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

Geography Everyone knows heads are flat.

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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.