Martin: Another method added

2026-08-29T17:01:47Z

Another method added

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:01, 29 August 2026
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	Which is closest to the truth?		Which is closest to the truth?

			===Celestial Navigation===

	Celestial navigation tells us that the distance along a great circle, which includes the equator, is 60 nautical miles (NM) per degree. The full circle of the equator will therefore be		Celestial navigation tells us that the distance along a great circle, which includes the equator, is 60 nautical miles (NM) per degree. The full circle of the equator will therefore be

	60 x 360, or 21600 NM. This converts to 40,003 km.		60 x 360, or 21600 NM. This converts to 40,003 km.

			===Google Earth===

	The measurement tool of Google Earth, which uses the same geometric model for the earth as Google maps, can be used to find the length of the equator. It's a bit fiddly, the result I got was 40,074 km.		The measurement tool of Google Earth, which uses the same geometric model for the earth as Google maps, can be used to find the length of the equator. It's a bit fiddly, the result I got was 40,074 km.

			===Avenue Equatorial, Macapá, Brazil===

			As its name suggests, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macap%C3%A1#Marco_Zero_monument this street] runs along the equator in Brazil.
			[[File: Avenue_equatorial.jpeg\|center\|900px\|thumb\| Avenue Equatorial, Macapá, Brazil. ''Google Maps'']]
			Using Google Maps, we can measure the actual length, which is 1.9 km, or 1 NM;. This is 1 minute of arc along a great circle of the earth, which as all celestial navigators know, includes the equator; the Brazilians seem to have thought this through. Anyone who disputes the measurement can look on Google Maps themselves and if they are still sceptical, could drive along it and check the odometer.

			Using this, we can make another simple calculation of the length of the equator. There are

			60 x 360 = 21,600

			minutes of arc in a full circle. To convert this to km, multiply by the length:

			21,600 x 1.9 = 41,0400 km

	Putting all this together, we can compare all the results.		Putting all this together, we can compare all the results.
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	\|-		\|-
	\| Globe \|\| Google Earth \|\| 40,074		\| Globe \|\| Google Earth \|\| 40,074
			\|-
			\| Globe \|\| Google Maps\|\| 41,040*
	\|-		\|-
	\|}		\|}

			<nowiki>*</nowiki>Bear in mind that the distance Google Maps returns is only accurate to 0.1 km.

	==Conclusion==		==Conclusion==

Martin: Created page with "It is safe to say that flat earthers and the rest of civilisation agree that the latitude/longitude coordinate system accurately maps locations on the Earth; after all, they make a lot of noise about celestial navigation proving the earth is flat. It's also the basis of mapping, including GPS. Mention ''equator'' to flerfs and they will often deny its existence, or point out that it's not a real line on the face of the earth, or some other panic measure. Which is odd, b..."

2026-08-29T14:57:48Z

Created page with "It is safe to say that flat earthers and the rest of civilisation agree that the latitude/longitude coordinate system accurately maps locations on the Earth; after all, they make a lot of noise about celestial navigation proving the earth is flat. It's also the basis of mapping, including GPS. Mention ''equator'' to flerfs and they will often deny its existence, or point out that it's not a real line on the face of the earth, or some other panic measure. Which is odd, b..."

New page

It is safe to say that flat earthers and the rest of civilisation agree that the latitude/longitude coordinate system accurately maps locations on the Earth; after all, they make a lot of noise about celestial navigation proving the earth is flat. It's also the basis of mapping, including GPS.

Mention ''equator'' to flerfs and they will often deny its existence, or point out that it's not a real line on the face of the earth, or some other panic measure. Which is odd, because they can't deny the 0° circle of latitude as it is a feature of the celestial navigation they love so much, despite it being part of the spherical coordinate system. The equator is, of course, the 0° circle of latitude.

Asking for the length/circumference of the equator/0° circle of latitude inevitably leads to deflection and denial. There is a good reason for this; the answer leads to the falsification of the flat earth model.
==Globe vs Flat Earth Models==
===Globe===
[[File:globe earth longitudes.png|right|300px|thumb| The equator (0° circle of latitude) circles the earth mid-way between the poles.]]
The earth is an oblate spheroid, or a slightly squashed sphere; the circumference through the poles (40,007 km) being about 68km less than the circumference of the equator (40,075 km). The [https://www.universetoday.com/articles/earths-circumference average circumference] is 40,041 km. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eratosthenes Eratosthenes] (276 - 194 BCE) was the first to reliably measure the circumference, getting a value of 40,338 km.

===Flat===
[[File:flat earth longitudes.jpeg|right|300px|thumb| The North Pole is the centre of latitudes on a flat earth.]]
At the time of Eratosthenes, it was commonly known that the earth was spherical and the sun was a very distant object. Flat earthers believe that the earth is flat and the sun is local, so the method used by Eratosthenes is not applicable. As the equator is a circle centred on the North Pole, its circumference must be

2 x π x r

where r, the radius, is the distance from the equator to the North Pole. Historically, the [https://www.npl.co.uk/resources/the-si-units/metre metre was defined] as 1/10,000,000 of this distance, which equals 10,000 km. The modern distance is not much different to this. So according to flat earth, the circumference of the earth is

2 x π x 10,000, or 62,832 km

==Comparing the Models==

There is quite a difference in the two measurements of earth's circumference:

Eratosthenes = 40,338 km
Flat geometry = 62,832 km

Which is closest to the truth?

Celestial navigation tells us that the distance along a great circle, which includes the equator, is 60 nautical miles (NM) per degree. The full circle of the equator will therefore be

60 x 360, or 21600 NM. This converts to 40,003 km.

The measurement tool of Google Earth, which uses the same geometric model for the earth as Google maps, can be used to find the length of the equator. It's a bit fiddly, the result I got was 40,074 km.

Putting all this together, we can compare all the results.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Geometry !! Method!! Circumference (km)
|-
| Flat || 2 x π x r || 62,832
|-
| Globe || Eratosthenes || 40,338
|-
| Globe || Celestial navigation || 40,003
|-
| Globe || Google Earth || 40,074
|-
|}

==Conclusion==

Flat geometry is the one clear anomaly here; the globe results are in good agreement. We must reject the notion that the earth is flat and accept that the globe is the best model.

[[Category: Globe evidence]]

Equator Length - Revision history

Martin: Another method added