FLAT EARTH, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (HELPING YOU THINK)
There are some curious facts about our world that make some people believe there's a conspiracy to deny that the planet is actually a dish-shaped object with a dome, with celestial objects inside. These assumptions stem from some of the following questions...
POLAR REGIONS
1. Can you cross Antarctica?
Yes, because there is no edge or dome. The Earth has been circumnavigated many times by air, sea, and satellites, and no edge or dome has ever been perceived or observed. Antarctica is a continent that has been extensively explored for over a century. There is no evidence of an "ice wall" or any structure that limits the planet, as flat-Earth dogma suggests. Traveling to these regions is expensive and dangerous, and the journeys are time-consuming and involve severe weather conditions, extreme temperatures, and difficult and risky travel. It is not prohibited, as flat-Earth proponents maintain, and although there are sections that have frozen, forming a thick layer that resembles a wall, this is not the case along the entire coast of the Antarctic continent. There is no evidence or account that this geological feature was designed as a "wall." Moreover, studies show that this icy surface was formed during the Last Ice Age due to a sharp change in temperature, and what some believe was a shift in the Earth's polar axis (which caused a similar effect in the Arctic).
2. Is the South Pole militarized?
No. The financial capital and resources needed for such a task, considering the measurements of the alleged length of the wall that flat-earthers believe exists, exceeds all logic and possibility. It would require the combined operation of all the armies of many countries, with thousands of ships, planes, and helicopters, and hundreds of thousands of salaries for hundreds of thousands of people on a permanent basis, to maintain permanent surveillance coverage of the region. The very idea borders on insanity. Besides, no one has ever been arrested for attempting to cross Antarctica. The South Pole (and Antarctica in general) is not militarized, and this is explicitly prohibited by international treaties: The Antarctic Treaty—the legal basis for this prohibition—originally signed in 1959 by 12 countries (and now with more than 50 signatories), establishes that:
a. Antarctica may only be used for peaceful purposes.
b. All military activities, including exercises, maneuvers, weapons testing, or construction of military bases, are prohibited.
c. Military presence is permitted only for scientific or logistical purposes (e.g., transporting supplies or personnel to research stations).
d. Free international scientific cooperation is guaranteed and mutual inspection of facilities by other signatory countries is permitted.
So there are no military personnel? There are military personnel, but in non-military roles: They assist with logistics, air transport, medical emergencies, and technical support. Some countries, such as the United States, New Zealand, and Chile, use military resources to operate their scientific bases, but they cannot use the territory for armed purposes.
3. Are there mysterious regions beyond the officially known regions of Antarctica?
For millennia, people have spoken of realms "beyond the polar regions," depicting them on maps and drawings. In 1929, Vice Admiral Richard E. Byrd, a pioneer in the exploration of both the North and South Poles, testified to seeing green regions, ice-free spaces, and even prehistoric animals and people. Nazi flight and navigation guides from the 1930s corroborate Byrd's description, showing ways to penetrate beneath the Earth's crust, in what appear to be enormous holes leading to a world within the Earth. The legends of Agathi, Shambhala, Liberia, and Hyperborea make perfect sense here. However, unlike flat-Earth doctrines, these are not realms found beyond the "dome," nor in a straight line (imagining the world as a long horizontal space), but rather beneath the Earth's crust. In ufology, their inhabitants are known as "telosians."
4. Why are there no direct flights between certain points in the southern hemisphere?
In reality, there are direct flights between cities in the Southern Hemisphere (such as Santiago, Chile, to Sydney, Australia), but they are not always available every day for commercial reasons and demand. The flights are designed to be profitable, not necessarily to demonstrate the shape of the Earth. In general, what has been observed for many decades is that there appears to be a large hole, both at the South and North Poles—at least one in each region, although more than one has been reported—which has been witnessed since the 1920s. Pilots reported that their compasses went out of control and the gravitational pressure changed, as if the aircraft were being sucked into the hole (a vacuum effect or gravitational shift). This supports the Hollow Earth belief, which holds that our planet is like an eggshell, where beneath the crust of the planetary sphere lies a parallel world.
You can learn more about this and in depth about the Hollow Earth theory in the first chapter of my book, ' The Abyss' , the first book in the ' Sakla Rebellion ' series.
SPACE MISSIONS
5. Why don’t rockets go “straight” into space?
When a rocket takes off, it initially climbs almost vertically because it needs to escape the dense atmosphere quickly. But once it gains enough altitude, it begins to tilt its trajectory. This isn't a mistake or a deviation: it's a deliberate maneuver called a "gravity turn." An orbit isn't simply "being in space"; it's tumbling around the Earth at such a speed that the object keeps falling… but never touches the ground, because the Earth's curvature "escapes" it at the same speed. To achieve this, the rocket needs enormous horizontal velocity (more than 28,000 km/h for low orbit). That's why it veers toward the horizon: it's accelerating sideways, not just upward. Try some simple physics: Imagine throwing a rock, and the harder you throw it horizontally, the farther it will go before falling. If you could throw it fast enough, it would never fall to the ground but would continue circling the Earth. That's an orbit. Why does it look like it's going toward the horizon from Earth? From our perspective on the ground, we see the rocket moving away and curving in its trajectory. As it follows the curvature of the planet, it appears to be heading "over the horizon," but it's actually entering an orbital path around Earth.
6. Why do rockets launched into the stratosphere often explode or crash?
According to people who participated in secret operations, military bases began to be established on the Moon in 1954, and later on Mars in 1962 (mainly since 1973 with the Pegasus project). Not only are they militarized, but they are privatized by extra-governmental and top-secret organizations, with the United States, Russia, England, and France having the greatest influence. This is obviously not what the states or their space agencies claim, but it is what military personnel, former employees, former intelligence agents, and people who were involved in Black Ops (covert operations) and/or have learned from classified documents—such as retired U.S. Master Sergeant Robert O. Dean—testify. By the time NASA was created (July 29, 1958), humans had already been on the lunar surface, and, in addition to erecting facilities, they came across the remains of many structures, buildings, and domes that must have been thousands of years old. They don't let anyone go who isn't on their agenda, and if necessary, they take them down.
7. Why are there fraudulent recordings of astronauts in orbit?
Because NASA is reportedly secretly pursuing other agendas (such as the NASA Blue Beam project or the Future Strategic Issues and Warfare Circa 2025 program), it must explain what it does with the budget it receives. This agency received, for 2024 alone, more than $24 billion for its official programs (Artemis Program (lunar exploration); Mars Sample Return (mission to bring samples from Mars); Earth Sciences; Space Technology and STEM Education; Orbital Debris Research; or Development of a Space Tug for the deorbiting of the International Space Station). It must justify the use of this capital. According to former US Naval Intelligence officer Bill Cooper, a shadow US government had been funding a secret space project with the help of a drug cartel since the mid-1950s. Consequently, NASA would be diverting the money it receives for other agendas, and therefore would have to show proof of what it does with that money, and therefore invent fake chroma key scenes of astronauts in orbit, spacewalks, and other things that could easily be filmed in a swimming pool on Earth or in an anti-gravity cabin.
8. What causes irregularities in space mission images?
In the 1960s, then-US President Richard Nixon was committed to his nation's commitment to former President John F. Kennedy's promise to land a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s. Faced with the embarrassment of not only Americans but the entire world witnessing firsthand an accident, a disaster, the death of astronauts, etc.—all of which was statistically very likely to happen—he hired the best fiction film director of the time (Stanley Kubrick)—famous for the hit film 2001: A Space Odyssey—to film a moon landing in the Nevada desert. This footage—and subsequent ones for other Apollo missions (and even missions to Mars)—were shot mostly in parts of the US, first to create a grand show of the lunar landing, and later to save NASA the large sums of money that the federal government allocates to space activities. There were American astronauts on the Moon as early as 1954, and both Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stumbled across facilities that had already been built on the Moon in 1969 (and there is a 2-minute audio recording from ham radio operators who picked up that Apollo 11 communication when the real video transmission was cut out to include the fake one filmed in Nevada). Meanwhile, Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins carried out another mission that was unrelated to what people should assume they would be doing.
If you'd like to learn more about this topic (the conspiracy surrounding the Secret Space Project and the ruins on the Moon and Mars), follow this link where I host a podcast on the subject . And if you'd like to go even deeper, I recommend my book, " Wandering Stars: The History of the UFO Phenomenon . "
By the time they landed on the Moon in 1969, there were not only American military bases, but also Russian ones (even nine months before the Apollo XI landing, the Soviet space agency had already landed its own official expedition module, but after an unexpected "accident" at some facilities they discovered on the Moon, they cancelled public broadcast of the moon landing). These lunar installations were not only American military; the vast majority have existed on the Moon for thousands of years, where there are a multitude of archaeological sites, abandoned buildings and remains of spacecraft that have been considered in some cases to be up to 9,000 years old. Even the first Japanese photographs – by the JAXA agency, with the Kaguya mission – of the far side of the Moon showed in 2007 a large number of domes that seemed to be made of glass (which resembles installations all over the surface, as if it were a common construction model). The same thing happened with Mars, when on May 22, 1962, a joint NASA and Soviet space agency program (followed by National Security Action Memorandum No. 271 of 1963, in which then-President Kennedy requested Soviet cooperation in colonizing Mars) achieved the first landing on Mars. Both governments subsequently established permanent bases on Mars with elite military operatives.
9. Why do images of the Earth from space look so similar or appear computer-generated?
Some images are digital composites because they were taken in parts (by satellites in low orbit) and then assembled. Others are real photos, such as those taken by the Apollo missions or the GOES and DSCOVR satellites. There are thousands of verifiable images from many independent sources dating back to October 24, 1946 (when the first photograph from outside Earth was taken by a V-2 rocket launched by the U.S. from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico (and it's worth adding that it showed the infamous—for flat-earthers—curvature of the Earth)).
VISUAL EFFECTS
10. Why does a certain view of the stars make them look “gaseous”?
Proponents of this dogma maintain that the Sun, Moon, and stars are contained within a supposed dome that covers the Earth, and that, furthermore, there are no galaxies, quasars, nebulae, planets, moons, or any other space objects, but that images of these are created digitally, despite having no proof of these claims. However, instead of using high-precision lenses, such as affordable telescopes (which you can buy yourself), some proponents of this dish-world dogma argue that the image blur seen from certain cameras is blurred when trying to focus on celestial bodies. The effect of the Earth's atmosphere (stellar scintillation) occurs because starlight has to pass through Earth's atmosphere to reach our eyes. Since the atmosphere is composed of layers of air with different temperatures, densities, and motions, these slightly alter the path of the light. As a result, the star appears to vibrate, move, or "ripple," like a flame or a gaseous patch. Have you ever seen the Moon turn yellow, orange, or even red? Well, it's not actually bleeding, but rather a similar effect, where light bends and loses "energy"—or call it "power," if you will—while simultaneously fragmenting. So yes, light ALSO BENDS.
Another reason for this visual phenomenon of stars is atmospheric turbulence. Moving air (especially on warm nights or near the horizon) creates turbulence that refracts light unevenly. This effect is very similar to what you see when you look through warm air over a road: objects appear “distorted” or blurred. Another reason is natural chromatic aberration, where sometimes, if the air is very unstable, you can even see the star briefly change color: red, blue, white. This is also due to refraction. It's not that the star is changing, but rather the air acts like a prism and separates the light into different colors. This doesn't happen with planets in the same way, since planets don't twinkle the same way stars do. They have a slightly larger “disk” (angular size) from our perspective, so the atmosphere can't distort all their light evenly. Stars, on the other hand, are tiny points, and their light is easier to disturb. It's a different matter that many of the video and photography samples used by followers of this sect are based on captures made with poorly focused cameras or telescopes. If you're observing with a camera or telescope that's not perfectly focused, or with overexposure, the point of light may appear diffuse, vibrant, or have jagged edges, as if it were "gaseous."
11. Why does it seem as if there is no curvature of the globe?
The curvature of the Earth is so gradual (approximately 8 inches per 1.6 km) that it is not perceptible to the naked eye from ground level. Furthermore, the Earth is very large (~12,742 km in diameter), so to notice its curvature directly requires being at high altitudes (such as in Earth orbit or from stratospheric flights). Although airplanes fly at an altitude of about 10–12 km, this is still very low compared to the size of the planet. The curvature becomes visible to the human eye at an altitude of about 15–20 km, especially with a suitable lens (not a fisheye lens). From space, the curvature is clearly visible. Sometimes the curvature is visible, especially on balloons above 30 km. Many cameras have lenses that distort the image, which can exaggerate or flatten the curvature. When using straight-lens, stabilized cameras, a slight curvature can be seen on the horizon at altitudes below 30 km.
12. Why can objects still be seen on the horizon in certain films from several kilometers away?
Have you ever seen the visual effect generated by refracting objects? For example, a crystal ball, a lens, a fender... they create seemingly impossible image effects. This is due both to the action of light on the object and to the nature and shape of the object itself (and if you think light doesn't bend or fragment, think again, and remember how a rainbow is produced, or how light is redirected by a mirror, deflected by crystalline or metallic objects, or fragmented by a prism or anything similar to crystal). But to be more concise, and to discuss the case in question, we must address the refraction of light (as an atmospheric effect): Light doesn't travel in a straight line when passing through different layers of the atmosphere. Instead, it refracts, or bends, due to changes in air density (for example, in layers of cold or warm air). This phenomenon allows objects beyond the apparent horizon to be visible. Under specific atmospheric conditions, light bends downward, allowing us to see beyond what would normally be visible. This is known as "superbending" or "seeing beyond the horizon." This effect is most noticeable when the air is cooler near the ground, creating a thermal inversion layer that can make objects at great distances visible, even if the Earth's curvature should obscure them.
Another example is the curvature of the Earth and the observer's height. If you're observing from a higher altitude, such as on a hill or a skyscraper, you have a wider line of sight and can see beyond the Earth's curvature. Observation height plays a crucial role: the higher you are, the wider the visible horizon. If a person is observing from an elevated platform, they may see objects that are much farther away than a person at sea level could see. Then there are weather conditions. Factors such as haze, dry air, or temperature variations can also affect visibility. In places like the desert or near the sea, atmospheric conditions may allow one to see further than expected, due to air clarity or the temperature contrast between the air and the surface. There's also the optical effect of "Horizon Mirage." In some circumstances, due to the way light refracts, objects that would normally be hidden by the curvature may appear to float above the horizon. This optical effect is called mirage or "superreflection," and occurs when there are extreme temperature differences between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere.
13. Why does it appear in certain images of sunlight refraction in clouds as if the sun were very close?
Another of the crazy ideas advocated by plate advocates is that the Sun and Moon are not only located within the Earth's dome, but are also very small and very close. To support this theory, they use an optical effect of sunlight passing through clouds. In this case, what is happening is a perspective effect, refraction, and dispersion of light in the atmosphere. Some key factors in this regard are:
a. Perspective effect and geometry of sunrays. When you see sunrays that appear to "diverge" from a point in the sky (as if they were coming from a nearby source), you are seeing a phenomenon called crepuscular rays. Although the sunrays are practically parallel, linear perspective makes them appear to converge at a nearby point, just like train tracks that appear to join at the horizon. The rays are parallel, but your eye (or camera) sees them as if they meet at a nearby point due to perspective.
b. Refraction of light in the atmosphere. When sunlight passes through layers of air with different temperatures and densities (something common in the atmosphere), it bends. This can make the Sun appear higher, lower, or larger than it actually is. It's the same principle by which a straw appears "broken" in a glass of water. Example: The Sun visible on the horizon during sunrise or sunset has already crossed the horizon, but we still see it due to refraction.
c. Lightning formation in clouds. Sunlight passing through clouds can project beams of light at dramatic angles, especially when moisture or light-scattering particles are present. This gives the illusion that the Sun is just "behind that cloud" or very close, when in reality it is about 150 million kilometers away.
d. Camera lenses and overexposure. Cameras don't capture light like the human eye. In many photos, the contrast between bright sunlight and shadows makes the sun appear sharper or closer, especially if there are lens flares or optical effects.
14. Why does it appear in certain photographs or videos as if the sun is inside or in front of the clouds?
The reason the Sun sometimes appears to be inside or in front of clouds in photographs or videos is primarily due to optical and camera exposure effects, not an incorrect physical position of the Sun relative to the clouds. Some of the most common causes are:
a. Overexposure of the sun. Cameras, especially those on phones or low-quality ones, have a limited dynamic range. When pointed at the sun, the intense sunlight can overexpose the image, causing brightness to "bleed" into adjacent areas, as if it were in front of clouds.
b. Halo and scattering effects. When the Sun is partially covered by clouds, its light can scatter in the atmosphere or in the clouds' water droplets, creating halos, bright spots, or illuminated edges that appear to be in front of the clouds, even though they are physically behind them.
c. Contrast and editing. Some photos or videos have automatic contrast adjustments that can accentuate sunlight against the dark background of clouds, creating an incorrect visual illusion of depth.
d. Silhouette or backlight effect. When the Sun is near the horizon, it is sometimes visually located between cloud layers: for example, there may be low clouds in front of it and higher ones behind it, creating an ambiguous scene and giving the impression that it is “among” the clouds.
e. Video compression errors. In low-quality videos, compression can cause the edges of the sun and clouds to blend together, leading to visual misinterpretations.
PHENOMENA OF PHYSICS
15. Why would someone on the Moon notice little gravity, but the impact on tides here on Earth is more noticeable?
Gravity on the surface of the Moon is about 1/6 that of Earth's, due to its much smaller mass (about 1.2% of Earth's mass). Because of this, astronauts there weigh less and can make long jumps. Tides, on the other hand, do not depend on the absolute amount of gravity, but on the gravitational force gradient: the difference in gravity between one side of the Earth and the other. The Moon pulls on the Earth with its gravity; the side of the Earth closest to the Moon feels a slightly stronger pull than the center of the planet; the side farther from the Moon feels a weaker pull; this difference in pull causes the water to "stretch" in both directions:
a. A tide towards the Moon (by direct attraction).
b. A tide on the opposite side (by inertia, since the Earth is “moving away” faster than the water on that side).
c. This stretching of the water in both directions generates two high tides a day.
So how does all this fit together? A person on the Moon feels less gravity because they're on a small, low-mass surface. But the Moon still has enough mass (though less than Earth's) and is very close in astronomical terms (~384,000 km), so its differential effect on Earth is enough to cause noticeable tides. And why doesn't the more massive Sun cause stronger tides? Even though the Sun is much more massive, it's much, much farther away (about 150 million km). The difference in gravity on either side of Earth relative to the Sun is smaller than on the Moon's, even though the Sun does influence the tides—which is why we get stronger spring tides when the Sun and Moon are aligned.
16. Why do some people in supersonic airplanes become unconscious?
People who faint on these flights are exposed to high G-forces, which are acceleration forces. This “G-force” is a measure of how much extra gravity you feel when your body is rapidly accelerated. What is a G-force? 1G = normal gravity on Earth (what we normally feel). 3G, 5G, 7G = forces that multiply your body weight. In other words, at 5G, your body feels as if it weighs five times as much. At sustained levels of 5–6G, you can lose consciousness if you’re not trained or equipped. What causes these G-forces? In cases of inexperienced people fainting, there are conditions that are worth detailing, such as military aircraft or aerobatic jets performing rapid maneuvers (tight turns, steep climbs), training simulators that spin rapidly (human centrifuges), or maneuvers that don’t increase speed much but do dramatically increase acceleration. Ergo, why do you faint? Under high acceleration, blood is diverted away from the brain, especially to the legs. This causes cerebral hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain). As a result, you experience "tunnel vision," then blackout, and then a loss of consciousness (called G-LOC, G-force-induced Loss of Consciousness). How do pilots prevent this? They wear special suits called anti-G suits, which compress the body and prevent blood from flowing downward. They also perform breathing maneuvers called the Valsalva maneuver to maintain blood pressure in the head. This is how they are physically trained to withstand up to 9G for brief periods.
17. Why would a low-speed aircraft not be overtaken by the Earth's greater rotational speed?
By conservation of momentum (inertia). Everything on Earth's surface—people, air, airplanes—already moves with the Earth. When an airplane takes off, it continues moving with the Earth's rotation and carries with it that eastward velocity (the same one it had when it was on the ground). It's as if you were throwing a ball from a moving train: the ball continues moving with the speed of the train, plus its own relative velocity. The air also rotates with the Earth. However, the atmosphere rotates along with the planet due to gravity and atmospheric friction. So an airplane doesn't fly in "static air"; it flies within an atmosphere that also moves at 1,670 km/h (at the equator). Another detail is the frame of reference. So, from our vantage point on Earth, we don't feel the rotation (because everything moves with it). To notice the differences, you would have to use an external frame, like space. But from Earth, we don't feel "absolute velocity," only relative motions. Then there's the consideration of eastbound or westbound flights. You might think that flying eastward (in the same direction as Earth's rotation) should be faster , and flying westward slower. But that effect is offset by the wind and the rotation of the atmosphere, which also move with the Earth. Although there is a small actual effect, airplanes don't "feel" it as the Earth passing them by.
18. Why don't we feel the speed of the planet's rotation?
We feel acceleration, not constant speed. The Earth rotates at a constant speed, and we, along with the atmosphere, move with it. It's like traveling in an airplane at constant speed: we don't feel the movement unless there are sudden changes.
19. Why don't we, nor does ocean water, fall in a theoretical south (down) direction away from the Earth?
Water doesn't "fall" because gravity acts toward the center of the Earth from all points. This means that, for us, "down" is always toward the center of the planet, no matter where we are on Earth. Gravity keeps the oceans glued to the Earth. Proponents of the Flat Earth doctrine argue that gravity doesn't exist, but rather that objects fall "because they have weight," which is circular reasoning. They have no rational explanation for why an object would fall—instead of remaining suspended in its position—if not for the principle of gravity. In any case, if we observe a soap bubble or a drop of water in suspension, any small object near it will stick to it—and it's worth noting that the most economical shape in vacuum or space is a sphere. There is no evidence of a supposed force of attraction or "falling" toward a spatial or extraterrestrial south, nor has any object been seen performing such an action, to support this belief. Therefore, something outside or around the Earth would not have to “fall.”
20. How is it possible for water to be "curved" if it always seeks the level?
The "level" of water means that its surface is perpendicular to the direction of gravity. On a sphere, this means that every point is level with respect to the center of gravity. Thus, "curved" water remains level overall. Furthermore, water has points of tension, and you can observe this with a simple exercise: place one or two drops of water on a coin and see that they don't fall to the sides, but rather curve in a semicircle at its edge (this effect is called "tension").
ONE MORE ALLEGED CONSPIRACY
21. Why would governments and NASA lie about the shape of the Earth?
This question is based on an assumption of a conspiracy without evidence that only clouds the already delicate arguments of many researchers trying to bring certain truths to light. If thousands of scientists, astronauts, engineers from around the world, and independent space agencies were lying, it would be one of the largest and most absurdly impossible conspiracies to sustain. There is no logical motivation, nor solid evidence, that a global deception of this magnitude exists. In essence, there is no compelling reason or valuable basis for assuming such a conspiracy. The idea of maintaining a deception of this nature, solely for the purpose of maintaining a deception, is circular reasoning. However, everything points to a maneuver invented by the CIA to use flat-earthism as a "Trojan horse" to undermine and weaken the core of many real conspiracies that they themselves labeled as "theories." Thus, the dogma of a flat world would achieve the efficient objective of distorting, confusing, dividing, and ridiculing the true conspiracies taking place on this PLANET.
22. Why are there old images and maps that seem to indicate that the Earth is flat?
Because they're drawn on a flat surface. How do you draw a marble on a surface and suggest it's spherical, rather than a disk? Moreover, these maps are meant to show cartography on a flat surface because they're drawn on paper, not something spherical or irregular. Before the development of advanced measurement, navigation, and cartographic projection tools, it was difficult to accurately represent a spherical surface. Therefore, many ancient maps were more symbolic than scientific. Even modern maps that depict the world in two dimensions (such as the Mercator map) can give the impression of a flat Earth, even though they're based on a projection of a sphere. These projections necessarily distort reality to make it "fit" onto a flat surface. Did the ancients believe the Earth was flat, a plate, or a domed disk? Like the previous point, this fascinating and extensive topic is the subject of another article that I published previously, and that you can follow here, where I also explain 47 reasons, independent of those cited here, why the Earth cannot be flat, and, on the contrary, is spherical: https://www.frederickguttmann.com/forum/geopolitica/the-earth-spherical-or-flat
You can also watch this podcast where I go into more depth on this particular point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15tnlNL7WaQ (remember to activate Engllish subtitles)