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Re: Is Earth Actually Flat?

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Mahipal <mahipal7638@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thursday, November 12, 2015 at 8:16:06 PM UTC-5, ji...@specsol.spam.sux.com wrote:
>> Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> wrote:
>> > On Thu, 12 Nov 2015 23:32:01 +0000, jimp wrote:
>> > 
>> >> 
>> >> I thought we had settled that in 1492.
>> >>
>> > 
>> > It was settled 2000 years earlier.
>>  
>> As usual, half assed correct.
>> 
>> It was suspected over 2000 years ago, and by the late 17th Century thought
>> so by most scientists of the time, but not proven until the voyages of
>> Columbus and Magellan.
> 
> It may have been suspected by some, but the Greeks pretty well knew it
> more than 2500 years ago. They even computed the radius of Earth by
> lengths of shadows at different locations, at the same time of
> day. Their accuracy was very close to the 6378km radius of today.

Yes, but they could not prove it, nor did the theory gain much traction
around the world until about the 17th Century after the invention of
the telescope and people could see that the heavenly bodies were spheres
and not discs.

> More than likely, the Egyptians, Hindus, and Chinese also already knew
> the Earth was round based on observing lunar eclipes (i.e., the ones
> where Earth's shadow falls on the Moon). Perhaps they never even
> questioned it, the Sun is round, the Moon is round. Besides, at
> nights, those ancient people weren't tuned in and turned off watching
> TV reruns. Hmmm... what am I going to brainwash myself with tonight?

The ancient Indians and Egyptians thought the Earth a disc.

The Chinese thought the Earth was flat and square and the heavens round.


-- 
Jim Pennino

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Thread

Is Earth Actually Flat? Sam Wormley <swormley1@gmail.com> - 2015-11-12 16:52 -0600
  Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? gilber34 <fafa@invalid.com> - 2015-11-12 17:00 -0600
  Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2015-11-12 23:32 +0000
    Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-11-13 00:30 +0000
      Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2015-11-13 01:10 +0000
        Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-11-13 01:38 +0000
          Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2015-11-13 01:52 +0000
        Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? Mahipal <mahipal7638@gmail.com> - 2015-11-12 18:14 -0800
          Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2015-11-13 03:47 +0000
            Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-11-13 04:03 +0000
              Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? benj <none@gmail.com> - 2015-11-13 00:14 -0500
            Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? benj <none@gmail.com> - 2015-11-13 00:20 -0500
              Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-11-13 06:15 +0000
                Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2015-11-13 07:04 +0000
            Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? Mahipal <mahipal7638@gmail.com> - 2015-11-13 07:46 -0800
              Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2015-11-13 19:35 +0000
      Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? Sam Wormley <swormley1@gmail.com> - 2015-11-12 20:12 -0600
        Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? noTthaTguY <abu.kuanysh05@gmail.com> - 2015-11-13 13:09 -0800
  Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? "reber g=emc^2" <herbertglazier0@gmail.com> - 2015-11-12 15:53 -0800
    Re: Is Earth Actually Flat? "reber g=emc^2" <herbertglazier0@gmail.com> - 2015-11-16 16:37 -0800

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