1st November 2010, 02:02 PM
Bier - as you guessed the copyright date in Google Earth is not the date that the image was taken. The good news is that if you're using version 4.3 or later of Google Earth (the application - not the web only Google Maps) the date of the image capture is given on the grey bar at the bottom of the main view window (next to the lat/long/elev information). As far as I can tell from checking the date against known developments in my area this date is accurate. The date will therefore change as you move around the map. Also if you click the time-slider icon in the toolbar (looks like an analogue clock-face) you can view other available images of different dates - the number will vary as to area. I'm not sure of there being a 'standard' length of time for Google Earth image refreshes. They seem to be every 2-3 years, but i guess it depends on the quality/cost of imagery available for any particular area.