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https://www.iflscience.com/flat-earthers-travel-to-antarctica-to-test-theories-but-are-quickly-humbled-77254?utm_source=spotim&utm_medium=spotim_recirculation&spot_im_redirect_source=pitc
Flat-Earthers Travel To Antarctica To Test Theories, But Are Quickly Humbled
Lo and behold, they didn't discover a giant ice wall guarded by NASA.
Tom Hale headshot
Edited by Laura Simmons
An illustration of flat Earth in space.
So, you think Earth is a spherical globe? Explain this drawing then.
Image credit: Elena Schweitzer/Shutterstock.com
Agroup of flat Earthers has ventured to the southernmost land of
Antarctica in an attempt to "end the debate over the shape of the Earth”
– although we’re pretty sure that was already achieved by astronomers
from Ancient Greece, the Islamic Golden Age, the Renaissance, etc, etc.
The trip was part of a project called the Final Experiment organized by
Will Duffy, a pastor from Colorado who “hopes to end the debate over the shape of the Earth.” He set up an expedition whereby four flat Earthers
and four “globe Earthers” were flown to Antarctica to witness the continent's midnight Sun.
Antarctica's midnight Sun is one of the many things that prove Earth is spherical because it can only occur on a tilted and rotating sphere,
where the axial tilt during summer positions the South Pole to face the
Sun continuously for 24 hours. This would be impossible on a flat plane,
like a flat Earth.
Flat Earthers often like to claim that the Antarctic Treaty of 1959
prevents civilians from visiting the southernmost continent in a bid to
hide the true shape of planet Earth. However, Pastor Duffy wanted to
show this wasn’t the case.
"I created The Final Experiment to end this debate, once and for all.
After we go to Antarctica, no one has to waste any more time debating
the shape of the Earth," Duffy said in a statement.
Of course, this assumes the whole "experiment" isn’t an elaborate hoax
aimed at tricking us "globe Earthers." That seems highly unlikely, but
we’ll let you know if anything changes – not to sound conspiratorial or paranoid...
While most of the Flat Earthers didn’t consider the experience
definitive proof that the Earth is spherical, they accepted the
existence of the 24-hour Sun in Antarctica – a phenomenon that poses significant challenges for most of their flat Earth theories.
"Sometimes you are wrong in life. I thought there was no 24-hour sun. In
fact, I was pretty sure of it,” Jeran Campanella, a well-known flat
Earther and content creator, said in the video (below).
"I realize that I'll be called a shill for just saying that and you know
what, if you're a shill for being honest so be it - I honestly believed
there was no 24-hour sun... I honestly now believe there is. That's it,"
he added.
“What does it mean? You'll have to figure it out. To me, it means that
the AE [Azimuthal equidistant] map no longer works, but that doesn’t
mean that I’m right,” said Campanella.
Others were more skeptical about the implications of the 24-hour Sun,
claiming that it doesn’t totally rule out the possibility of a flat Earth.
"I know a lot of people want to know what my take is in terms of how
does it work and stuff. Quick teaser: I have seen a physical
demonstration that could show this working, but I do think that some of
the data we're going to have from this trip will help to clarify if that
is what's actually happening,” commented Austin Whitsitt, another
prominent flat Earther.
If you’re tempted to visit Antarctica yourself and witness the spherical wonders of Earth, be prepared to spend big: the participants' flights
cost $31,495. Then again, there are plenty of ways to personally prove
the Earth’s spherical shape for free.
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