite image of an airplane graveyard is certainly attention-grabbing. The Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is located just outside of Tucson, Arizona, and it’s where retired planes go to be either be kept for storage or have their parts removed for reuse or resale. It looks super creepy.
8. Curious scanners for Google Earth found that this formation resembled human lips. They are formed by two rocky ridges and stretch a half a mile long, located in Gharb, Darfur, in Sudan.
9. This spiral in the Egyptian desert evokes a feeling of extraterrestrial or ancient Egyptian handiwork, but the piece was actually created by three Greek female artists back in March 1997 and covers an area of about 25 acres.
10. This piece was created by Scottish gangster and convicted murderer, Jimmy Boyle, who designed the sculpture while he was still in prison. The 100f-foot-tall structure was created at Hunters Hall Park in Craigmillar, Scotland. Creepy.
11. This aerial shot of Okey Bay in the North-East of New Zealand sparked a conversation about sea monsters when that snakelike mark was revealed, but a boat is visible upon further zoom, which makes it much more likely that this strip is just the path the boat had taken.
12. This one looks super sinister but it’s actually just a bit of waterworks. The Beatrixpark Dock in the Netherlands was quick to go viral after people saw what looked like a trail of blood leading to a body. What’s actually happening, though, is that a wet dog who loves to swim had made his way up and down the dock, making a trail of water that created creepy-looking contrast against the dry wood.
13. Someone dig through Stephan Hawking’s work and figure out this black hole situation! Kangtega is a major mountain peak of the Himalayas in Nepal with a summit of 6,782 meters. What that black spot really is is the peak of the mountain. No one knows why the peak shows up like this on satellite images.
14. You can see several shipwrecks when viewing the waters off of Shatt al-Arab in Basrah, Iraq, from above. According to niqash.org, the General Company of Ports of Iraq estimates that there are about 36 shipwrecks in the area.
15. This crater, which is located in the Arizona desert, is about 1,200 meters in diameter and 170 m deep. You can really appreciate the scope of how huge this thing is from the air.
16. This pretty image is actually just the largest hot spring in the United States. The Grand Prismatic Spring is located in the Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park.
17. This odd sight is Fort Bourtange, which was built in 1593 in the village of Bourtange, Groningen, Netherlands. The fort is currently home to a museum, but it looks super amazing and a little unsettling from the air.
18. Ah, the Nazca Lines. Located in southern Peru, there are a series of ancient geoglyphs that can only be appreciated from the sky. The largest figures are up to 370 m long and are believed to have been created between 500 BC and 500 AD. Their purpose and how they were so masterfully created so long ago remain mysteries.
19. This one definitely wouldn’t look abnormal from the ground, but one Imgur user screenshotted this section of cliffs on Google Earth and pointed out how it looks like the ocean is about to pour onto the land.
20. You definitely don’t want to stand behind these fighter jets. Those marks behind them are eroded bits of land that have been worn away by their toxic and super-hot exhaust fumes.
21. The Google Earth came flew over Michigan just in time to capture the scene of a horrific car accident.
22. The Alma College, a girls’ private school in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, was built back in 1878 but was destroyed by a fire in 2008 and many people are suspicious about how it started. In fact, two teenage boys were arrested and charged with arson. The building’s demise was captured by Google’s satellite showing the extent of the damage.
23. This image is of a very famous shipwreck. The Costa Concordia was wrecked off the coast of Isola del Giglio in Italy back in January of 2002. The Concordia-class cruise ship met its demise after it collided with a submerged rock and capsized later.
Well, I know exactly where I’m not going on my next vacation. Sheesh.