The flat earth idea is a concept that our planet is a flat plane or disk; some people believe this to be true. Many “flat-earthers” argue that because of religious text, the earth is flat; but religion is subjective. Another argument is pictures taken of people on the moon and photographs of earth from space are severely doctored and do not exist. However, we are taught in science that the Earth is proven to be a globe and there are some activities to do at home to observe Earth’s curvature.
Looking at objects from a long distance
Whether observing objects from afar or looking at the earth from a high altitude, the curvature of the earth is obvious. Skydiving or traveling by plane, a vacation to the beach, you can prove the earth is round by looking at land, ocean, or certain objects.
According to a document published by Princeton University, you can experience a sunset two times at two different heights off the ground; “if you watched the sunset from a low point of view and then got up quickly, you might be able to witness the sunset twice in one day.”
Additionally, in Arizona State University Q&A Ask an Earth and Space Scientist, Patrick McGurrin states “If the Earth was flat, we would be able to look out and see very far, assuming that there were no buildings in the way. We could see another city that’s hundreds of miles away. Or a ship sailing out to sea. The boat would stay in view no matter how far out to sea it went.” However ships and other land disappear when they are far away.
The rotation of stars
The Placement and rotation of stars in the sky play a key role in proving that the Earth is a globe. When looking at the stars at night, it’s clear that they are moving in the sky but it’s hard to keep track of their movements.
From University of Nebraska, observing the stars in the night sky from the northern hemisphere, stars appear to rotate counterclockwise and spin clockwise around the southern hemisphere. Additionally, looking at the stars from the equator makes them seem like they rise and set.
Using a camera with a long exposure setting and pointing it to the sky, it should be able to capture paths of the stars with a light trail. Looking at these light trails, we are able to see the paths of stars and take away that if the stars appear to rotate counterclockwise we are in the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere if they are rotating clockwise.
Flight paths
Flat-earthers say that flight paths don’t make sense since on a map, from one place to another, they arc to their destination. They argue that the paths taken should be a straight line from point A to B and not a curved line.
However, the arc’ed paths demonstrate the paths the planes would take if the earth was flat. The reason why flight paths are curved on a flat map instead of straight is because flight paths are calculated using a “great circle.” By definition, a great circle is the largest circle you can make using a sphere and any two points of said circle are the shortest distance. If you were to draw a straight line from one point to another on a flat map and then shape the map into a globe, then the path would look curved which is not the optimal route for a plane.
Many flat-earthers try to debate their reasons why they believe the Earth is flat, challenging scientific theories with personal beliefs or suspicion, they take from unreliable sources such as YouTube or blogs. But there are many experiments you can do by yourself to find your own evidence.
