LumenAstralis

Earth curvature

This interactive model shows how observer height, object distance, and atmospheric refraction change the visibility of distant objects.

Observer height: 1.5 mScheme width: 30.0 kmVertical stretch: ×10Distance to the ship: 5.0 km

Telescope eyepiece

Field of view: 10.0°

Ship (5 km) - hidden below the horizon 0.0 m.Statue (20 km) - hidden below the horizon 19.2 m.Mountain (150 km) - hidden below the horizon 1,664.7 m.

The vertical scale is exaggerated so the curvature and line of sight remain readable on screen.

Refraction: a change in the direction of light rays in the atmosphere, which can make distant objects appear slightly higher than their geometric position.

Field of view: the angular width of the area visible in the eyepiece. The smaller the value, the stronger the magnification.