Seen in Print

[up148]

Useful for 30+ years and counting.......

Priceless!

BH

[webenda]

You were not seeing the curve of the Earth.

There is a limit to how far you can see at sea (about 3 miles) and this limit (the horizon) forms a circle around you. This circle is the curve you saw. It is a result of the curvature of the earth*, but this curve is not the curvature of the earth--the raduis (radius) of the earth is 3,959 mi, far too big to be detectable in the few miles that you can see.

*Ironicly, this limit to how far you can see is proof of a spherical Earth.

Many years ago I was driving through a wide open portion of our valley locale. There was not a cloud in the sky, except for a jet airplane contrail that stretched from horizon to horizon high overhead. The earth's curvature could be plainly seen in the constant altitude of the contrail across the sky. Then to top that off was the contrail's moving shadow as it passed between the sun and earth. A very memorable event!

Interesting observation Jim. I can even find statements on the internet that such contrail observations are caused by the curvature of the earth. However, such is not the case. It is a matter of perspective.

If you look down the center of a long straight railroad track, the two rails appear to get closer together as they recede to the horizon. In this case the two rails appear to be straight (they are straight.)


Now, if you move your line of sight to one rail instead of centered between the rails, the other rail appears to curve toward the rail you are sighting down. (You can see the curve in the outermost rails of the above photo also.)


Being on the earth instead of halfway to the contrail when observing a contrail can make the contrail appear to curve over the horizon. It is a matter of perspective, not the curvature of the earth.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

[Big Jim]

Now, if you move your line of sight to one rail instead of centered between the rails, the other rail appears to curve toward the rail you are sighting down. (You can see the curve in the outermost rails of the above photo also.)


Being on the earth instead of halfway to the contrail when observing a contrail can make the contrail appear to curve over the horizon. It is a matter of perspective, not the curvature of the earth.

Well Wayne,
I guess that I'm living in some parallel universe because I don't see any curve in your rail (however, the track does appear to go into a left hand curve in the far distance) and standing on the side of the road with an almost 180°view of the sky I could see the curvature of the contrail.

[webenda]

Well Wayne,
I guess that I'm living in some parallel universe because I don't see any curve in your rail (however, the track does appear to go into a left hand curve in the far distance) and standing on the side of the road with an almost 180°view of the sky I could see the curvature of the contrail.

It should be obvious we all live in our own perception of the universe Jim, some more bizarre than others. You should like this YouTube video.


TheBartman47
Published on Dec 7, 2015

About a year ago, for some strange reason, probably as a prank started by someone to see how many gullible people would believe it, the "theory" that the earth is flat started making rounds on the internet. Apparently, there are people who don't realize it was a big JOKE and actually believe this drivel. YouTube user "fiveredpears" (https://www.youtube.com/user/fiveredp...) has some excellent mathematical proofs that the earth cannot be flat and is in fact spherical, but the flatearthers don't seem to understand math, so I offer this video as visible evidence that the earth is round and not flat. Airplane condensation trails across the sky follow a curved pattern and disappear down the horizon just as one would expect on a spherical earth.

Reference: https://youtu.be/bRpuQOSpxgU

The Bartman 47 is correct, the flat earth joke is just that, a joke--I can't imagine anyone actually believing it. Of course, there are those who believe contrails, which are parallel to the earth, appear curved due to the curvature of the earth, so maybe some do believe the earth is flat also.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Thought-stirrer.
Good man! Keeps us percolating!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Of course we all know this is just silly - the Earth is riding around on the back of a giant turtle and the Universe was sneezed into existence by a giant star goat......................

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Of course we all know this is just silly - the Earth is riding around on the back of a giant turtle and the Universe was sneezed into existence by a giant star goat......................

But was anybody there to say, "GOD bless you!" ?

[webenda]

Are you jerking my chain Rufus, just to see if you can get me going again? If so, it worked. You left out the elephants. The disk of the earth would not ride well on the curved back of a turtle. That is where the elephants come in, to support the disk on the edge so it does not teeter on the turtle.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Are you jerking my chain Rufus, just to see if you can get me going again? If so, it worked. You left out the elephants. The disk of the earth would not ride well on the curved back of a turtle. That is where the elephants come in, to support the disk on the edge so it does not teeter on the turtle.

Elephants are endangered and are being replaced 4 frumious bandersnatchii

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Of course we all know this is just silly - the Earth is riding around on the back of a giant turtle and the Universe was sneezed into existence by a giant star goat......................

But was anybody there to say, "GOD bless you!" ?

No, but we all pray against the day of the coming of the great white hanky...............

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Would the elephant droppings be the source for meteors, then? And the turtle's comets?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Would the elephant droppings be the source for meteors, then? And the turtle's comets?

Cosmological questions to be pondered and debated by philosophers for the ages...........

[rogruth]

"Teeter on the turtle."

[HONDO74]