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Asked by: Junaid Levann
science space and astronomyHow many miles can you see before the earth curves?
Last Updated: 20th February, 2020
The old saying turns out to be just about true. Forasix-foot tall person, the horizon is a little more than3miles (5 km) away. Geometry tells us that the distance ofthehorizon – i.e. the farthest point the eye can seebeforeEarth curves out beneath our view – depends simply ontheheight of the observer.
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Consequently, can you see the Earth's curvature?
It is possible to see the effect ofthecurvature of the earth from sea level(shipsdisappearing over the horizon). To actually seethecurvature directly (ie to be able to see thehorizonas an arc, rather than a straight line) requires an altitudeofover 50,000 feet.
Subsequently, question is, how many miles can you see out to sea? Boat captains say, on average, you can seeshipson the horizon or land at about 12 miles. A roughformula athttp://science.howstuffworks.com Examples: For anobserver standingon the ground with h = 1.70 metres (5 ft 7 in)(average eye-levelheight), the horizon is at a distance of 4.7kilometres (2.9mi).
Secondly, how much does the earth curve in 6 miles?
However, it turns out that while the earthdoescurve 8 inches in one mile, it does not take9miles to curve 72 inches. To show this, let usreturnto the Pythagorean Theorem method used by Harley, butusing6 feet for the curvature.
How much does the earth curve in 1 mile?
The Earth has a radius of approximately3965miles. Using the Pythagorean theorem, that calculates toanaverage curvature of 7.98 inches per mileorapproximately 8 inches per mile (squared).