West Seattle (-ish) scenes that aren’t what they seem

(Photo by Guy Smith; click for larger version)
Two photos to share tonight that are both optical illusions of sorts involving water. Top, from Guy Smith, who explains (be sure to click the photo for largest version):

From Alki Point, December 26, 2010:

For those who like to contemplate our watery West Seattle horizons, the recent very high tide of 12.9 feet was a good time to do it. This photo taken from Alki Point shows the West Point lighthouse 6 miles north. The curvature of the earth coupled with the high tide makes the light house look half submerged; even though it sits way above water at high tide. The land at left center in the far distance is the only part of Whidbey Island we can see from this angle that sits above the horizon. It’s the tall part of Whidbey at Double Bluff; about 30 miles from Alki Point.

On the goofy side – this screengrab that Paul caught today from a WSDOT traffic camera:

He wrote:

I was just checking traffic cams before heading out to run errands and saw this image on the Spokane cam. I know it is just a raindrop or dirt but it startled me at first!

3 Replies to "West Seattle (-ish) scenes that aren't what they seem"

  • Jim December 28, 2010 (12:23 am)

    Lighthouse heights and angles of view shown on nautical charts are critical when navigating small boats. This is a great example of that.

  • redblack December 28, 2010 (9:37 am)

    maybe that UFO has something to do with the sinking lighthouse.

  • mdeh January 5, 2011 (12:26 pm)

    I have been wondering about this photo for sometime. I do not think it is possible to see Whidbey from the ground…it’s simply too far. So, if this is indeed from sea level it’s some type of optical illusion. If it’s from the top of the lighthouse, then it is **just** possible. And, it’s almost certainly not the land behind the west point light.

Sorry, comment time is over.