The claim
Apparently a leaked photo from a SpaceX satellite (!) shows the “Flat Earth” for the first time.
Our conclusion
The picture has been around for a long time. Images of this type are so-called stereographic projections of the globe, which are often used in geometry.
Sometimes I wish I could be in the minds of such people, even if just for a day, because life must be terribly exciting for them, an eternal conspiracy crime story.
The latest episode: Elon Musk's Internet satellites should suddenly be able to take photos. However, the transmission of the photos to Earth was not encrypted, which is why NASA hackers were able to intercept them. And this sensational photo has now allegedly been leaked. Is the “Flat Earth” finally proven? Um…. no.
The alleged evidence
This photo appeared on Telegram (of course, where else?) a few days ago, which is now being shared as a screenshot on social media:
In the photo you can see the continents in a distorted manner, with the sun and moon to the left and right, all surrounded by ice. The description of the picture is:
“Data leak at Elon Musk AND NASA – this photo and eleven other photos are said to come from one of Elon Musk’s Space X satellites. These photos were not encrypted during transmission. NASA hackers would have intercepted them.”
spread in French , not surprisingly: by a QAnon supporter
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The fact check
Let's approach the alleged photo logically: It is not known whether the SpaceX satellites (strictly speaking, they are Starlink satellites, SpaceX is the name of Elon Musk's space company) whether they really have cameras on board, because they are actually only there for that purpose Internet communication.
But let's just assume they have cameras: The satellites orbit the Earth at an average altitude of 550 kilometers. The photo would have to have been taken at this altitude - and also shows the sun and moon, which would mean that the two celestial bodies are much closer to the earth than expected, at least much closer than 550 kilometers!
Logical questions
Now the price questions, because if this a photo:
- Why is the whole photo lit? Was it suddenly daytime everywhere at the same time?
- Where have all the clouds over the continents and the water gone?
Simultaneous lighting and the absence of clouds can also be seen in photos from NASA, for example, but the photos are always explained that they were put together from several dozen photos and/or the clouds were digitally removed.
But which brings us to another, logical question:
- Why are thousands of photos from NASA, ESA and other space agencies not believed, but a single, allegedly leaked photo is supposed to be real?
Where does the photo really come from?
By the way, this alleged photo is not unique, but is very common in similar forms, but for a reason that we'll get to in a moment. Let's first take care of the image currently circulating - because this is anything but new:
This exact image was used for memes three years ago
So it is by no means a new “leaked” photo, but has been floating around the Internet for a long time.
But what does this and similar images really show?
The photo above is definitely manipulated as it shows the sun and moon, but there are many similar images with the continents in the middle and what appears to be a large mass of ice around them. However, these are not photos of a “flat earth”, but something completely different:
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Images of this type are so-called stereographic projections . In geometry, stereographic projection is a specific mapping (function) that projects a sphere onto a plane.
Of course, this form of illustration can only be used as an illustration of the earth, but not as a kind of map, since the projection completely distorts the continents and their distances from each other and no flight line would work anymore.
These projections are therefore of no use for navigation, but are preferred for statistical applications in geometry because the areas of the continents are preserved.
Conclusion
As exciting as the story of SpaceX satellites, NASA and leaked photos is, it is just a fairy tale for followers of the “Flat Earth” conspiracy myth, who believe in their strange world of thinking that they have found further proof of their confused beliefs.
Interesting in this context:
“The Earth is flat, has a glass dome as a sky, and the edge of the world is surrounded by a wall of ice.” No, we are not quoting from a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett here, but rather summarizing what supporters of the “Flat Earth” -Believe theory.
Let’s get to the bottom of the most common *cough* “evidence”…. Flat Earth – The flat conspiracy theory about the flat earth
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )