The Flat Earth map Does not Match with Real Measuremnts


Facts
  • When it is daytime in one part of the world it is night-tme in another.
  • The sun appears to move in the sky


Discussion

The traditional flat earth map has to deal with the fact that day and night occur due to the movement of the sun. This is explained by proposing that the sun rotates around the north pole, with eccenticities to account for seasonal variation. It could equally have been explained by having the sun revolve around the south pole, but for the following reasons the flat earth map has had the centre of the sun's rotation as the north pole, .
  • most scientific societies developed in the northern hemisphere
  • the Arctic is more accessible
  • the Arctic had been explored
  • the Arctic can be easily circumnavigated
  • traditionally, north had been drawn as being up

This means that the flat earth map has to look something like this:

This is taken from Gleason's map, published about 1891, with the surrounding information removed. It was published as an aid to determine local times around the world, although from Gleason's published book, he believed in a flat earth.


If we look at the latitudes and compare with the globe, a stiking difference becomes visible

The bright red line marks the equator. The yellow line marks the 60 degree latitude north and the blue line marks the 60 degree latitude south. On the globe, the yellow and blue lines are of equal length. On the flat earth model, the two are vastly different.

Flat earth maps essentially never have measurements on them, presumeably because it quickly becomes apparent that the flat earth model can quickly be disproven once measurements are attached. Given that the equator is 10,000km away from the north pole, the following approximate measurements can be deduced from simple trigonometry (ignoring the fact that the earth is not a perfect sphere). Also note that the same discrepencies occure regardless of what measurement is taken for the distance from the north pole to the equator.

Latitude Flat Earth Globular earth
North Pole 0 0
60N 20,000 20,000
Equator 62,832 62,832
60S 102,623 20,000
South Pole 125,664 0

The red figures demonstrate the glaring differences between the two models. This is readily testable. However, those who believe in a flat earth deny that there is a south pole and will not accept any records that demonstrate anyone going there. In December 2024, a party went to Antarctica in what was called "The Final Experiment". Four of the people were ardent believers in a flat earth. They observed the summer sun not setting and hence not providing night. This could not be explained by a flat earth model. They publicly declared their mistake. Other flat earthers declared that the expedition was fake and part of a conspiracy to hide the truth. Details can be found here.

However, there are other ways of demonstrating the discrepency.

1) Predicted land measurements are wrong

The flat earth model is approximately corrrect for the Northern hemisphere but is incorrect for determining distances in an east to west direction south of the equator. This is most evident in Australia, which is the broadest continent south of the equator other tha Antarctica.

Sydney Adelaide Perth
151.2093° E 138.5995° E 115.86° E

The difference in longitude between Perth and Sydney is 35.35 degrees.
The difference between Adelaide and Sydney is 12.61 degrees.
Sydney is 13,760km from the North Pole and as such, from the flat earth map, is on a circumference of the earth 86,457km around.
35.35 degrees is nearly a tenth of this circle and hence, from the flat earth map, is calulated to be 8,450km from Sydney.
The reality is that Perth is 3,280km from Sydney as the crow flies. It is 3,846km by road.

The author has driven between Sydney and Adelaide many times in the past. It used to be about 1,500km and took about 17 to 19 hours of driving time. It is a little shorter now due to road changes. Google Earth says it is now 1,375km and takes 14.5 to 16 hours to drive. It also says that it is 1,166km in a direct line. On the map, the two cities are 12.61 degrees apart. On a flat earth map, this represents 12.61/360 * 86,457km = 3,028km.

The flat earh map fails miserably in predicting distance south of the equator. It is clearly wrong.


2) Commercial air services demonstrate that flights across similar latitudes in the north and south hemispheres are similar.

Sydney to Santiago Santiago to Johannnesburg
via Sao Paulo, Brazil		 Johannesburg to Sydney Total
Flight Time		 Distance *
QF27 LA714 QF63
Boeing 787-9 Boeing 787-9 Airbus A380-800
12:30 hrs 12:50 hrs 14:30 hrs 39:50 hrs 86,760km

London to Tokyo Tokyo to Los Angeles Los Angeles to London Total
Flight Time
BA4600 ZG024 UA923
Airbus Boeing 787-800 Boeing 787-9
13:50 hrs 9:45 hrs 10:35 hrs 34:10 hrs 26,898km
* - Distance is calculated for a circle around the world at Sydney (13,760lkm from ther North Pole) and London (4,281km from the North Pole) using a flat earth map.

The conclusion here is that there is no sigificant difference in flight times despite the southern distance being three times longer. Looking at the maps below, one can easily see that on a flat earth model, the southern route is much longer and should take three times the time to fly.

This is clearly not the case and is good evidence that the flat earth model is wrong.

Note that the flights follow the blue paths, which would not be sensible if the earth were flat. One would take the shortest paths (drawn in pink). But commercial airlines are driven by economies. They would take the shortest paths and hence the most economical. They do not follow the pink lines because these maps do not accurately represent the earth. Even if they followed the pink paths, the flight times should be three times longer in the southeren hemisphere if the flat earth model were correct.

This is strong evidence that the flat earth model is incorrect.


3) There is a yacht race around Antarctica

It runs from Albany in Western Australia and is called the Antarctic Cup. The course is about 14,000 to 16,000 nautical miles (25,928 to 29,632km). The record holder is Lisa Blair who single-handedly completed the course in just over 92 days. According to a flat earth map, the circumference of the world at 40deg south should be 90,823km and at 60 deg south it should be 104,797km. At about 100,000km this is a considerably at odds with the stated course length of about 27,000km. Links are here and here.


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