Google Earth Panoramio Pictures Very Slow to Load

Problem:

Panoramio pictures in Google Earth take very long time to open or don’t open at all.
During this time Google Earth application is not responsive.

Solution:

Problem was caused by Internet Explorer option “Automatically detect settings“.

To switch this off:

Internet Explorer >  Tools > Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings – make sure all options are disabled.

Obviously only do this if don’t need proxy for Internet access.