Do we live on a flat earth? Is the world a sphere, a circle or a disk? For the vast majority of people the answer is obviously a sphere. Belief in a flat Earth is even a euphemism for ignorance. Think about the persistent myth that pre-enlightenment Europeans believed the earth was flat. How else do you explain the resistance to to reaching the Orient by sailing west from Europe. Obviously the leaders of the day were afraid that Columbus, his ships, men, and their investment would sail off the edge of the world. Their real problem with his plan was that they KNEW the world was a sphere and that Columbus underestimated its size.
Back to our question.
Why are we even asking it? Didn’t Eratosthenes, the chief librarian of Alexandria and inventor of geography, prove the earth was a sphere by measuring the differences in noon shadows cast in different locations? As an interesting aside, Eratosthenes was also an accomplished mathematician, musical theorist, poet, and an astronomer. In addition to being the father of geography, he devised a method for finding prime numbers known as the Sieve of Eratosthenes. He also calculated that the year contained 365 days, with the fourth year having 366. In a way he was a true renaissance-man.
Even if you don’t accept the hard work of Eratosthenes, what about the thousands of pictures from space that clearly show the curvature of the earth’s surface? Could they all be faked? Ignoring that many were taken pre-photoshop, that still seems unlikely. Still, what about other phenomena like seeing further from a greater height, the shadow of the earth on the moon during an eclipse, or the different constellations in the northern and southern hemispheres?
Despite all of this evidence thousands of people across the globe are members of the various Flat Earth societies. To be fair, many may have joined as a joke, but no doubt some few are believers.
Another flat earth test.
Our feature map (courtesy of ESO) shows what country you should see if you stare across the ocean. The map assumes the earth is flat.
So, break out your telescopes and head to the beach. Do you see the shores of a distant country?
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
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