The Globe Arena looks like a big golf ball but is actually the world’s largest spherical building. Not much of a surprise there, it had to be the world’s largest or tallest something

Thanks: Michael, Alexander Danling & Sputnik

This is the Silverstone racing circuit home of yesterday’s British Grand Prix. The track is half in Northamptonshire, half in Buckinghamshire, and you can still see the classic configuration of runways from when this used to be a World War II airfield. During the Grand Prix the airfield becomes the busiest in the UK, complete with its own air traffic control, and supposedly with a helicopter taking off every 8 seconds! (Wikipedia page)

If you look closely you can actually see cars driving round (there’s one visible in our thumbnail), and at the intersection of two runways in the centre of the track you can clearly see 3 bright red cars – a Ferrari presentation perhaps?

Thanks to Thomas, David Patrick, Rob, Mark, David Patrick, Paul Marciano, Steve Owen, Lianachan, Jan Koubek, Huw Morris, Rickard Jensen, Nick, Adam Sadler, Mario Sarno, Alessandro Guerra, Sean, Markus, Daniel Jibouleau, Kevin S and Stewa.

Update: After much debate in the comments of this post, determined reader Patrick has finally tracked down the truth about this mysterious location! Patrick contacted a friend who lives in Mexico and she pointed him towards this forum thread, where he discovered that this is a place called La Lobera; and our ‘hole in the coast’ is in fact, a collapsed sea cave. There’s some brilliant images of the hole and the surrounding area in the thread, some of which show the structure to be of pretty staggering size.

Many thanks and much kudos to Patrick, as this was driving us nuts!

Anyone know what this strange hole in the coast of Mexico is? Weird.

Thanks to Joey Shabadu

Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan is currently being used by US forces as part of operation “Enduring Freedom” (geez, who makes up these names?). The Airbase played a key role during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan back in the ’70s, serving as a base of operations for troops and supplies. Aircraft based at Bagram provided close air support for Soviet and Afghan troops in the field.

In 1989 the Soviets pulled out due to international pressures and the loss of over 15,000 troops due to the US funded mujahideen fighters. Fighting subsequently continued among the various mujahidin factions. This eventually gave rise to a state of warlordism. The chaos and corruption involved in warlordism in turn spawned the rise of the Taliban. The US and an international force intervened (again) in 2001 with the invasion of Afghanistan and re-claimed Bagram Airbase with its 10,000 foot landing strip.

The following picture is an old satellite shot from the ’70s showing a Soviet Mig parked just off the main strip…

…and this is what it looks like now:

cool huh?

There are lots of other interesting aircraft parked at the airbase. Single and twin rotar helicopters (Chinooks, Blackhawks & Apaches), A-10 tankbusters, a huge bomber C-17 cargo plane and some AV-8B Harrier jump-jets. Thanks for all your aircraft identification help!

Thanks: Joe Phillips, seamus & Heinz Felber

The old Royal Palace in Afghanistan is a bombed out shell of a building which must have been quite impressive in its time. The palace was designed by a French architect and originally built in 1923 by King Amanullah. The King even had a small railway line laid, so he could travel by train into the centre of Kabul! The palace was surrounded by beautiful gardens (which you can still see the outlines of) before being destroyed by factional fighting in 1992 and looted. There are currently plans to restore the palace and use it for the countries new parliament. Although this is expected to take around 10 years and cost in excessive of $60 million.

Thanks: Jean Lorraine