In life, many things are not equal and airport lighting is certainly one of them. It turns out that different types of airport lighting (REIL, PAPI, MIRL, HIRL, etc.) may shine at different intensities making some easier to see than others. Then there is the issue of light angle projection. It's possible to see some airport lights from a greater distance at a lower altitude rather than a higher altitude. So here's a short video explaining some of these issues that are certainly relevant to all pilots working on their instrument rating as well as instrument rated pilots.
