Google Earth App for Android Free Download: How Does GPS Work?

When you pull out your phone, the GPS chip inside isn't making a connection with the satellite; it's simply listening and receiving signals, much like a TV does. Inside each GPS satellite is a super-accurate atomic clock, and this time signal is broadcast passively by each satellite, along with data on what astronomers call the 'ephemeris' - data on the satellite's orbital path.

But for all of the space-age technology involved, the GPS chip in your phone calculates your position using something deceptively simple: time. This is because GPS requires rockets to be launched regularly as older satellites are replaced with new ones. Normally, there are somewhere between 24 and 30 in operation at any one time to ensure the entire globe is covered.

Google Maps knows exactly where you are when you tap the pinpoint icon on the app - it's all thanks to the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites that orbit the Earth. But did you know that there's more to GPS than just navigation? For instance, have you ever played GeoGuessr, a smartphone game that plonks you in a random part of the world and asks you to guess where you are?

GeoGuessr isn't a navigation app - instead, it's an addictive guessing game available both as an app and on the web. As a player, you're virtually parachuted into a random location from Google Street View, and your goal is to guess where you are by placing a pin on a map. It may seem like a simple game at first, but play enough and you'll tell the difference between Turkish and Greek number plates, and the trees that differentiate Canada from Norway.

It's fiendishly addictive, as the more you play the more you discover the subtle differences between places to narrow your guesses down. So next time you're browsing the Google Earth app for Android free download, take a moment to appreciate the technology behind GPS - it's not just about getting from A to B; it's about exploring the world and discovering new things along the way.

Google earth app for android free download