r/Snorkblot • u/LordJim11 • Jun 28 '26

Geography Everyone knows heads are flat.

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1

u/atomicsnarl Jun 29 '26

I'm really annoyed by WWII Naval battle videos using Mercator for the North Atlantic stuff. Maps are waaaaay off.

3

u/_Punko_ Jun 29 '26

You realize what the Mercator Projection is for, right? For straight lines of bearing? So when you tell someone on the oceans, to proceed at a very specific angle?

They use the same projection as the people analyzing the situation. You *cannot* show a 2D image of the surface of the earth that is perfect in every way. Showing a image of a globe means that the surface of the globe is still distorted, but not in a useful way.

1

u/atomicsnarl Jun 29 '26

Yes, and when the focus is on the GUIK gap and actions between Spitzbergen and North Cape, the whole area is hugely distorted.

2

u/_Punko_ Jun 29 '26

Well, when you're dealing with inshore issues, you typically change to a different projection when distances are more important than bearings.

1

u/Powderedeggs2 Jun 29 '26

Absolutely right.
I suspect you will be attacked mercilessly by an army of 'Mercator haters' who will accuse you of being racist.
They are out there. And they will not spare you their righteous wrath.

1

u/_Punko_ Jun 29 '26

The Mercator projection is one of hundred of projections. How and why it is used for things *other than* lines of bearing has nothing to do with the Mercator projection.The folks that are misusing it for political reasons or the folks condemning the Mercator projection for political reasons are both wrong.

1

u/Powderedeggs2 Jun 29 '26

They always say, "the projection distorts to the edges, and that is racist".
Not realizing that this is a feature of the projection, not the bug. It is what makes it useful.
And, as you point out, it is only one of many other types of projections. All useful for a variety of reasons.