HaxiTool

Earth Curvature Calculator

Calculate the geometric drop and obscured line-of-sight height of objects over the Earth's curve.

Earth Curvature Projections

Calculated horizon metrics using earth radius dimensions.

Viewer Target
Horizon Distance
3.00 miles
Hidden Height
32.68 ft
Total Geometric Drop 66.68 ft

At a distance of 10 miles, the curvature of the Earth drops 66.68 ft. Given a viewer height of 6 ft, the horizon is 3 miles away and 32.68 ft of the target is hidden.

How Earth Curvature and Obscurity Work

The Earth is a spheroid, which means its surface curves away from a viewer's line of sight over distance. This curvature creates a physical horizon. Any object located beyond the viewer's horizon is partially or fully hidden behind the curved hump of the Earth.

The Geometric Formulas

Our calculator uses precise Euclidean geometry to find the horizon distance, total curvature drop, and hidden height:

R = Earth Radius (3,959 miles or 6,371 km)
Distance to Horizon: dh = √(2 · R · h + h2)
Total Curvature Drop: drop = √(D2 + R2) - R
Hidden Height: if D > dh, hidden = √((D - dh)2 + R2) - R

Where h represents the viewer's height and D represents the distance to the target. All units are normalized before calculation to prevent conversion errors.

Frequently Asked Questions