WaBis
walter.bislins.ch
The True Face of the Earth, Camera Distance matters
Deutsche Version: Das Wahre Gesicht der Erde, Kameradistanz spielt eine Rolle
Perspektive of a Camera
If you take a picture of the earth from a low orbit, you have to use a wide-angle lens with a large FoV angle (Field of View) to fit the whole earth into the image. However, you can only see a part of the earth's hemisphere. The horizon is smaller than the circumference of the earth. Accordingly, the continents appear enlarged and distorted.
The larger the distance from the earth, the more one has to zoom in the earth so that it fills the picture. So it takes a smaller FoV angle. The visible horizon is getting bigger and bigger until you can see the full hemisphere of the earth. The continents now appear undisturbed in their proper size.
In the Space View on the right you can see the scene as the camera is photographing the earth. In the Camera View you can see what the camera sees from this perspective.
Video about this subject
There is a video from Vsauce on YouTube about this subject:
How Much of the Earth Can You See at Once?
Comments
Ecellent apps. The effect described here is quite evident by only using google earth, but flat earthers fail to see the real effects of perpective just as this example.
Love your work. Would it be possible to make your "True face of the Earth' calculator go even lower? Specifically to the level of the ISS at 400 km? Or even lower?
Thank you for your consideration..
Kerri Knox