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Old 05-09-2017, 03:36 PM
 
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There is an easy formula to determine how far you can see from a mountain top to a sea level area. Obviously the Earth's curvature is the limiting factor, and the higher we go, the farther we see.

D^2 + R^2 = (R + h)^2

In which
R = Earth's radius (6371 km)
D = Distance
h = Observer's height

As we need to find D, it becomes

D = (2hR + h^2)^0.5

If we want to know how far we can see from Mt Aconcagua to a sea level area (let's say the Pacific Ocean to the west), we have:

D = (2 * 6.960 * 6371 + 6.960^2) ^ 0.5
D = 298 km


So you can see up to 298 km to the west from the top of Mt Aconcagua. Beyond that, the sea stays below the horizon. Anyway, this is more than twice the distance between the mountain and the Chilean coast! Obviously these figures are approximate, as Earth's not a perfect sphere, the radius varies depending upon latitude/direction, plus refraction may play a role too.

However.... this formula applies for sea level places... if the focused object is another mountain top, it may be high enough to emerge from below the horizon, and this is what actually happens in many cases.

This link lists the longest sights possible from the Earth's surface: https://beyondhorizons.eu/lines-of-sight/

I think it is incomplete (and a bit messy), but surely provides the top sites.
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Old 05-09-2017, 04:06 PM
 
Location: Finland
24,128 posts, read 24,795,425 times
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Interesting as hell:


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Old 05-09-2017, 04:16 PM
 
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Greysholic View Post
That's not very impressive for such a huge country tbh.
It's a fact, Brazil is a country of low heights. Even this peak is located near the border with Venezuela, far away of every major or even middle-size city. The highest city is Campos do Jordão, 1,628 m high and about 2h far from São Paulo. The highest point which I visited is Mount Titlis, in Switzerland: 3,238 m (also the lower temperature which I experienced: -15°C)
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Old 05-09-2017, 04:27 PM
 
Location: Eindhoven, Netherlands
10,640 posts, read 16,021,486 times
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQir7Kh3eU4
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Old 05-09-2017, 04:29 PM
 
Location: Eindhoven, Netherlands
10,640 posts, read 16,021,486 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariete View Post
Interesting as hell:

Reminds me of Mordor.
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Old 05-09-2017, 04:39 PM
 
Location: Finland
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Davy-040 View Post
Reminds me of Mordor.

Tolkien based his "elf language" on Finnish, and took inspiration from Scandinavian mythology, so why not?!
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Old 05-09-2017, 08:26 PM
 
Location: San Diego, California Republic
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Quote:
Originally Posted by unbeliever View Post
As you've seen, when you have an American audience, you ask about their state, not the whole country. I live in Colorado, with 58 mountains over 14000 feet (4267 meters). Each has its own unique summit and views.
Haha I did both
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Old 05-09-2017, 08:40 PM
 
Location: London, UK
4,096 posts, read 3,720,875 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mhc1985 View Post
There is an easy formula to determine how far you can see from a mountain top to a sea level area. Obviously the Earth's curvature is the limiting factor, and the higher we go, the farther we see.

D^2 + R^2 = (R + h)^2

In which
R = Earth's radius (6371 km)
D = Distance
h = Observer's height

As we need to find D, it becomes

D = (2hR + h^2)^0.5

If we want to know how far we can see from Mt Aconcagua to a sea level area (let's say the Pacific Ocean to the west), we have:

D = (2 * 6.960 * 6371 + 6.960^2) ^ 0.5
D = 298 km
Nice! I was just about to mention this. Curvature of the Earth affects on how far you can see surely so almost all initial examples given by the OP are nigh on impossible.


Colombia's highest points range from 17,500ft to 2 peaks both reaching 18,963ft. Various interesting things can be seen from a few:

1. Caribbean sea from the Santa Marta Sierra Nevada highest coastal mountains in the world...


Source: Views of the Earth - Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta


There's a "half-way point" called the San Lorenzo crest where you can see the Caribbean sea on one side and the snowy peaks on the other.




Sierra Nevada Santa Marta by Pueblo Fuerte, on Flickr


DM8357 by David Medina, on Flickr


2. The Savannah grasslands in Venezuela from the Cocuy Sierra Nevada reaching 17,750 ft...


Source: Caminando los Andes - Walking the Andes


Source: Sierra Nevada del Cocuy Round Trip 2009 : Photo Albums : SummitPost

The Savannah [Llanos], where instead of Zebra, Wildebeest and Lions you get Anteaters, Capybaras and Jaguars...


Photographing a Giant Anteater - Photo by Reiner Ehrenfried - Llanos Tour 15-04-2007 by Roger Manrique, on Flickr


3. Peru from some of the highest points in the Colombian Amazon, the table top mountains of Caquetá reaching over 3,200ft.


Source:


Chiribiquete Visita-del-Príncipe-de-Gales-a-Parque-Nacional-Natural-Serranía-de-Chiribiquete. by Pueblo Fuerte, on Flickr


4. Also the Pacific Ocean and Ecuador can be seen from Southern Andean peaks.
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Old 05-10-2017, 11:59 AM
 
6,112 posts, read 3,920,992 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariete View Post
Tolkien based his "elf language" on Finnish, and took inspiration from Scandinavian mythology, so why not?!
It was partly based on Finnish, Estonian and Welsh, as well as some Old English.
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Old 05-11-2017, 07:06 AM
 
Location: USA
626 posts, read 1,239,768 times
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Default Chimborazo

In Ecuador, it is the Chimborazo volcano/mountain with 6,263 m (20,548 ft) elevation, located in the Andes range (cordillera). The top completely covered by glaciers.
On clear days and with certain conditions, the summit can be seen from the coastal city of Guayaquil.
The summit of Mount Everest reaches a higher elevation above sea level, but the summit of Chimborazo is widely reported to be the farthest point on the surface from earth's center. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimborazo)


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