If we are standing on the beach how far away can we see to the horizon?

Question

How far away is the last bit of water we can see?

Answer 1

as far as your eyes can see.

Answer 2

that depends on how good is your vision? p.s. about 1500 miles is a very good est.

Answer 3

depends on how foggy or how clear...and with glasses on or off.....

Answer 4

The view from sea level is seven nautical miles.

Answer 5

Why do people give c**p answers.

There is a neat formula, if you are familiar with metric (probably discounts all Americans):

Multiply the square root of the height in meters above sea level by 3.67, and the answer is in kilometers

eg if you are at the water's edge and your eyes are 1 meter above the sea level (sitting in beach chair), the horizon is only 3.67 kilometers away.

If you are on a high sand dune, 10 meters above sea level, the horizon is 3.67 x 3.1 kms away approx

If you are on a high cliff at 100 meters, the horizon is 36.7 kms away (3.67 x 10)

It should be obvious that the higher you are, the more you see over the curve of the Earth.

______________________________________...

Yeh, David D goes into high school math.  Who needs it – see my simple formula.

Also, what is it with Americans and their fear of the simplicity of metric?  Have a look at his 22514 feet which is 4,264 miles (presumably having to divide by a ridiculous 5280).

Now look at the metric equivalent – 6861 meters = 6.861 kilometers.  

Hmmm – get with the plan you guys.  The Olympics are coming up soon, and you will notice that every distance, height, shot putt, weight lift, etc is done in metric.  And they have been doing that since the outset in 1896.  I betya there are still colleges in the States where they run the hundred yards (one yard = 3 feet = 36 inches, = 1/1760th of a mile LOL).  

I am always surprised the Americans have a decimal currency.  Perhaps if they had had the old Brit currency like I had to learn in school (1 pound = 20 shillings, 1 shilling = 12 pennies), and had to try and do multiplications and divisions with that nonsense, they would have a far healthier respect for the utter simplicity of the metric system.

______________________________________...

And I am surprised at Haug – what does sea level mean?  At sea level you are in the water with your eyes just above the waves – how far would you see from there?.  It makes a vast different every meter you are higher than sea level. So, if you are standing on the beach, you are going to see the horizon a lot further away than someone sitting on the beach.  

And this guy is a top contributor???????

Answer 6

it depends on your height and the elevation of where you are, the elevation of the land at the horizon, and of everything else in between.   If the earth were perfectly spherical and you were 6ft tall (183cm), then you can see up to 15 miles away.  but then it also depends on how tall the object is that your looking at.  It could be much further away if your looking across lake ontario at the CN tower.

Answer 7

all the way to the end of it ..........Geez .........

Answer 8

You can get a rough idea by the following:

Draw a circle and draw a right triangle- where one leg of the triangle is the radius (R) of the circle and the other leg is tangent to the circle and extending some convenient distance - say a length such that the completed triangle is a 30-60 triangle.  Now the hypotenuse is a distance R + Y and the tangent leg of the triangle is X.  X is how far away the horizon is.

If the circle has a radius of 8000 miles = 42,240,000 feet and you are 6 feet high (Y) then Cos u = R / (R + Y) = 0.999999858 and u = 0.0305 degrees

From the same triangle you have sin u = X / (R + Y).  From that you have X = (R +Y) Sin u = 42,240,006 (Sin 0.0305) = 22,514 feet = 4.264 miles.

Now you might say - you see ships farther away than that.  That is because the ships are above the water - just as your eyes are above the water.