We live in an amazing time. Most of the celestial bodies of the solar system are investigated by NASA probes, GPS satellites circumnavigate the Earth, the ISS crews steadily fly into orbit, and the returned missiles land on barges in the Atlantic Ocean.
Nevertheless, there is still a whole community of people who are sure that the Earth is flat. Reading their statements and comments, sincerely hope that they are all just trolls. Here are some arguments, after which there will be no doubt. Some simple proofs that our planet is round.
Ships and Horizon
If you visit a port, take a look at the horizon and watch the ships. When the ship moves away, it does not just get smaller and smaller. It gradually disappears behind the horizon: first the body disappears, then the mast. Conversely, approaching ships do not appear on the horizon (as they should have been if the world were flat), but rather emerge from under the sea.
But the ships do not emerge from the waves (with the exception of the "Flying Dutchman" of "Pirates of the Caribbean"). The reason that the approaching ships look as if they are slowly rising from behind the horizon is that the Earth is not flat, but round.
Varying constellations
Various constellations are seen from different latitudes. This was noticed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in 350 BC. While returning from a trip to Egypt, Aristotle wrote that "in Egypt and in Cyprus there are stars that are not visible in the northern regions."
The most striking examples are the constellations Ursa Major and the Southern Cross. The Big Dipper, a constellation of seven stars, similar to a bucket, is always visible in latitudes above 41 ° north latitude. Below 25 ° south latitude you will not see it.
Meanwhile, the Southern Cross, a small constellation of five stars, you will find, only reaching 20 ° north latitude. And the more south you move, the higher the horizon will be the Southern Cross.
If the world were flat, we could observe the same constellations from anywhere on the planet. But this is not so.
You can repeat the experiment of Aristotle, when you go on a trip. Discover these constellations in the sky with help of these applications for Android and iOS.
Sky Map
Download Free From Google Play
SkyView® Lite
Download Free From App Store
Thanks for reading.
