For example, looking down from an airplane at 32,000 feet, you would be able to see about 221 miles in any direction. If you head up to the International Space Station, your view is increased to ...

All map projections result in distortion of the Earth’s surface — the familiar Mercator projection, for example, is well known for its distortions of areas at high latitudes.

By their calculations, the Mercator projection scores 8.296 and Winkel Tripel does better at 4.563. Their own azimuthal equidistant double-sided projection, meanwhile, scores 0.881.

“For example, Mercators projection is true to scale only along the equator, and azimuthal projection is limited to convergence of the meridians at one pole at a time.

Known as a "planisphere," the map is aligned in a “north polar azimuthal projection,” meaning that the North Pole is at its center. When he published his work in a four-volume, ...