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Longest line of sight

Longest line of sight


Postby Pointless Parasite » Mon Aug 31, 2020 11:58 am

What is the longest distance line of sight to a Scottish peak? According to Wikipedia, the record is 232 km, from Snowdon to Merrick, although looking at the photo, 'Merrick' appears as just a blurry blob that could be anything.

http://viewfinderpanoramas.org/gallery/gb/Snowdon-Scotland.html

The world record line of sight is apparently Barre des Ecrins from Pic Finestrelles in the Pyrenees (443 km):

https://beyond-horizons.org/2016/08/03/pic-de-finestrelles-pic-gaspard-ecrins-443-km/

Here's one to start with: Cairnsmore of Carsphairn* from Grike in the Lake District - 97 km.

Line of sight.jpg


Any advances?

*At least I think that's what it is! At the time I thought it was Merrick, but it doesn't look right on the map.
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby jmarkb » Mon Aug 31, 2020 2:04 pm

Well, if you don't count Snowdon - Merrick, then I think Snowdon - Lamachan Hill is the winner. There are some long sight lines from Ireland: 129 miles from Slieve Snaght (Derryveagh) to Ben More (Mull) and 123 miles from Knocklayd in Antrim to Ben Nevis. Ben Macdui from Cheviot at 125 miles is theoretically possible, but it would be very hard to make a positive ID (more realistic in the opposite direction).
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby Mal Grey » Mon Aug 31, 2020 9:35 pm

This comes up now and again, and I do find it quite fascinating. Views to and from Snowdon often feature as likely candidates.

This site is great for checking theoretical views: https://www.udeuschle.de/panoramas/makepanoramas_en.htm

My personal longest in Scotland is Suilven to Gars-bheinn on the Cuillin Ridge at 120km or thereabouts. Compare the udeuschle image with this I took on the day:

ImageIMG_2015 by Mal Grey, on Flickr

Generated:
https://www.udeuschle.de/panoramas/panqueryfull.aspx?mode=newstandard&data=lon%3A-5.13026%24%24%24lat%3A58.11394%24%24%24alt%3Aauto%24%24%24altcam%3A10%24%24%24hialt%3Afalse%24%24%24resolution%3A200%24%24%24azimut%3A212%24%24%24sweep%3A34.2%24%24%24leftbound%3A210.45000000000002%24%24%24rightbound%3A216.45000000000002%24%24%24split%3A60%24%24%24splitnr%3A1%24%24%24tilt%3A-0.4841666666666664%24%24%24tiltsplit%3Afalse%24%24%24elexagg%3A1.2%24%24%24range%3A300%24%24%24colorcoding%3Afalse%24%24%24colorcodinglimit%3A121%24%24%24title%3AZugspitze%20%5BTelescope%5D%24%24%24description%3A%24%24%24email%3A%24%24%24language%3Aen%24%24%24screenwidth%3A1536%24%24%24screenheight%3A824


The generator thing does indeed have Merrick as visible from Snowdon:
https://www.udeuschle.de/panoramas/panqueryfull.aspx?mode=newstandard&data=lon%3A-4.0767%24%24%24lat%3A53.06844%24%24%24alt%3Aauto%24%24%24altcam%3A10%24%24%24hialt%3Afalse%24%24%24resolution%3A200%24%24%24azimut%3A354.1%24%24%24sweep%3A34.2%24%24%24leftbound%3A352.05%24%24%24rightbound%3A358.05%24%24%24split%3A60%24%24%24splitnr%3A1%24%24%24tilt%3A-0.6908333333333334%24%24%24tiltsplit%3Afalse%24%24%24elexagg%3A1.2%24%24%24range%3A300%24%24%24colorcoding%3Afalse%24%24%24colorcodinglimit%3A228%24%24%24title%3AZugspitze%20%5BTelescope%5D%24%24%24description%3A%24%24%24email%3A%24%24%24language%3Aen%24%24%24screenwidth%3A1536%24%24%24screenheight%3A824


My likely actual longest was from the top of Jbel Toubkal at sunrise. HUndreds of km for sure, maybe 300km according to that website.
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby Pointless Parasite » Tue Sep 01, 2020 7:39 am

Wow, Thanks Mal. That website has made things much easier! I can now identify the confusing collection of peaks visible from my window 8)
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby Caberfeidh » Tue Sep 01, 2020 11:33 am

That time back in 1969 when I accidentally stowed away on a rocket (I was on nightshift and fell asleep) I could see pretty much all the Munros. Beat that!

How-Places-On-Earth-Seen-By-Astronauts-On-Moon.jpg
Caberfeidh's Unplanned Expedition to the Moon, 1969.
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby Sgurr » Mon Sep 07, 2020 1:11 pm

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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby prog99 » Mon Sep 07, 2020 10:09 pm

Here you go, from sgurr an lochan uaine a year ago. (WH should show a larger image if you click on it)
Image
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby matt_outandabout » Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:11 pm

We were on Ben Stack in the summer - and what a view.

According to that site we could see a bit of Uist beyond Skye, so 180km direct.
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby jmarkb » Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:45 pm

matt_outandabout wrote:According to that site we could see a bit of Uist beyond Skye, so 180km direct.


I'm impressed if you could you pick it out by eye - did you take a photo?
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby AyrshireAlps » Mon Jan 18, 2021 6:32 pm

That looks like the Merrick, the spear to the right gives it away, and Cairnsmore doesn't have as much prominence.
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby jmarkb » Mon Jan 18, 2021 7:14 pm

AyrshireAlps wrote:That looks like the Merrick, the spear to the right gives it away, and Cairnsmore doesn't have as much prominence.


It is Cairnsmore: a line of sight from Grike to Merrick misses the wind farm in the Solway. The lump on the right is Beninner.
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby AyrshireAlps » Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:32 pm

Trying to check it on OS app is making my eyes hurt, I'll take your word for it!. :D

It's fairly common to see helvellyn, blencathra and skiddaw from Shalloch on Minnoch, not much further on to Grike.

I've an app called peakfinder that's really good for mountain identification, well worth the 3 quid it cost years ago. I find the AR function on OS App poor in comparison.
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby matt_outandabout » Tue Jan 19, 2021 12:30 pm

I'm impressed if you could you pick it out by eye - did you take a photo?


We had at least 110km - you can see the end of Skye and out to Harris & Lewis. The photo below was by phone, and the horizon is pixelated.

I do share your thought that we *couldn't* actually see it - but it is theoretically possible as the OP asked.

ImageDSC_3096 by Matt Robinson, on Flickr
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby WildAboutWalking » Mon Jan 30, 2023 6:53 pm

I apologise for reviving a long dormant thread, but I have to say thank you to Mal for bringing the udeuchele panorama website to my attention.
My local dog walk is up Fell End, above Grange over Sands in South Cumbria, and from time to time I am treated to a distant view of the Eryri hills - the most distant is Moel Siabod, 141,5km away, a mountain that I used to live in the shadow of.
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Re: Longest line of sight

Postby HalfManHalfTitanium » Mon Jan 30, 2023 7:17 pm

WildAboutWalking wrote:I apologise for reviving a long dormant thread, but I have to say thank you to Mal for bringing the udeuchele panorama website to my attention.
My local dog walk is up Fell End, above Grange over Sands in South Cumbria, and from time to time I am treated to a distant view of the Eryri hills - the most distant is Moel Siabod, 141,5km away, a mountain that I used to live in the shadow of.


One of the Abrahams brothers’ books talks about going winter climbing on Scafell and seeing Craig yr Ysfa on Carnedd Llewelyn outlined against the snow. Despite them being regular visitors to Ogwen, the Abrahams were unaware of the crags on the northern side of the Carneddau, which they then visited the following summer and I think may have put up the classic Ampitheatre Buttress route.

I have had the opposite experience of being able to see Pillar, Scafell and other fells, as well as the Wicklow mountains, from the Carneddau ridge - but Yr Wyddfa to the Galloway hills is a whole different league!

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