Can 2000 years of beliefs be false? Suddenly, we still live on the disk and not on the ball? Surprisingly, one of the representatives of the Flat Earth Society, Mike Hughes, is going to build his rocket to make sure that he is not being cheated.
The last 50 years we have a photographic confirmation of the roundness of our planet. But conspiracy theories are still spreading on the Internet. However, it is not necessary to leave the planet in order to sort out this issue.
One of the most popular verification methods was used by the ancient Greeks. To do this, use the usual sticks installed in different places. When the sun rose directly above the head, there was no shadow. If you turn 500 miles to the north, the shadow of the stick was formed.
Shadow Experiment
If the Earth were flat, then the shadow of both rods (or its absence) should have been identical, because they are located at one angle to the Sun. The ancient Greeks recorded a difference. Then they used the angle difference to calculate the earth's circumference. And they managed to get an indicator within 10% of accurate data. And this happened in 250 BC. e.! Another proof is the difference of the night sky in the northern and southern hemispheres. The point of view is different, although this would not have been possible with a flat Earth. Easier yet? Compare the time of day and night in the countries.
Failures in science
But delusions also often arise from the mistakes of scientists. The failure of the Bedford level experiment conducted in 1838 was such a failure. Because of him for more than 30 years, many thought that the Earth was flat.
Experimenters placed the marker at a specific height at both ends of the channel 6 miles long. If the Earth is round, then one marker in the telescopic view should appear placed below. But the observer confirmed that they were at the same height. Flat Earth supporters still refer to this experiment. But the researchers did not take into account the optical effect of air above the intermediate water, which refracts light as it moves from the marker to the telescope.
Now even children in schools can prove earthy roundness. You just need to send the ball with the camera to a sufficient height to fix the curvature. But perhaps this is not enough for Mike Hughes, so let's wait for his conclusions.
