Effective Radius of The Earth
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Effective Radius of The Earth
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A fictitious value for the radius of the earth, used in place of the
geometrical radius to correct for atmospheric refraction when the index
of refraction in the atmosphere changes linearly with height. See modified
index of refraction.
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Under conditions of standard refraction the effective radius of the
earth is 8.5 * 106 meters, or four-thirds the geometrical radius.
If the effective radius is used in ray tracing diagrams, the rays may be drawn
as though they were traveling in straight lines.
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References
This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use
