this post was submitted on 26 Dec 2024

35 points (97.3% liked)

Ask Science

8805 readers

103 users here now

Ask a science question, get a science answer.

Community Rules

Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.

Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.

Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.

Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.

Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.

Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.

Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.

Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.

Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.

Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.

Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.

Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.

Rule 7: Report violations.

Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.

Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.

Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.

Rule 9: Source required for answers.

Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.

By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.

We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

If you were on an infinite plane (as in flat surface), 1m from the ground, what would it look like? (gregtech.eu)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/askscience

8 comments fedilink hide all child comments

To which degree in your FOV would the plane reach?

top 8 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] Bgugi 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Simplified, regardless of your height, the plane would extend to horizontal. Looking around, you would see a perfect half sphere of sky above and half sphere of ground below. Using a theolodite, 180* and 180*.

There are some semantics when you get into when you arrive, how the plane is lit and what the surface material is. If, for example, you and the plan "pop" into existence at the same time, you would see the sky surround you, and then the plane would grow asymptotically from your feet up to the horizon. I don't really care to do the math, but at 1m if you were observing by eye you probably wouldn't notice this growth.

[–] givesomefucks 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Temperature too, heat can bend light.

But what's more important is atmosphere and just amount of light.

[–] Bgugi 5 points 1 week ago

Ahh... Atmosphere. That would blur the horizon to the sky. At very far distances, the scattering and absorption would obscure anything further.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It would look like this: https://i.redd.it/h093236y5iqc1.jpeg

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

So it would reach to exactly the first half of my FOV?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 week ago

Yes.

Well, since your eye is above the plane, it would appear that way, but strictly speaking it would only infinitely approach that point and never reach it. But in reality it would make no difference.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Does this infinite plane have mass? If so, the plane would cover your entire field of view, as any line of sight would be bent by its gravity until it once again intersects the plane. It would be like an event horizon of sorts, since there's no way for light to escape the plane.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

I made this point under the assumption that it didn't have any gravity, but this is very interesting too.