Over 2,000 year old, the Earth has been ‘known.’ There has been recent conflict regarding this so called fact. In a recent survey, 84% were confident in the Earth’s roundness, while only 66% were 18-24-year olds. These numbers are quite shocking when viewed in the context of a large-scale survey. Who’s right? There may not be a definitive solution. We will explore both conspiracies in this essay to resolve the ongoing debate.
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, studies Earth’s changes and how we can help it. Geodesy is a science that measures Earth’s gravity, shape, and rotation. These studies have shown that Earth formed around 4.5 million years ago, and it has a radius of 8,000 miles. Earth is the third-closest planet to the Sun and averages 93,000,000 miles from the central star. Earth was discovered round by the Greeks who measured the shadows on the summer Solstice. Satellites and space cameras have taken pictures that show a round Earth. NASA has also a live stream available at all times. Why would NASA fake hundreds or thousands of different images of the Earth? Why would NASA fake an Earth live stream? Why would NASA fake an entire space program? NASA, according to Flat Earthers!
According to the leadership of the Flat Earth Society, since 2009 membership has increased by 200 people each year. Flat Earth might seem to be a recent idea, however, it has been popularized by biblical literalism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Christian Flat Earthers think the conspiracy is Satanic. Biblical literalism may have contributed to this, but in any case it’s still tied to religion. Charles and Marjory johnson, Flat Earth advocates who were influential in the 1970s through the 90s said “the space program was a scientific conspiracy to hoodwink public opinion.” Flat Earthers say that Earth “looks flat” and NASA orchestrates a “Round Earth conspiracies”. B.o.B is an American singer and rapper who asked, “How can 16 miles between two points on a picture appear flat?” Where is that curve? B.o.B. claims all NASA images are faked. Flat Earthers are convinced that NASA images have been photo-shopped. This is because a faked program would be cheaper than an actual one. They see Planet Earth as a disc, surrounded by an ice wall (Antarctica) of 150ft. This is so that people don’t fall off the edge. Also, the Arctic Circle should be in the middle. They think this because there is no claim on Antarctica.
The argument “it’s a optical illusion” is often used by Flat Earthers to argue a point. Flat Earthers also have a theory about how the Earth works. Flat Earthers explain gravity, the moon, and stars. Flat Earthers say that the sun is a sphere measuring 32 miles across and that it acts like a spotlight, lighting up the Earth as they move around 3,000 mile above the Earth. Now we come to eclipses. The anti-moon is believed to block out the sun periodically, which would explain the solar and lunar Eclipses. How do Flat Earthers explain the fact that gravity does not exist? Flat Earthers assert that gravity does not exist and that objects do accelerate downwards. The earth, however, is moving upwards with a 9.8m/s acceleration. Dark energy is the mysterious force that drives this. These beliefs may lead you to believe that Flat Earthers are not interested in science. This isn’t true. Michael Wilmore’s and the Society President’s agreement that global warming has overwhelming evidence, even though most of it comes from satellite photos. Michael Wilmore says that his convictions come from philosophical reflection and the data he personally gathered and is still collecting.
These arguments may seem plausible to you. These claims are not without their critics. Take the claim that “the Earth feels and looks flat.” It seems like a logical statement, but there are some experiments which contradict it. What is the first thing you notice when a boat crosses over the horizon? The pole. You would be able see the entire ship’s front if the Earth was flat. This can be demonstrated by taking a boat and replacing it with a boat-shaped surface. If you are standing at the opposite end of the surface, and holding the object in front of you, then the front should be visible. The top of the object should appear first after you have placed the object onto the surface. This is the reason why lookouts, bridges and other high points are found on boats. NASA helped to show that stars don’t appear in both hemispheres simultaneously when looking at stars. Wouldn’t the same stars be seen by everyone if the Earth was flat and followed the Arctic Circle structure in its center? Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who once stated, “Our observations make it clear, not just that the Earth has a circular shape, but also, that it is only a small circle.” This leads us to notice that Greeks were able to observe Earth’s shadow round on the moon when there were lunar eclipses. How can one explain solar or lunar eclipses if the Flat Earther’s arguments were true?
Is the Earth flat or round? Maybe we’ll never know. Perhaps we will. This may have helped to reach your own conclusions. This could, however, have made you more confused. Both Flat Earth theories and Round Earth theories have valid arguments. Is Earth Round or Flat? What do YOU think?