[Publius6961]

The equation is: square root of the altitude in feet times 1.23 equals the distance to the horizon in nautical miles.

???

Would that be (SQRT (a))* 1.23?
Or SQRT(a*1.23)?

For an eye height of 6 feet those return answers of 3.01 nm and 2.72 nm respectively, neither of which looks right.

[null and void]

Looks like my guess was 100% wrong. The tropospheric winds were blowing straight at the Sinai. Stratospheric winds were going Northeast towards the black sea.

SCIENTISTS REVISIT AN AEGEAN ERUPTION FAR WORSE THAN KRAKATOA

For some reason NYT is allowing a link in without asking for your firstborn...

[Grut]

Would that be (SQRT (a))* 1.23? Or SQRT(a*1.23)?

(SQRT (a))* 1.23

It does look funny, but the stuff we see more than a couple of miles away is actually sticking up over the horion. For instance, an object 6' high disappears below the horizon of an observer with an eye height also of 6' at a distance of 6.02 nm (2*((SQRT (6))* 1.23)).