Google Earth's latest version allows users explore oceans, view Mars images and watch the Earth's surface change over time.

The outfit has released what it claims is the most comprehensive 3D maps of the ocean floor in a major upgrade to its free Google Earth software. The outfit compiled bathymetric data obtained from some of the world's marine and oceanographic research institutes and build a realistic terrain map of that part of the Earth's surface covered by its oceans and seas.

With the fairly obvious name 'Ocean' the core data for this new feature typically comes from sonar soundings which are then rendered into contoured visualisations. These include continental shelves, undersea mountains, volcanoes, trenches, ridges and other things which have not been seen by the great unwashed before.

The update also includes Mars 3D, featuring high-resolution images of the closest planet to Earth. Neither are the sort of places were you are likely to see a man on a toilet, a person naked sunbathing, or anything else that has been spotted on Google Earth.