You are standing on a beach looking out into the ocean. Assuming your view is unobstructed, how far can you see?

(In reply to RE: I see no ship by Chua Cai Lin)

I think the question needs to be clarified: "How far can you see what?"  Technically we don't "see" any specific distance; rather, the photons emitted by (or bouncing off of) the objects - at any distance - are hitting our retinas.  There is no maximum distance beyond which we can not see.  It's a question of light intensity and photon dispersion over great distance through physical media (air, space, etc.)

If the question were "How far away can you see an otherwise-visible object that has a height of zero above the water's surface, presuming your eyes are six feet perpendicular to the ground where you are standing, and presuming the Earth is a perfect sphere of radius R?" then it could be answered - which a few of you have already eloquently done.

Posted by John on 2005-01-24 17:36:03