Internet sleuths have been unable to decide what a “black hole” visible on Google Maps is, after it was first revealed by a Reddit user.
The black hole, which has three sides, was shared on Reddit last week by Kokoblocks who wrote: “what the F*** this looks nothing like an island”.
Redditors went on to discuss whether or not the black hole was in fact an island, a portal to another world or a secret military base.
Many searched Google Maps to find the black hole, which eventually turned out to be an atoll belonging to the Republic of Kirabiti, known as Vostok Island.
An apparent ‘black hole’ on Google Maps, found by a Reddit user
(Reddit/GoogleMaps)
As Live Science reported, Google often blurs out military sites and other “secret” locations to avoid disclosing information about the whereabouts of such sites, which can lead to speculation about a “black hole”.
“My first thought was that it’s censored,” a Reddit user wrote. “It wouldn’t make sense for a natural formation to be black like that in such a shallow, small atoll/island.”
A number of Reddit users realised that the black hole was actually Vostok Island – an allegedly unihabited atoll about 2,280 kilomteres (3,902 miles) east of Sydney, Australia.
“Could maybe be an underground volcano which is what causes the blackness, assuming it isn’t a hole. Most likely igneous rock,” speculated another Reddit user, who turned out to be almost right.
According toNational Geographic, Vostok is one of five atolls in the southern Line Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and are rarely visited by humans.
The chain of islands are also incredibly diverse, both on and off-shore.
