1
Flat Earth Theory / Southern midnight sun
« on: May 21, 2017, 10:06:16 PM »
Here's one thing I didn't find in the Faq nor Wiki.
The flat theory usually claims that the south pole doesn't exist – despite the fact that tourist trips for public are being arranged there every year. Surely those trips are expensive, starting from several tens of thousands of euros/dollars, but still, they are being made.
While the exact position of the "south pole" (the Scott-Amundsen base with the nice shining metal ball and whatever there is) could be faked – assuming that the tourists cannot find their exact coordinates by themselves – the midnight sun is harder as it is not limited to the pole, but actually covers a large part of the entire continent. According to the flat theory, there is simply no place on earth where the midnight sun could be visible in December; and still it is clearly seen there.
Sure, the share of population that can afford tens of thousands for one holiday trip is surely small. Maybe it's possible to call all those part of the conspiracy. But... there is more than that: one does not need to travel to Antarctica. Ushuaia, Argentine is relatively south as well. It is possibly to visit Ushuaia with a reasonable amount of money, without visiting Antarctica – and actually tens of thousands of people live there to begin with.
Ushuaia is not south enough to experience midnight sun, not even on the day of the southern summer solstice, which means that the sun actually sets. However, it is possible to observe the sun as it sets. It doesn't set directly in the west: according to the flat theory, it sets somewhere in the northwest, and according to the globe theory, it sets somewhere in the southwest. Furthermore, according to the globe theory, there will be no "astronomical night" but a mere twilight. A certain section of the sky remains lighter (or "less dark") even after the sun has set: and that less dark section moves further towards to the south, never really disappearing, and being in the south by midnight; and after midnight, it moves further towards the east, until the sun rises from the southeast. (Or, according to the flat theory, it rises from the northeast.)
As usual, I'm open to speculations. At best, maybe someone has even been there. I haven't and unfortunately cannot afford right now.
The flat theory usually claims that the south pole doesn't exist – despite the fact that tourist trips for public are being arranged there every year. Surely those trips are expensive, starting from several tens of thousands of euros/dollars, but still, they are being made.
While the exact position of the "south pole" (the Scott-Amundsen base with the nice shining metal ball and whatever there is) could be faked – assuming that the tourists cannot find their exact coordinates by themselves – the midnight sun is harder as it is not limited to the pole, but actually covers a large part of the entire continent. According to the flat theory, there is simply no place on earth where the midnight sun could be visible in December; and still it is clearly seen there.
Sure, the share of population that can afford tens of thousands for one holiday trip is surely small. Maybe it's possible to call all those part of the conspiracy. But... there is more than that: one does not need to travel to Antarctica. Ushuaia, Argentine is relatively south as well. It is possibly to visit Ushuaia with a reasonable amount of money, without visiting Antarctica – and actually tens of thousands of people live there to begin with.
Ushuaia is not south enough to experience midnight sun, not even on the day of the southern summer solstice, which means that the sun actually sets. However, it is possible to observe the sun as it sets. It doesn't set directly in the west: according to the flat theory, it sets somewhere in the northwest, and according to the globe theory, it sets somewhere in the southwest. Furthermore, according to the globe theory, there will be no "astronomical night" but a mere twilight. A certain section of the sky remains lighter (or "less dark") even after the sun has set: and that less dark section moves further towards to the south, never really disappearing, and being in the south by midnight; and after midnight, it moves further towards the east, until the sun rises from the southeast. (Or, according to the flat theory, it rises from the northeast.)
As usual, I'm open to speculations. At best, maybe someone has even been there. I haven't and unfortunately cannot afford right now.