Skylines From Far Far Away Thread

[xzmattzx]

This came up as a suggestion from Facebook. Apparently someone got a picture of Ludington and Pentwater, in Michigan, from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, halfway up Lake Michigan.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...hare%2F15CoJ45W4P%2F%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr

[Steely Dan]

^ your link isn't working for me, but that's a distance of 63 miles across open water, and neither of those two Michigan towns have any buildings taller than several stories, so with the curvature of the earth at play, there had to be some pretty significant atmospheric refraction taking place for such a thing to be possible.

But it does happen on the great lakes, I've seen things out on the horizon of the lake that straight up shouldn't be there, only to consult Google maps after the fact and realize it was just atmospheric refraction literally bending light waves over the surface of the lake and making visible things that should not otherwise be visible at such distances.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

^ your link isn't working for me, but that's a distance of 63 miles across open water, and neither of those two Michigan towns have any buildings taller than several stories, so with the curvature of the earth at play, there had to be some pretty significant atmospheric refraction taking place for such a thing to be possible.

But it does happen on the great lakes, I've seen things out on the horizon of the lake that straight up shouldn't be there, only to consult Google maps after the fact and realize it was just atmospheric refraction literally bending light waves over the surface of the lake and making visible things that should not otherwise be visible at such distances.

From Brian Niznansky on Facebook

Are we really seeing across Lake Michigan?

This photo last night from Jayne Zabrowski of Sheboygan is probably a wild example of a "superior mirage." This phenomenon happens with a temperature inversion over the lake causing light to bend and allowing you to see objects below the horizon.

If this truly is the case, we're likely seeing Ludington and Pentwater from Sheboygan

Photo at link: https://www.facebook.com/brianniznanskyt...ight-from-jayne-zabrow/1064834538795477/

[Steely Dan]

Here's a nice and recentish helicopter shot of Chicago from about 7 miles out. That's the Kennedy in the foreground.


Source: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/chicago-region-and-cook-county-growth-path-census

[Bailey]

[Bailey]

https://ibb.co/FqgyZn2H



https://ibb.co/1tdxTV8T

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

^ your link isn't working for me, but that's a distance of 63 miles across open water, and neither of those two Michigan towns have any buildings taller than several stories, so with the curvature of the earth at play, there had to be some pretty significant atmospheric refraction taking place for such a thing to be possible.

But it does happen on the great lakes, I've seen things out on the horizon of the lake that straight up shouldn't be there, only to consult Google maps after the fact and realize it was just atmospheric refraction literally bending light waves over the surface of the lake and making visible things that should not otherwise be visible at such distances.

[Steely Dan]

Here's another helicopter shot of Chicago from about 7 miles out, but from the opposite direction of the one I posted the other day. That's U.Chicago in the foregeound.


Source: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/03/14/universities-investigated-for-dei/

[chris08876]

Here's one from Chicago.

Looks like its from O'Hare or close by it. Like 15 or 16 miles?

Is that a mosque on the far right?


Credit: north

[Steely Dan]

^ fabulous shot!

Originally Posted by chris08876

Is that a mosque on the far right?

That's St. Joseph the Betrothed Ukrainian Catholic Church out on the far NW side of the city.

Its 13 golden domes represent Jesus and the 12 apostles, with the tallest central dome obviously representing Jesus.

Built in the '70s, it's 12 miles NW of the loop.


Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph_the_Betrothed_Ukrainian_Greek_Catholic_Church


The wooded land in the foregeound is part of the Cook County forest preserve greenway that stretches along the Des Plaines River.

The angle and elevation of that shot makes it look like it could have been taken from the top of the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, which is 14 miles from the loop, so clearly someone had a pretty decent zoom lens to take it.

[xzmattzx]

I love that one with the University of Chicago in the foreground!

[giallo]

Metrotown in Burnaby (Metro Vancouver) from Quarry Rock in North Vancouver

[plinko]

El Segundo in the foreground and Newport Beach (53 miles away!) in the background...


SADDLE 004 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

A380 headed to Frankfurt...Long Beach in the distance (32 miles)...

SADDLE 002 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Very cool! I love clear days like this

[craigs]

Great (and moody) photos, plinko!

[MolsonExport]

cool metrotown shots. I remember going to Quarry Rock a few times during my Vancouver days.

[IluvATX]

Originally Posted by plinko

El Segundo in the foreground and Newport Beach (53 miles away!) in the background...


SADDLE 004 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

I’m struggling to comprehend how Newport Beach is in that shot. Wouldn’t DTLA be in the background?

[UrbanImpact]

Originally Posted by IluvATX

I’m struggling to comprehend how Newport Beach is in that shot. Wouldn’t DTLA be in the background?

The view is from LAX looking southeast, DTLA would be northeast.

[plinko]

This might help. DTLA is in the center behind Century City. Long Beach and the OC are off to the upper right over LAX. Palos Verdes is the big hilly peninsula on the right.


IMG_1146 by Michael Stroh, on Flickr

[IluvATX]

I’m aware of that I lived in Rancho Palos Verdes. The shot just looked to be aimed more East than southeast. I should’ve known though with Signal Hill there.