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The Mercator projection (/ mərˈkeɪtər /) is a conformal cylindrical map projection first presented by Flemish geographer and mapmaker Gerardus Mercator in 1569. In the 18th century, it became the standard map projection for navigation due to its property of representing rhumb lines as straight lines.
The term also has meaning in any differentiable manifold with a connection. It is a generalization of the notion of a "straight line". The noun geodesic and the adjective geodetic come from geodesy, the science of measuring the size and shape of Earth, though many of the underlying principles can be applied to any ellipsoidal geometry.
The straight-line distance between the central point on the map to any other point is the same as the straight-line 3D distance through the globe between the two points. c. 150 BC: Stereographic: Azimuthal Conformal Hipparchos* Map is infinite in extent with outer hemisphere inflating severely, so it is often used as two hemispheres.
A conformal projection can be defined as one that is locally conformal at every point on the map, albeit possibly with singular points where conformality fails. Thus, every small figure is nearly similar to its image on the map. The projection preserves the ratio of two lengths in the small domain. All of the projection's Tissot's indicatrices ...
An Earth ellipsoid or Earth spheroid is a mathematical figure approximating the Earth's form, used as a reference frame for computations in geodesy, astronomy, and the geosciences. Various different ellipsoids have been used as approximations. It is a spheroid (an ellipsoid of revolution) whose minor axis (shorter diameter), which connects the ...
The outer edge of the dark blue line is an ellipse with the same eccentricity as that of Earth. For comparison, the light blue circle within has a diameter equal to the ellipse's minor axis . The red curve represents the Karman line 100 km (62 mi) above sea level , while the yellow band denotes the altitude range of the ISS in low Earth orbit .
Orthographic projection (also orthogonal projection and analemma) [a] is a means of representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions.Orthographic projection is a form of parallel projection in which all the projection lines are orthogonal to the projection plane, [2] resulting in every plane of the scene appearing in affine transformation on the viewing surface.
Google Earth is a web and computer program that renders a 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and GIS data onto a 3D globe, allowing users to see cities and landscapes from various angles. Users can explore the globe by entering ...