Answers

18 answer(s)

<< First   < Prev   [1]   [2]   [3]   [4]   Next >   Last >>

Reply	Michael Marshall says: The following answer has been selected and edited by New Scientist staffThe short answer to this question is that the curvature is not obviously visible from anywhere on the Earth's surface. Pilots of Lockheed U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird aircraft suggest that the Earth's curvature only becomes clear at an altitude of about 18 kilometres. Indeed, it has been photographed from Concorde cruising at this altitude. The curvature can be inferred at sea level, though. For example, ships disappear over the horizon from the bottom upwards, as if sinking into the sea.Mike Follows, Willenhall, West Midlands, UK  (no votes) Tags: animals, planet earth, plants.
	posted on 2008-09-17 16:54:00 | Report abuse

Reply	Stewart says: Further to Eric Kvaalen's comment. This will work over a flat earth also. The horizon is at a fixed distance from the observer and describes a circle on the surface of the flat earth. If a horizontal stick is held in front of the observer so that the center point of the stick, the observer's eye and the horizon all fall on a straight line, then a line drawn from the observer's eye to the end of the stick and beyond will not intersect the horizon. This is because the distance from the eye to the center of the stick and the distance from the eye to the end of the stick are not the same and so the angle of the line from the eye to the stick, relative to the horizontal, is different in both cases.So, people are not really seeing the curvature of the earth at all. Maybe the earth really is flat. Perhaps God did not have time to put the 3D curve in it with only 6 days!  (no votes) Tags: animals, planet earth, plants.
	posted on 2008-09-17 19:22:00 | Report abuse

Reply	Armanian says: I live in Blackpool in north west =Pand yes i can also see the curvature.  (no votes) Tags: animals, planet earth, plants.
	posted on 2008-09-18 13:21:00 | Report abuse

Reply	A Geologist says: I saw the curvature of the Earth once from a 747 flying to South Africa from London. I had never seen it before, and assumed this was because the 747 flew higher than any other shorthall aircraft that I had been on before. I have not seen it since despite extensive east - west flying, as far as Auz and South America. I wonder does the equatorial bulge make it more visible when flying N-S?  (no votes) Tags: animals, planet earth, plants.
	posted on 2008-09-25 13:36:00 | Report abuse

Reply	Anonymous says: In all the examples given, the distance to the horizon is still only a small fraction of the Earth's circumference, so you can only infer local curvature. From what you observe, the Earth could be flat and you're simply at the top of a hill.  (no votes) Tags: animals, planet earth, plants.
	posted on 2008-09-25 21:12:00 | Report abuse

<< First   < Prev   [1]   [2]   [3]   [4]   Next >   Last >>