Quote:
Originally Posted by sclitheroe
Probably because you don't know how far away they are, rather than how high up they are. You have no way of judging horizontal distance away from you, so unless its directly overhead, the size of the aircraft can't be used to determine altitude.
The higher up it is, the further away it can be, and still be in the same spot and same size in the sky as something lower and closer.
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Atmospheric conditions greatly effect visibility and perception. Sometimes looking west the Rockies look to be right in your face, where other times they look really distant.
I think lighting is the biggest factor as on a bright sunny day with a fresh snowfall on the mountains they look really close. Duller, overcast days they look far off.