Horisonti

Horisonti is the Albanian term for horizon, the apparent boundary where the sky seems to meet the surface of the Earth from a given vantage point. In everyday language it refers to the line visible on land or at sea, while in scientific contexts it relates to the geometry of the observer’s position and the curvature of the Earth.

In geography and astronomy, the horizon is the line that separates the visible portion of the sky from the visible portion of the Earth. Its exact position can be influenced by factors such as the observer’s height above the surface, terrain, refraction in the atmosphere, and local obstructions like mountains or buildings. Different practical horizons are used in navigation and astronomy, including horizons defined by sea level at the observer’s location and the effects of atmospheric bending of light.

Distance to the horizon increases with the observer’s height. A common practical approximation is d ≈ 3.57 × √h, where d is the distance to the horizon in kilometers and h is the observer’s height above the surface in meters. This relation illustrates why higher vantage points provide a broader view of the landscape or sea.

Etymology and usage: horisonti is the Albanian word for horizon and is typically used with the same meanings as in other languages. Beyond its geographic sense, horisonti can be used metaphorically to denote scope, range of perception, or future prospects in discourse.

See also: Horizon, Geographical horizon, Nautical horizon.