Debunking Conspiracies: A Flat Earther’s Local Moon and Sun
We're all too familiar with Flat Earthers. They're all over Facebook, clutching onto their idea of a pancake-shaped Earth with a local sun and a firmament. Because nothing screams scientific accuracy like a medieval cosmology that could've been drawn by a five-year-old.
A lot of this is rooted in religion. Flat? Because the Bible says so and who needs anything else when you've got ancient texts, right? The firmament? Same deal. The firmament idea is even worse because no one has ever seen it or measured it. Like, it should be right up there... yet it isn't. It's almost as if they think an invisible sky dome is perfectly reasonable, yet gravity, which is at least measurable, isn’t.
The Local Sun and Horizon Delusion
One of their favorite arguments is how our sun is local and there is no horizon. They parade their "evidence" like zooming into boats and the sun as it seemingly disappears behind our horizon. These videos are always short, though. They never record them until the object actually disappears. Which begs the question of honesty. Not only do they try to lie to people, but they also lie to themselves. Classic.
Flat Earthers just want to play make-believe games to keep clinging to their faith in a world where it's becoming less and less relevant. It's adorable, really. Watching grown adults act like kids insisting on the existence of Santa Claus because it makes them feel special.
The Local Sun and Moon Fantasy
Ah yes, the local sun and moon, right. Well, the most accepted model is this: The sun and moon hover above our pancake Earth in a circular fashion. Watch the video for an illustration.
There's one big problem with this. If our sun did indeed follow this trajectory, we would see a sun that is always slightly curving left as it “rises”, then curving right as it passes above you. Yet we don't. Our sun always rises in the east and sets in the west in a straight line. Strange. Almost like it's a rotating sphere.
So here we are, endlessly entertained by the mental gymnastics of Flat Earthers, who seem to believe that ignoring centuries of scientific evidence is a great hobby. They twist and turn reality to fit their whims, leaving the rest of us to wonder if they'll ever leave the shrooms alone. Enjoy the view from your flat Earth, folks. The rest of us will be over here, living in the real world.
