Why does this great circle bend?
 

Plotting AKL-SVQ on an azimuthal equidistant map yields a bend. Does anybody know why?

:)

Because the destination is beyond the "horizon" and wouldn't normally be seen from that point of view. The ground beyond the horizon is being displayed on that map in a very compressed scale so that the destination will be included.

Surely the whole point of the azimuthal equidistant map is that there is no horizon?

:)

That's why I put it in quotes.

That view would normally only show you half of the globe. To show more, the area near the outer edges is significantly distorted.

gcmap.com's azimuthal equidistant map algorithm isn't perfectly accurate at the extreme edges. That would be my guess. Google says you're at 49.76% of the earth's diameter, so you're stretching the limits.

Looks like a perspective issue to me, due to centering your starting point on the map. If you could rotate the image so that the map was centered somewhere around Bermuda, it would very likely display as a smooth arc.

Like this: http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=akl-svq...505%B0+W&DU=mi

61N65W center gets you a straight line.

http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=akl-svq...C=61N65W&DU=mi

After pondering I see this now.

Theoretically an antipode would be a continuous point extending all the way around the edge of the circle.

Thanks!

:)

Well bang goes my flat earth theory :rolleyes:

Better view on it http://www.greatcirclemap.com/AKL-SVQ