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5 simple experiments to prove to Flat Earthers our planet is round

They range from looking to the Sun and stars to watching ships appear on the horizon.
They range from looking to the Sun and stars to watching ships appear on the horizon.

As rapper B.o.B launches a fundraising campaign to check if the Earth if flat, there are some cost-effective ways to prove conventional science is right and save him the bother.

From looking to the Sun and stars, it’s possible to prove that the Earth is spherical without a crowdfunding campaigning.

1. Watch a lunar eclipse

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Every once in a while, the Earth passes between the Moon and the Sun, creating a phenomenon known as the Lunar Eclipse.

The Earth casts a shadow on the Moon as it passes though so if you look closely enough (a decent telescope should do it), you might be able to see a shaded arc. It’s always an arc and never a square or a rectangle.

2. Send a camera into space

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We may not be able to head into space but our cameras certainly can. Companies like Sent Into Space have special balloon kits that allow you to send whatever you like into space and back.

A basic kit will set you back £194 but those amazing photos of the Earth’s curvature will be so worth it. Plus, it makes great evidence to show the Flat Earther next door how our planet is shaped.

3. Watch a sunset lying on the ground

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This is probably one of the simplest methods of dealing with how to determine the Earth’s curvature.

If you watch the sunset lying on your back, you’ll find it disappears in the horizon. But if you stand up, you should still be able to see the sun as it sets in the distant horizon.

And if you happen to be at the ocean looking at ships, they will appear to emerge from the ocean – in a bottom-up direction. This is possible only because the ocean follows the curvature of the Earth and gradually drops from our line of sight.

If the earth was flat the water would stay at the same level.

4. Look at the stars

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This might require a bit of travelling but if you fancy journeying to a different part of the world, you’ll notice the constellations there are completely different.

A phenomenon first observed by Aristotle many, many years ago when he was returning from Egypt, the premise is the further you go away from the equator the further known constellations go towards the horizon.

This phenomenon can only be explained with a round surface.

Aristotle also concluded the Earth wasn’t very large, because a small change in distance makes a huge difference in terms of what we see in the night sky.

5. Observe the time zones

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Our planet is divided into 24 time zones, taking into account the position of the Sun. The Sun isn’t visible to everyone at the same time.

But that wouldn’t be the case if the Earth was flat. If the Sun shone directionally on a flat Earth, we would be able to see at all times.

So basically, the only way these timezones can happen is if the world is spherical.

And if everything else fails, take note of what former astronauts Buzz Aldrin (he went to the Moon, remember) and Terry Virts have to say.

And look at these awesome photos from Nasa.

Earth.
(NASA)
The Earth looks far from flat in this image taken by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument in one of NOAA’s satellites (Nasa)
Earth.
Also taken by VIIRS (Nasa)
Earth and Moon.
(NASA/JPL/USGS)
This spectacular image of Earth and Moon was taken by the Galileo spacecraft (Nasa)