When Sicily Was Visible From Malta

[Weather-history]

From Dangos, Observations sur les refractions terrestres.

"At one o'clock that day (20th March 1784), great excitement prevailed in the streets, for a new island had apparently sprung up and sailors and fishermen hurried out to take possession of it. It turned out to the the top of Mount Etna, and later the hills and buildings of Sicily became visible."

From D. Agius of the RAF meteorological station on Malta, 15th March 1922.

"Towards the northern horizon, the hills of Sicily could be clearly seen by the unaided eye, although the distance is about 60 miles. When I used my 2.5 inch telescope, I could clearly distinguish the trees and most of the buildings. Evidently the sky was clear over Sicily, as I could notice the eastern sides of buldings illuminated and relatively sharp against the darker background. The phenomenon decreased in proportion as the sun came out locally and the glare stopped the whole thing at 9 o'clock.

On November 18th 1904, I had occasion to notice the same phenomenon and I can give a sketch of a distant church and steeple which I noticed on that occasion and which I believe that I have been able to identify today."

Edited July 25, 2011 by Mr_Data

[Spurry]

That's fascinating , what's the distance between the 2 islands?, and is this some sort of record(probably not ,but these bits of trivia are brilliant)...or am i just sad

[Weather-history]

Amazing what you find on youtube

[4wd]

Presumably it's a mirage effect, the video doesn't really look like a shimmering mirage though - the land simply appears to be less than half the distance it is.

Surprising there are no comments or clarification from the uploader as to how unusual/impossible this view usually is!

[cheeky_monkey]

That's fascinating , what's the distance between the 2 islands?, and is this some sort of record(probably not ,but these bits of trivia are brilliant)...or am i just sad

the quote in Mr Data original post says 60 miles

Edited July 25, 2011 by cheeky_monkey

[Spurry]

the quote in Mr Data original post says 60 miles

Cheers , i missed that for some strange reason , but i would have thought it was further if asked.

[Guest]

Yes but on a clear day we can see Mount Canigou from Capestang - it's some 90 km according to my map

[AderynCoch]

Not too surprising given that one can clearly see Snowdonia from Liverpool on a good day (about 50 miles away). The Lake District is also sometimes visible from Formby.

The hilly terrain makes all the difference.

Apparently it is theoretically possible from the summit of Snowdon to see Merrick in the Southern Uplands - a total distance of 144 miles (http://www.snowdonsplendour.co.uk/eryfacts.html). I remember reading somewhere else (can't find the link) that the right conditions for viewing only present themselves about once every 2000 days. No confirmed sightings have ever actually taken place though.

[Gray-Wolf]

I enjoy the views from Blackstone edge across M/cr and out towards liverpool/snowdonia. I'm sure that we can just about see the area where Chester Zoo sits as the cooling towers at Queensferry and the Welsh hills behind give you a pointer! (at night the sea of streetlamps flickering in the haze is another thing to admire!!!).

[4wd]

The original report mentions being able to clearly discern buildings though - not just a mountain shape.

[AderynCoch]

The original report mentions being able to clearly discern buildings though - not just a mountain shape.

With a telescope...

[Weather-history]

With a telescope...

The 18th century report mentions no telescope and yet it claims that building were visible.

[AderynCoch]

Actually that does sound very unusual. Nevertheless it was clearly a rare event. I wonder if I could see Hafod Eryri (the visitor centre at the top of Snowdon) given the right conditions?

I would assume that this visibility phenomenon between Malta and Sicily is so well-documented due to the fact that the islands of Malta are very small and that under normal conditions no other land is visible from their shores - hence Sicily becoming easily noticed when optimum conditions permit.

Edited July 26, 2011 by AderynCoch

[Summer of 95]

is worth a look

Etna-Malta is surely possible, 10,000'+ from 60 miles. Considering that yesterday I saw Snowdon from the Stiperstones (combined altitude 5200'), at 59 miles on what was far from a clear day, I'd be surprised if you couldn't see Etna from somewhere in Tunisia.

Marseille-Canigou is one I've heard about, it seems that the sun sets behind Canigou at certain times of year which makes it easier to see. The 500km view between the mountains in Colombia holds the record, but I'm even more astonished at the line of sight between Switzerland and Corsica (Monte Rosa-Monte Cinto). All the French/Italian Alps in the way!

Edited July 26, 2011 by Summer of 95

[Guest]

is worth a look

Etna-Malta is surely possible, 10,000'+ from 60 miles. Considering that yesterday I saw Snowdon from the Stiperstones (combined altitude 5200'), at 59 miles on what was far from a clear day, I'd be surprised if you couldn't see Etna from somewhere in Tunisia.

Marseille-Canigou is one I've heard about, it seems that the sun sets behind Canigou at certain times of year which makes it easier to see. The 500km view between the mountains in Colombia holds the record, but I'm even more astonished at the line of sight between Switzerland and Corsica (Monte Rosa-Monte Cinto). All the French/Italian Alps in the way!

I do recall seeing that white tops of the Alps once when trundling up the A9.

[Summer of 95]

I do recall seeing that white tops of the Alps once when trundling up the A9.

The Alps from Scotland- now that is some awesome refraction :lol: But if you mean the French one that apparently runs between the Spanish border and Orange/Avignon area, that's still a long way- I do remember seeing the Alps far, far in the distance from a plane flying directly over the Puy de Dome area.

[liamcymro]

I can see as far as the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland from my village Deiniolen which is 215m asl. It depends on the conditions on a milky sky red sunset. If you're on ynys Enlli on the Llyn Peninsula at night the only light you could see is of those in Dublin. Ill post some pics tomorrow!

[AderynCoch]

Come to think of it, I remember once seeing the Lake District from New Brighton (that's got to be at least 70 miles). The most impressive thing was how big the mountains appeared on the horizon - the optical effect was such that the mountains were made to look a lot bigger than they actually are.

[Summer of 95]

Just been looking at http://www.heywhatsthat.com/ which shows what's visible from a certain point, it confirms Malta as visible from Etna, but gives it as 130-odd miles (60 is presumably the distance to the S coast of Sicily). Etna's visible area also reaches Pantelleria (176 miles) and, amazingly, Vesuvius (214 miles). It doesn't quite get to Africa (closest point about 225 miles) but I expect it would if there was a mountain high enough there.