Seeing far,
explained.
Guides and stories about line of sight, terrain visibility and everything you can — and cannot — see from a point on Earth.
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01 · July 11, 2026 · 4 min readSolar Eclipse 2026 in Spain: Will a Mountain Block Your View?
The August 12, 2026 total eclipse happens with the sun barely above Spain's western horizon. Check with a free terrain analysis whether a ridge, hill or building will block totality from your spot.
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02 · July 13, 2026 · 8 min readHow Far Can You See From a Plane? The View From Every Altitude
We computed the view from 11,000 m above Barcelona: 668,689 km² of Earth in one glance, reaching Corsica 580 km away — a sightline that only exists because of refraction. The altitude ladder from eye level to the stratosphere, and how to check any window seat's view.
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03 · July 12, 2026 · 5 min readEarth's Curvature: How Much Does the Horizon Actually Hide?
The planet curves away at 7.8 cm per kilometre — and that tiny number hides entire skylines. The hidden-height formula explained with real cases: ships, Chicago across Lake Michigan, and mountains that peek over the bulge.
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04 · July 12, 2026 · 5 min readEclipse 2026: Spain's Best (and Worst) Mountain Viewpoints for Totality
On August 12, 2026 the total eclipse hangs just above Spain's WNW horizon — so the mountain you pick matters as much as the weather. The famous summits inside the band, ranked by their real western sightlines, and the beloved ones that miss it entirely.
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05 · July 12, 2026 · 4 min readFire Lookout Towers: The People Who Computed Viewsheds by Hand
A century before GIS, fire lookouts were placed by climbing peaks and sketching 'seen-area maps' by hand — viewshed analysis with a pencil. The story of how thousands of towers were sited, and how the same computation now takes seconds.
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06 · July 12, 2026 · 5 min readHow Far Can You Really See From the World's Observation Decks?
Every skyscraper deck claims '80 km on a clear day.' We computed the real terrain-limited sightlines: 263 km from the Burj Khalifa, 225 km from Tokyo Skytree, 151 km from the Empire State — and why haze means you'll rarely get either number.
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07 · July 12, 2026 · 5 min readBuying a Home for the View? Verify It Before You Sign
Sea and mountain views add 20–50% to property prices — and 'partial sea views' hide a thousand disappointments. How to verify exactly what a house, plot or specific floor will see, before you commit, with a free terrain analysis.
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08 · July 11, 2026 · 5 min readRadio Line of Sight: How to Check a Link Path Before You Build It
VHF, UHF and microwave links live and die by terrain. How to verify radio line of sight between two points — radio horizon, Fresnel zones, k-factor — with a free terrain analysis instead of guesswork.
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09 · July 11, 2026 · 5 min readDrone VLOS: Plan Your Flight So You Never Lose Sight (or Signal)
Visual line of sight is the law for most drone flights in the EU and US — and terrain breaks it faster than distance does. How to use a free viewshed analysis to pick launch points, spot terrain shadows and keep both eyes and radio on your drone.
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10 · July 11, 2026 · 6 min readThe Longest Lines of Sight on Earth: 400+ km With the Naked Eye
The world record for the longest photographed line of sight is 493 km — one mountain seen from another across an entire sea. Here are the greatest verified sightlines on Earth, and the physics that makes them possible.
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11 · July 11, 2026 · 5 min readHow Far Can You Actually See? The Science of Distance Vision
Your eyes can detect a galaxy 2.5 million light-years away — yet can't see a ship 10 km out at sea. What really limits how far you can see: curvature, altitude, refraction and air, explained with numbers.
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