Here's a practical illustration. I stuck a 1" white cross on a fence that I stood 15 feet from, and 10 feet to the side. If you size this image so it's about a extended handspan (8" at arms length) wide on screen, then that's what I saw:
![](https://www.metabunk.org/sk/IMG_1056.JPG_20140402_095741.jpg)
It stands out starkly on the dark fence, but we have no haze or the scintillating ocean, or clouds, and this is the best case distance. Here's a more realistic offset:
![](https://www.metabunk.org/sk/IMG_1057.JPG_20140402_100455.jpg)
And here it is with simulated haze: The "plane" is still there in the center of the image.
![](https://www.metabunk.org/sk/IMG_1057.JPG_20140402_100537.jpg__100_Layer_1_Layer_Mask8__20140402_100758.jpg)
And here is a photo of a nearby plane, taken at the exact same focal length. This is a 737 at around 35,000 feet, maybe 20 miles away.
![](https://www.metabunk.org/sk/IMG_1070.JPG_20140402_110109.jpg)
Here's the same plane with a much bigger magnification:
![](https://www.metabunk.org/sk/IMG_1073.JPG_20140402_111121.jpg)
![](https://www.metabunk.org/sk/IMG_1056.JPG_20140402_095741.jpg)
It stands out starkly on the dark fence, but we have no haze or the scintillating ocean, or clouds, and this is the best case distance. Here's a more realistic offset:
![](https://www.metabunk.org/sk/IMG_1057.JPG_20140402_100455.jpg)
And here it is with simulated haze: The "plane" is still there in the center of the image.
![](https://www.metabunk.org/sk/IMG_1057.JPG_20140402_100537.jpg__100_Layer_1_Layer_Mask8__20140402_100758.jpg)
And here is a photo of a nearby plane, taken at the exact same focal length. This is a 737 at around 35,000 feet, maybe 20 miles away.
![](https://www.metabunk.org/sk/IMG_1070.JPG_20140402_110109.jpg)
Here's the same plane with a much bigger magnification:
![](https://www.metabunk.org/sk/IMG_1073.JPG_20140402_111121.jpg)
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