Did you know that you can see the Isle of Man from Cleveleys? It’s 100km from land at the Fylde Coast – but it can still sometimes be seen from Cleveleys. So how’s that?
Can you See the Isle of Man from Cleveleys?
The tallest hill on the Isle of Man is Snaefell. At the very top it’s 621 metres above sea level. At that distance away, you should only be able to see the top of Snaefell from here on the Fylde Coast.
Yet sometimes at sunset on a clear night, and more rarely during the day, you can see much more of it than you should be able to. And that’s also taking into account the curve of the earth, as the view disappears over the horizon. When it’s visible it appears as bumps along the horizon, seen through the turbines of the wind farms.
See the Isle of Man in Photos taken from Cleveleys
Have a look at this timeline of photos taken of the view out over the Irish Sea. Not only can you see the Isle of Man, but the timeline also documents the growth of the offshore wind farms. Interestingly, there’s a marked improvement in the quality of the photos too, as camera technology gets better.
These photos are all taken by Visit Cleveleys – except where credited to another photographer.
Watch the Sunset
So far, we’ve not managed to capture the view of the Isle of Man on video. But you can watch the sunset as it goes down on the horizon in the same spot where you would see it. If the conditions were right!
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Isle of Man Mirage: the science bit
Lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time? You’re seeing the Isle of Man with the help of an atmospheric phenomenon.
Tony Heyes is a scientist who we made acquaintance with and he published a website called www.overwyre.info. Click here for the full scientific and mathematical explanation of why this mirage occurs!
In short, it happens because the light rays from the Isle of Man are bent by the atmosphere, before reaching our eyes here on the Fylde Coast.
More about the Isle of Man Mirage
Refractive looming, refractive towering and maybe a Superior Mirage, helps you to get a clear view of the hills and valleys of the Isle of Man. The light is affected by the atmospheric conditions.
A superior mirage is a reasonably rare event, seen when the air near to the ground is colder than the air above it. Or in this case, the sea and the air just above it maintains a cold temperature as the less dense air above it can warm up more quickly. In this instance, the layers of differing refractive index cause the rays of light to be bent.
Under these conditions you can actually see over the horizon. That’s why you can see more of the Isle of Man from Cleveleys than you should be able to.
While you’re here…
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Unfortunately, I don’t see here a view of the Isle of Man! All I notice are the awful wind farms.
Weirdly enough one can see Cleveleys from the Isle of Man too! After all, it’s only 60 miles away. ?
I have seen the Isle of Man, from cleveleys /Rossall beach,with the naked eye….and IOM , which is 60 miles away , If the Earth is a Globe of 25,000 miles circumference it would be impossible to see the IOM because of the supposed curvature, but as the Earth is Flat (and Motionless) you can see the whole length of the island ,and No amount of refraction or Looming could explain the sighting of the IOM from 60 miles away…..
watch ‘200 proofs the Earth is not a spinning Ball ‘ by Eric Dubay , now translated into 25 languages and has been watched by millions….
For further information on Looming ,Refaction , etc See ‘ Nathan Oakley ‘ on his YouTube channel , in fact phone him and discuss the whole Flat Earth story….and mention the ‘Black Swan’ which destroys the Globe lovers Horizon story .
Also please notice the angles of Suns crepuscular rays in the photo dated May 2017 ….which shows that the Sun is not far away as we have led to believe……using Trigonometry …..
… I love Rossall Beach .
All the best ……Peace.
Erik
With regard to the sun’s rays, have you ever looked at railway tracks into the distance? They are parallel but appear to diverge toward the observer. It’s the same with the sun’s rays – they are parallel but appear to diverge toward the observer. So the sun is much further away than flat earthers say.
As for the distance from where the Isle of Man can be seen, use the correct formula and adjust for atmospheric refraction index and you will see it is possible depending on the atmospheric conditions.