when your out at sea or have a clear line of sight how far away is the horizon?

Question

surley if your out at sea it is the same all the time?

Answer 1

Depends on the deck of the boat you are standing and the weather conditions. As a rough guide the horison is about 8 - 10 miles away if you are standing on the beech.

Answer 2

The answer depends on two things: how far you are above the ground, and where exactly you are in the world (a bit).

How far you can see will depend on how far above the surface of the earth you are. This is why a crow's nest on a ship is placed so high up. Basically, if you are standing at sea level, you will be able to see about five kilometers into the distance, depending on how tall you are (based on a height of about 1.8 to 2 metres). If you press your face against the ground, so that you're as close to it as possible, chances are, you won't see much of anything.

Where you are in the world will also have an impact, though not much. See, the Earth is not a perfect sphere, and it's the radius of the Earth that allows one to calculate how far you can see. The radius at the poles is smaller than it is at the equator, so how far you can see will also change. For a two metre tall man, this will translate into an increase of about 10 centimetres at the equator. It's insignificant, but if you were at a higher altitude, it may come into play.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

if your eye-line is definitely at sea point - i.e. you're up on your neck in water - then you definately're helpful horizon is as some distance away because of the fact the right of the subsequent wave although, i bypass to assume this is consistent with danger no longer what you meant.. :-) while you're an undemanding individual, status on a coastline including your ft in the water - at sea point - on a relaxed day... your eye top would be approximately 5'8" or so... and your spoke of horizon is around 3 miles.

Answer 4

For altitude in metres and distance in kilometres,
log(distance) = 0.4997xlog(height )+ 0.5532.

If you are standing on the edge of the sea and your eyes are 1.5m above the water:
Log(1.5) = 0.176091
multiplied by 0.4997 = 0.087993
add 0.5532 = 0.641193

The antilog of 0.641193 is 4.377, so the horizon as you see it is 4.377 kilometres away.

Now consider a lookout in a crow's nest on a sailing ship, 40m above the sea:
0.4997xlog(40)+0.5532 = 1.3538
antilog = 22.58 km

In a typical airliner at 10,000m the horizon is 357km away

Answer 5

The horizon is only as far as the eye can see so as you move closer the horizon stays the same distance away.

Answer 6

Hi,,, i am on a drilling rig in the gulf of mexico,, I asked the same question and was told it was like 8 to 10 miles.....on a very clear day maybe further,,,,

good luck

Answer 7

about 20 to 25 miles.

Answer 8

http://www.boatsafe.com/tools/horizon.htm

Or

Height (in feet) divided by 0.5736 = "X"
Square root of "X" = Distance in statute miles to horizon

Example
Height to center of your eye(s) = 5.5ft
5.5ft divided by 0.5736 = 9.588
Square Root of 9.588 = 3.10 statute miles, the maximum distance you could theoretically see if standing on the beach in California looking out across the Pacific Ocean.

Note: If your feet are just in the water you might want to know what the nautical miles are (?). If so, multiply statute miles by 0.86898. If you're in up to your waist, you'll need to recalculate your eye height above the water surface.

Answer 9

Depends on your height above sea level and if sea is calm or choppy.

Answer 10

Just to the point where you fall of the edge of the world