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"Another curious effect of the aërial ascent was that the earth,
when we were at our greatest altitude, positively appeared concave,
looking like a huge dark bowl, rather than the convex sphere such as we
naturally expect to see it. . . . The horizon always appears to be on a
level with our eye, and seems to rise as we rise, until at length the
elevation of the circular boundary line of the sight becomes so marked
that the earth assumes the anomalous appearance as we have said of a
concave rather than a convex body."--Mayhew's Great World of London. "The chief peculiarity of a view from a balloon at a consider-able elevation, was the altitude of the horizon, which remained practically on a level with the eye, at an elevation of two miles, causing the surface of the earth to appear concave instead of convex, and to recede during the rapid ascent, whilst the horizon and the balloon seemed to be stationary."--London Journal, July 18th, 1857. I've just emailed Sir Richard Branson asking if I can borrow his high altitude hot air balloon, and Dad and I will take some measurements! :-) Steven. |
