The Flat Earther next door: These are the US states with highest share of conspiracy theorists, based on residents' internet search history

FOR MAILONLINE ^ | 25 August 2023 | MATTHEW PHELAN

[Campion]

If I take a picture on the moon with the earth behind me, shouldn't it take up most of the sky behind me?

Some fairly easy trigonometry can answer that question. The vertex angle of an isoceles triangle is given by 2 * arctan(b / (2*h)). "h" in this case is about 250,000 miles (distance from the earth to the moon), and b is about 8,000 miles (diameter of the earth).

Plug the numbers into the formula and you see that, looking at the earth from the moon, the earth would have an apparent diameter of 18.2 degrees, which probably isn't very close to "most of the sky".

[discostu]

That’s a really funky angle with lots of odd perspective that’s gonna screw everything up. Which is also something to keep in mind, photography can make things look different depending on a lot of things.

For most of the shots though the earth is the size you’d expect in the moon’s sky, bigger than the reverse but not that much bigger.

[JBW1949]

Anyone that truly believes the earth is flat is a total fukn idiot...PERIOD...

[MD Expat in PA]

Here is a better explanation.

The Weird Optical Illusion that Changes the Moon’s Size

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZA5lql9JUw

Why does the moon look so much bigger when it’s on the horizon?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRWQOGCV5L8

[MD Expat in PA]

https://skyimagelab.com/cdn/shop/products/Q0800EarthriseOnePRINT-sq-web_1024x1024.jpg?v=1615830626

[discostu]

Oh yeah the horizon effect too. Once again seeing shouldn’t be believing, cause things get weird.

Thanks

[UnwashedPeasant]

The climate crisis hoax is just as silly, but it is politically favored.

[plain talk]

“As many as 10 percent of Americans still believe the earth is flat, according to a 2021 survey”

Interesting but probably not surprising.

[babble-on]

it does

[cgbg]

“Flat Earth” was a Deep State created meme—designed to be put in a package deal with other “conspiracy theories” to discredit them.

I notice Freepers fall for it—wrapping it in a package with any other view they do not like.

[nwrep]

Is that from Skylab?

[Penelope Dreadful]

IMHO, they are no more stupid than Sovereign Citizens or two-citizen parent birthers. Or the Trans Community.

[UnwashedPeasant]

Obviously, the moon is flat since we always see the same side. /s

[discostu]

Oh they’re way more stupid. And they feed other forms of stupid. Like the landing denier dipsticks that have been all over FR lately.

[MD Expat in PA]

No. Apollo 8

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthrise

[cgbg]

Has anyone actually met a live human being in person who believes in the “Flat Earth”?

Imho this is just Internet noise...

[discostu]

Yes. Idiots do exist.

[cgbg]

The question remains—have you ever met such a person?

I have not—and I don’t know anyone else who has....

[MD Expat in PA]

The question remains—have you ever met such a person?

Yes, I have. Not many but a few. One was a friend of my nephew's. And he was not joking around, LARPING, trolling, he really believes the Earth is flat and would send my nephew all sorts of links and videos in email and on FB trying to prove it. I met him in person a couple of times, nice guy but also believed the Moon landings were fake and the Earth is only 6,000 years old.

I think we have a handful of Flat Eather's here on FR as well.

[MD Expat in PA]

“Flat Earth” was a Deep State created meme—designed to be put in a package deal with other “conspiracy theories” to discredit them.

Not everything is a Deep State conspiracy. Get a grip.