Going Beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

As of 2021, the Apollo missions are the only time humans travel farther than Low Earth Orbit (LEO). After the equipment used by the Apollo missions was decommissioned, no humans had the capability to go beyond LEO, and it remains the case in 2021.

Space agencies said we cannot go beyond LEO and are currently developing the capability. Flat-Earthers interpret it as “proof” we never went to the Moon. In reality, these space agencies were describing the present situation; it does not mean we never previously achieved beyond-LEO human spaceflight. As of 2021, we have the means to deliver beyond LEO, but not humans yet again.

Continue reading “Going Beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO)”

Islamic Rituals and Spherical Earth

Many Islamic rituals rely on the observations of astronomical events. Presently, many such observations are supplanted by calculations involving the knowledge that Earth is a sphere. These calculations give the same consistent results as direct observations on all locations on Earth for several centuries already. The fact confirms that Earth is indeed a sphere.

Some Muslims believe in flat Earth and then try to integrate the belief that Earth is flat into their religion. It results in an interesting phenomenon that they perform their religious rituals using the results of spherical Earth calculations but have severe difficulties accepting the fact. It can result in a spectacular cognitive dissonance after being made aware of it.

Continue reading “Islamic Rituals and Spherical Earth”

Fisheye Lenses and Lens Distortions

Featured Video Play Icon

A photographic lens may have a specific distortion characteristic and strength that may differ from another lens. However, despite the differences, a straight line will always appear straight if it crosses the center of the frame.

Flat-Earthers like to dismiss images taken by a fisheye lens. In reality, the attributes of such a lens are well known. We can use the knowledge to determine if a line in the image is straight, even if it was taken using a fisheye lens.

Continue reading “Fisheye Lenses and Lens Distortions”

(April Fools) DHMO Awareness Campaign

DHMO (dihydrogen monoxide, or hidroxic-acid, μ-oxido dihydrogen, dihydrogen oxide, oxidane, hydric acid) is a non-organic chemical. It is transparent, odorless & tasteless but can cause frostbite and blunt trauma in solid form, suffocation in liquid form, and thermal burns in gas form. Additionally, it can also dissolve heavy metals and accelerate corrosion.

There are many conspiracies involving DHMO in their modus operandi. DHMO is the primary component of chemtrails. Attempts of weather modification by the global scheme can result in a downpour that contains a large amount of DHMO. In the so-called “space industry,” both Neil Armstrong and Wernher von Braun reportedly often consumed DHMO. All genetically engineered plants are known to contain DHMO. And the new world order governments are knowingly feeding DHMO to the population.

Continue reading “(April Fools) DHMO Awareness Campaign”

Satellite Tracking Apps and the Two-Line Element Set Data (TLE)

The orbit of an Earth-orbiting satellite is often described using two-line element set (TLE) data. From the TLE data of a specific satellite, we can determine its position at a certain time.

Flat-Earthers discovered that changing their device’s time will cause satellites’ positions to change in some satellite tracking apps, and they use it as “evidence” of wrongdoing. In reality, these apps work by getting the TLE data from the Internet periodically and then using the data to calculate the satellites’ positions in the app itself. Therefore, these apps depend on the accuracy of the devices’ time.

Unlike what these flat-Earthers imagine, these apps do not work by receiving telemetry data from the satellites in real-time.

Continue reading “Satellite Tracking Apps and the Two-Line Element Set Data (TLE)”

No Correlation Exists Between Salinity and Tides

No correlation exists between salinity and tide. These bodies of water have higher salinity than the seawater average, yet they have no tides or smaller tides than the ocean.

Tides occur on the ocean with salt water, but seemingly not on lakes with fresh water. Flat-Earthers use it to “prove” salinity causes tides. In reality, there are bodies of water with a higher salinity than the ocean but smaller tides.

Continue reading “No Correlation Exists Between Salinity and Tides”

Zoom, Digital Resolution, and the Visibility of a Distant Object

A camera with a zoom lens has a variable field of view but a fixed output resolution. As a result, its angular resolution depends on the zoom factor. Changing the zoom factor will change the ability of the camera to resolve a distant object.

Flat-Earthers show us zooming in reveals an unseen object & uses it to “disprove” Earth’s curve. In reality, the object was previously unseen due to the angular resolution limit at wide zoom. It is not far enough to be obscured by Earth’s curvature.

Continue reading “Zoom, Digital Resolution, and the Visibility of a Distant Object”

Thompson vs. Garcia, 2019

Thompson vs. Garcia was a lawsuit about a “contest to prove Earth’s curve” set up by the defendant, a flat-Earther. The plaintiff felt he had won the contest & the defendant failed to pay. The plaintiff did provide evidence of Earth’s curvature, but not in the way required by the contest. Thus, the court ruled in favor of the defendant.

Continue reading “Thompson vs. Garcia, 2019”

Glass of Water

Earth’s gravity causes water’s surface to curve with the same radius as Earth’s. On glass with a diameter of 10 cm, Earth’s gravity causes the water to form a curvature of 0.00000002 cm, outside other factors like surface tension.

Flat-Earthers like to demand that we prove water curvature in a glass of water. In reality, whatever the container, the curvature of the water surface remains the same as Earth’s radius. On a glass of water, it will be too small to observe.

Continue reading “Glass of Water”

Fact-Fabrication Blending in Conspiracy Theories

Perpetrators of conspiracy theories, including flat Earth, like to mix real-world facts & their fabrications. As a result, the victims cannot differentiate the fact parts and the fabrication parts of the conspiracy, then wrongly use references to the fact parts as “evidence” of the fabrication parts.

For example, they often wrongly use the fact that Illuminati was real as “evidence” they control our lives. In reality, Illuminati was a real-world, historical secret society. But it does not prove that Illuminati is controlling everything in our lives.

Continue reading “Fact-Fabrication Blending in Conspiracy Theories”

Turning Torso Building, Malmö, Sweden

Turning Torso is a skyscraper in Malmö, Sweden, having a distinctive segmented shape & easy to recognize from far. From Copenhagen, Denmark, we can see its lower part is obscured more if we are farther because Earth is a sphere.

The building is close to the strait of Øresund. Copenhagen, Denmark, lies at the other side of the channel, only 15 km (9 miles) away from Malmö. Turning Torso has a distinctive segmented shape that is easy to recognize from far. And more importantly, for our purposes, its segmented form makes it easy to judge its height from far.

Continue reading “Turning Torso Building, Malmö, Sweden”

Multiple Exposure Photos of Balloons and SpaceX StarLink Satellites

To monitor the ozone hole, NOAA launches a balloon every week on several locations on Earth. Scientists who launch the balloons like to create multiple exposure photos of the event. A single balloon appears multiple times in the resulting photos.

Flat-Earthers saw the “many balloons in a row” photos, & they incorrectly use them as the “explanation” of the appearance of the SpaceX Starlink satellites. In reality, the photos are just multiple exposure photos. There is only a single balloon, but taken multiple times and then merged into a single photo.

Continue reading “Multiple Exposure Photos of Balloons and SpaceX StarLink Satellites”

How Satellites Can Orbit and Stay Up There

Earth’s gravity pulls things toward Earth. Satellites can stay up there because they are orbiting. They are moving at the right speed and right direction to counter the pull of gravity.

Flat-Earthers claim that satellites should fall down if gravity pulls toward Earth. In reality, we do not just launch satellites to space. We also give them the correct speed & direction, so they neither fall toward Earth nor keep going farther away.

Continue reading “How Satellites Can Orbit and Stay Up There”

Gaslighting

Gaslighting is putting a false narrative that leads other people to doubt their own perceptions and become disoriented. It is central in the flat Earth belief and will be possible if the target fears the losses associated with challenging the false narrative. Gaslighting someone to believe a flat Earth involves two things:

Continue reading “Gaslighting”

Wet, Spinning Tennis Ball False Analogy

The gravitational acceleration exerted by the mass of a wet, spinning tennis ball is too small compared to the centrifugal acceleration generated by its rotating motion. As a result, the water escapes away from the tennis ball, unlike Earth.

A wet spinning ball is a sphere, spinning & wet, like Earth. But the water goes away from the ball, unlike Earth. Flat Earthers use it to “disprove” spherical Earth. In reality, the magnitude of the involved accelerations in the two cases are different.

Continue reading “Wet, Spinning Tennis Ball False Analogy”

Sunset and Drone

Featured Video Play Icon

Using a drone, we can observe a sunset, then climb up and watch the same sunset again for the second time. The observation is only possible because Earth is a sphere.

Continue reading “Sunset and Drone”

Directions of Up and Down

“Down” is the same direction as Earth’s gravitational acceleration, toward Earth’s center. “Up” is the opposite, or away from Earth’s center. This applies to all observers on Earth.

Flat-Earthers like to question & ridicule about what would occur on the people “down” there. They just do not understand that to the people on the other side of Earth, “down” is still toward Earth’s center, like it appears to everyone else.

Continue reading “Directions of Up and Down”

Chemtrail Conspiracy Theory

The chemtrail conspiracy theory presupposes the erroneous belief that long-lasting contrails left by aircraft are, in fact, “chemtrails” intentionally sprayed for nefarious purposes.

The so-called “chemtrails” are just normal condensation trails produced by aircraft engine exhaust. Contrails are composed of water in the form of ice crystals. Depending on the temperature and humidity, contrails may be visible for a few seconds, or they may persist for hours, resembling natural clouds.

Continue reading “Chemtrail Conspiracy Theory”

Forced Perspective

The Sun & the Moon are about the same apparent size, but they are not the same size. They only appear the same size because the Sun is 400× larger and also 400× farther away. To illustrate this, we can use forced perspective in photos.

Flat-Earthers insist that the Sun & Moon are the exact sizes just because they appear the same size. By the same ‘logic,’ we can say the girl above is the same size as the Eiffel Tower.

Continue reading “Forced Perspective”

Quote Mined Einstein Statement

In 1922, Albert Einstein gave the speech “How I Created the Theory of Relativity” at Kyoto University. Flat-Earthers took a sentence fragment from his speech and quoted him out of context. It became a hoax as if Einstein believed a stationary Earth.

By reading the entire paragraph to understand the context, it is clear that Einstein did not mean Earth is stationary. He understands that Earth is in motion around the Sun.

Continue reading “Quote Mined Einstein Statement”