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Flat Earth Community / Re: Friendly discussion about "Flat Earth Theory"

« on: April 21, 2014, 04:51:55 PM »

So the moon is never actually full during a "full moon"

Indeed. On a round earth model, a full moon is impossible. Just another example of how the flat earth model is superior.

You quoted me out of context, Thork.  Left out "... except, oddly enough, during a total lunar eclipse".  That's when the moon really IS full, though poorly illuminated because of the shadow.  So a full moon is quite possible from this nicely rounded planet 
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Flat Earth Community / Re: Friendly discussion about "Flat Earth Theory"

« on: April 21, 2014, 12:44:14 AM »

Seriously though, Thork's objection did get me thinking... usually that's a good thing

So the moon is never actually full during a "full moon"... except, oddly enough, during a total lunar eclipse.  At that time, the moon is lit up only by the rays of the sun being refracted through earth's atmosphere.  Looked quite dark up there last week...

But that's the only time when the illuminated face is directly facing the earth, with no terminator at all.  Hasta la vista, baby!
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Flat Earth Community / Re: Friendly discussion about "Flat Earth Theory"

« on: April 20, 2014, 05:07:15 AM »

Even at full moon, in a telescope you can still see a terminator at the very edge

I am so sorry.

Yep, you better be sorry... trivializing our earnest discussion! 
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Flat Earth Community / Re: Friendly discussion about "Flat Earth Theory"

« on: April 20, 2014, 01:44:43 AM »

Do you seriously think only in 2 dimensions Thork? That could be the only explanation for your flaccid "gotcha" post.

This particular conundrum has nothing to do with only 2 dimensions. A full moon is not possible with round balls. The earth is in the way when the sun is directly below you to produce a full moon. Ergo a full moon is impossible. Despite me witnessing one 5 days ago and my calendar telling me the next one is due on 14th May.

In one sense, you are correct.  The moon is never "really" full.  When the moon passes above or below the earth's shadow, we're not seeing a tiny portion of the lit-up side.  When the moon passes under the shadow, we would miss a tiny sliver on the bottom, and vice-versa.  But this effect is so small that we don't notice it.  Just like people don't notice if the moon is one day before or after full, it just looks full.

Even at full moon, in a telescope you can still see a terminator at the very edge (dividing line between night and day).  Here's a page that explains this to some extent... from NBC no less!  After all, I'm sure you place full trust in the mainstream media ;-)
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4402294/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/full-moon-merely-fallacy/#.U1MlMlVdWSo
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Flat Earth Community / Re: Friendly discussion about "Flat Earth Theory"

« on: April 20, 2014, 01:20:28 AM »

Round earth is easy to explain? Ok, without Markjo jumping in to have this same debate with me for 8 millionth time, I'd like you to explain with a diagram how you get a full moon. Use the sun, earth and moon.

Draw them in a little line. And tell me where the sun has to be, I have to be and the moon has to be for me to get a full moon. Then draw a second picture showing again where everything is for a lunar eclipse. If your pictures look identical when one has a full glowing moon and one has no light on the moon at all, maybe you should consider your model as inadequate?

Go, draw.

The sun/earth/moon system is three-dimensional, Thork.  It's not easy to depict a three-dimensional situation in a two-dimensional drawing.  Since the moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees from the earth's, usually the moon will pass under or over the earth's shadow.  Sometimes it just grazes the shadow, so that it only darkens a little.

Hope that helps or hinders.
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Flat Earth Community / Re: Friendly discussion about "Flat Earth Theory"

« on: April 19, 2014, 10:18:34 PM »

I can excuse the crudity of the diagram, but I can't excuse the arbitrariness of the hypothesis.  What flat earth theory explains why the sun would circle around in the sky,  precisely following such a complex, migrating track?  What keeps it in place?  You forgot to answer that part...

I see moon mountains with my garden variety 8 inch Newtonian.  The Montes Appeninus range is quite pretty during the waxing gibbous phase, casts great shadows.  The shadows always point away from the direction of the sun.  Likewise the crescents always face the sun direction, just as you can simulate by holding up a ball to one side of a bright light behind it.  So my own suspicion is that the sun is illuminating the moon from far away.

I further suspect that the geometry of round balls (sun, moon, and (gasp!) the earth) explains the evidence far more simply than your diagrams, whether crude or complex.  With round earth theory, the diagrams can stay simple.  Parsimony, man, parsimony!
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Flat Earth Community / Re: Friendly discussion about "Flat Earth Theory"

« on: April 19, 2014, 03:13:57 PM »

No, the sun is a spotlight. It shines a down illuminating a set area. If you are outside the spotlight, you can't see the sun ie it is night. Light is two-way. If you can't see it, it can't shine on you. Sunset is merely the sun no longer shining on you.


Excuse the crudity of the diagram. The spotlight would be much larger and the moon does not track directly opposite all the time.

Hello Thork,
My first post here.  The funny spotlight drew me in.  Did you come up with that yourself, or...?
Commendably, the spotlight is revolving the correct direction...

The trouble is, the sun does not look like a spotlight.  It just looks like a ball radiating in all directions.  The other trouble is, the arbitrariness of the concept.  Is there flat earth theory that might tell us what makes the sun revolve in such a way, tracking the equator?  Actually the sun would have to follow various latitudes during the year, slowly changing track with the seasons. 

The moon also looks like a ball, not a spotlight.  Especially when I point my telescope at it.  I see mountains with shadows that point away from the direction of the sun.  If the moon is lit up by the sun, how does the sun spotlight it at the same time it's spotlighting earth?  Or is there some other spotlight for the moon?  Is the moon also flat like the earth?

Educate me! ;-)
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