The Flat Earth Theory
According to The Flat Earth Society, their mission is to promote the discussion of Flat Earth Theory as well as to serve as an archive for the literature surrounding the movement. I was not aware of the extent of the following, so some research had to be accomplished on my end. As it turns out, the Flat Earth Society’s beliefs are based on literal interpretations of the Bible.
Dating back to the 1800’s, an inventor by the name of Samuel Birley Rowbotham developed his model which characterized the Earth as flat, and not the spherical shape largely accepted. His book Zetetic Astromony: Earth Not a Globe, was published in 1881, and essentially alludes to the earth being disk-like in nature.
The overall gist: religion described the Earth as flat but scientific minds aspired to create a diversion by adopting the spherical earth narrative. And so, Mr. Rowbotham’s work continues to live on today through what is referred to as the ‘International Flat Earth Society’ which was founded in 1956.
So, what exactly does the Flat Earth Society believe?
The Flat Earth model, as previously mentioned, is a disk. One where the North Pole is at the center and the outer edge of the earth is a wall of ice (Antarctica), completely surrounding the continents. In this model, the moon and sun are much closer, approximately 2,500 miles above the earth’s surface. Neither of which orbits the earth, nor the earth them, as the earth is a disk and does not move. The sun and moon merely rotate above the earth in circular orbits while Antarctica’s walls keep the oceans from emptying.
The Flat Earth model that depicts the Earth with the North Pole at the center and Antarctica’s ice walls keeping the oceans from escaping.
But does a Flat Earth model actually work to explain natural phenomena?
The first issue with the Flat Earth model is that gravity most certainly exists which would not be possible on a disk, especially one the size of the earth. According to the Flat Earth Society, Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity proves that the Earth is flat; but this would be an incredibly unstable planet as every point on the disk would be drawn toward the center of the earth due to the gravitational force; thus, collapsing upon itself. But the Flat Earth Society believes that the theory of gravity is false and objects simply fall, but there remains a disagreement within the society as to why this occurs.
Pictures of the earth from space are generally disregarded by the Flat Earth Society due to a lack of trust in photographic evidence. The Flat Earth Society believes that astronauts have been coerced into their dispositions and some believe the moon landings were nothing more than government deception.
But, here are some simple ways to prove the earth is a sphere:
No matter where you live on earth, whenever you look at the moon, you will always see the same side of the moon. This occurs because the moon is tidally locked with the earth and the only differences will be tied to the latitude of your location. One side always faces the earth while the other side always faces away. This happens because the earth’s gravity has slowed the rotation of the moon so that it rotates just once per revolution of the earth. If the earth were flat and the moon simply rotated above it, you would see the other side of the moon.
The stars move in different directions depending on where you are located on earth. In the northern hemisphere, the stars move counterclockwise; and, clockwise in the southern hemisphere. You can confirm this with a tripod, camera, and a lengthy shutter speed. Not only do they move across the sky, but you would also not be able to see the same stars from different hemispheres. Your line of sight would be blocked on a spherical planet but not on a flat plane. Not to mention there would be no cardinal directions on a Flat Earth. Where would be south?
Another point of contention with the Flat Earth model; the further you move away from the center, the larger the distances become. The distances between Africa and Australia are hugely disproportionate. The shortest distance between both locations on the Flat Earth model would require going north through Europe until you reach Australia. But we know that flights between these locations simply fly east or west depending on your origination point, which would take significantly longer on the Flat Earth model.
One major discrepancy with the disk-like earth, it does not account for the phenomena of day/night or even the changing of the seasons. The globe earth can clearly explain the changing of the seasons with half the earth experiencing daylight while the other half experiences darkness. The Flat Earth model cannot accurately account for either of these events.
A Flat Earth Simulator that depicts the Earth, with the Sun and Moon above, in a circular orbit.
Additionally, a method one can use to verify that the earth is a globe is to simply watch ships sail away into the horizon. Continue watching as they disappear on the horizon; they will disappear hull-first. Meaning, the very last thing you will see disappear over the horizon is the mast. Or, go to the beach, lay flat on your stomach and watch the sun set below the horizon. Just as the sun disappears below the horizon, quickly stand up and watch the sun disappear beneath the horizon again. This could not happen on a flat earth.
Finally, the Flat Earth Society believes that the earth is flat; yet also acknowledge that the moon, sun, and all planets in the solar system are spheres. In the case of a lunar eclipse, where the earth passes between the moon and the sun, the earth’s shadow is cast upon the moon. One can clearly discern that the earth’s shadow cast on the moon has always been circular. A flat Earth would never cast a circular shadow from every angle. The only thing that can cast a circular shadow from any direction is something that is spherical.
As beautifully stated by world-renowned astrophysicist, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the existence of the Flat Earth Society proves two things: we live in a country that believes in the freedom of speech, but we also live in a country with a failed education system.
