A NASA astronaut sent a photo of the Earth from the International Space Station and drove fans of the Flat Earth theory crazy.
Jessica Meir shared her photos on Twitter and inadvertently instilled in the minds of some internet users the theory that our planet is not round.
From their place on the International Space Station, astronauts have the privilege of a unique view of the Earth, which most people will never have the opportunity to enjoy. The ISS orbits the planet at a distance of 250 miles, which means that the station travels around the Earth about 16 times a day.
- Jessica Meir (@Astro_Jessica) January 10, 2020
According to the Mirror, while the photos posted by the NASA astronaut clearly show that the Earth is round, many skeptics were not convinced, with many claiming that the planet is flat.
One user typically replied: "Good effort with the photo filter, but it is flat". Another added: "This is with a fish eye lens. Makes the Earth look round. In fact, the Earth is flat! "
- Santai Saja (@Sakadaekk) January 10, 2020
Another user wondered: "So from a height of 400 km can one see the whole round Earth? Yes, very believable. "
David G (@ Emrebal90172083) January 10, 2020
- Daren Willcock (@mmafightcoach) January 10, 2020
So while conspiracy theorists are convinced that the Earth is flat, people actually know that the planet has been round for more than 2.000 years.
NASA explained: "The ancient Greeks measured the shadows during the summer solstice and also calculated the perimeter of the Earth. They used star and constellation positions to calculate distances to Earth. They could also observe the planet's circular shadow on the moon during a lunar eclipse. (We can still see it in the lunar eclipses) ".
Today scientists can use GPS and other satellites to measure the size of the Earth up to a centimeter!
NASA added: "Although our planet is a sphere, it is not a perfect sphere. Due to the force exerted when the Earth rotates, the North and South Poles are partially flat. "The Earth's rotation, unstable motion and other forces make the planet change shape very slowly, but it is still round."