[Leica] Re: How far can you see?

[lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

On Aug 19, 2007, at 11:54 AM, Don wrote:

> Larry,
> After a rainstorn once you were west of Topeka you could see a  
> really long
> way in the fifties.  I remember in 1958 driving west to Colorado from
> Nebraska and seeing the Rockies lift off the horizon.  Then we  
> drove another
> two-three hours until we hit the foot hills.


Seeing the Rocky Mountains from Nebraska is cheating. Normally the  
curve of the earth permits a 6' tall person from seeing the ground at  
a distance of greater than 4 miles. Of course if the object is  
taller, or you are higher, the range is longer. I live 50 miles north  
of New York City but if I use binoculars and stand on the right local  
hill, and the trees are not in the way, and the sky is clear, I can  
see the tip of the Empire State Building. (Of course I can see the  
moon at night, but that doesn't count.)

If you are really interested in how far away you can see the  
mountains, check this site:

http://staff.washington.edu/skykilo/SummitView/SummitView.html

It calculates how far you can see FROM the peak of the mountain, but  
it works the other way too. You could just about see the tip of Mt.  
Everest from a distance of 300 miles. So I guess you could be right,  
sort of.

Larry Z