Hi folks - As my moniker suggests, I'm a retired astrophysicist, well-traveled and with many observations "with my own eyes" over my career. Together with several other retired astrophysicists and other scientists, we present programs for the public at the Planetarium belonging to the Los Alamos Nature Center, in Los Alamos, New Mexico (home to the Los Alamos National Laboratory). Of course we all regard the Flat Earth Model as a joke. Nevertheless, it has been brought to our attention that a growing number of people adhere to this fallacy, and we would therefore like to hold a discussion on the topic.

We think the most appropriate time for such a discussion will be Sunday 1 April 2018. Since none of us could present the arguments for a Flat Earth Model with a straight face, we were wondering if any member of the society would be willing to join us to present your case. Because Los Alamos is a highly scientifically literate community, you might expect to field questions of a fairly complex nature, for example regarding Foucault's Pendulum, occultations of stars by the moon (also eclipse prediction, of course), and trans-oceanic tsunami propagation. The latter case is similar to the long-distance flight problem that I've seen discussed in these pages, but doesn't involve recruiting airline companies and pilots into a fictitious conspiracy.

Our Planetarium is run by a nonprofit organization, and we can therefore not afford to pay transportation costs, but we would be glad to offer a meal beforehand and a beer afterwards from our local brewery. Treat this in good fun; we do not intend to hurl insults or indulge in name-calling. Our mission is public education, pure and simple.

Thanks for your attention.