How to Find Your Home on a Satellite Map

If you ever wanted to find out what satellites might see when they pass over your home, you can use Internet mapping services such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. These companies compiled satellite imagery from around the globe and stitched it together to provide a bird's-eye view of almost every home in the nation. The images aren't live, however, so you can't walk out in the yard and wave to yourself.

Navigate to Google Maps, Bing Maps or Yahoo Maps (links in Resources).

Type your street address, including your city and state, into the field at the top of the screen. The website shows a street map of your neighborhood, along with a marker pinpointing your home.

Switch from street map view to satellite view. In Google Maps, click the square in the corner labeled "Earth." In Bing Maps, click "Aerial" on the toolbar. In Yahoo Maps, click the "Satellite" button.

Double-click the marker on the map to zoom in on your house. You may need to click the "+" icon to zoom in as close as possible. Depending on which website you use, and where you live, you may be able to zoom in as close as 800 feet above the ground.

Use the tilting function available in Google Maps and Bing Maps to get a better angle of your home, so that you can see more than just the rooftop. In Google Maps, you clidk the square button above the "+" button. In Bing Maps, click "Aerial" on the toolbar and change the setting to Bird's Eye.