Earth Curvature Calculator

Calculate Horizon Distance & Drop

Calculate how much Earth curves over a given distance and determine the horizon distance from a specific height.

Calculator

Enter height to calculate horizon distance

Formulas:
Drop = d² / (2 × R)
Horizon = √(2 × R × h)
R = Earth radius (6371 km)

About Earth Curvature

Earth's curvature causes distant objects to appear lower than they actually are.

Key Facts:
  • Earth radius: ~6,371 km
  • Circumference: ~40,075 km
  • Drop increases with distance²

Features

  • Curvature drop calculation
  • Horizon distance
  • Multiple units
  • Visual representation
  • Quick examples
  • Copy results

Example Drops

1 km: 7.8 cm drop
10 km: 7.8 m drop
100 km: 785 m drop
1000 km: 78.5 km drop

Applications

Navigation: Line of sight calculations

Surveying: Long-distance measurements

Photography: Landscape visibility

Aviation: Horizon distance