It seemed significant that we were able to see the San Francisco Peaks 108 miles away. Just south of those mountains is Flagstaff. I do not remember ever seeing that far.
We were in the Painted Desert on Easter Day, in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. We could easily see snow-covered Humphreys Peak, 12,633-feet above sea level, 108 miles away. Amazing! Or is it?
We easily see the moon, 238,855 miles away. Rigel, the brightest star in the Orion constellation, is 777 light years away — that’s 777 times 6,000,000,000 miles. I do not see the moon or the stars and think, “Oh, I can see so far!” But, if I am at Fox Point State Park on the Delaware River, I feel special if I can see the Philadelphia skyline 30 miles to the north. I think it remarkable. What an odd duck am I. Quack! Quack!