Flat Earth

Does the fact that planes can take off and land prove that the Earth is flat? No, that's not true: The claim ignores Newton's first and second laws of motion that explain how both happen on the constantly spinning Earth. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on October 23, 2022. It opened: FLAT EARTH FACT PLANES LANDING ON A…

Is it true that airplanes fly "straight and level" and that this proves the Earth is flat? No, that's not true: An aviation expert told Lead Stories that "airlines don't fly in a literal straight line" because airplanes fly based on altitude, measured from sea levels. The expression "straight and level" refers to maintaining steady altitude so that the plane…

Does a "documentary" called "HOW EARTH BECAME A BALL" prove that the Earth is flat? No, that's not true: Although it's presented as a documentary, "HOW EARTH BECAME A BALL" is an unauthorized repackaging of a 1990 Canadian satirical movie, "In Search of the Edge." It's a mockumentary about flat Earth (FE) theory. John Hoskyns-Abrahall with Bullfrog Films, the distributor…

Are Starlink satellites not in space? No, that's not true: The images used to claim that Starlink satellites are not in space are of balloons that are in the South Pole and have been frequently photographed and reported on. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on October 19, 2022. It opened: STARLINK is NOT in SPACE!!!When you start to…

Are satellites a myth because there is no way they could survive high temperatures in space? No, that's not true: A NASA spokesperson called this claim about satellites "misleading." According to NASA, artificial satellites are built to survive high temperatures in space, but they orbit in a layer of the atmosphere, the thermosphere, where sufficient gas molecules do not exist…

Does the United Nations flag prove that the Earth is flat? No, that's not true: According to the UN website, its flag shows a projection of the planet, centered on the North Pole. Like three-dimensional school globes, the UN emblem proportionately reproduces actual distances, but in a two-dimensional form. The claim about the UN flag reappeared in a TikTok video…

Does a "leaked video" show Hillary Clinton leading a space cult in an "annual Earth ritual"? No, that's not true: This video shows a space-themed birthday party that took place over Labor Day weekend 2022. The video and an article published by nextnewsnetwork.com play on conspiratorial beliefs about Satan-worshiping elites but eventually reveal that the "annual ritual" was just a…

Are Russia and China creating a "new global reserve currency" based on "rare earth minerals" as videos on social media claim? No, that's not true: The original source of the story, Russian President Vladimir Putin, brought up the idea of a reserve currency based on a basket of currencies of BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa…

Do photos prove that sea levels aren't rising? No, that's not true: Scientists agree that the global sea level is rising, and it is rising at an increasing rate. Photographs of historic landmarks, displayed without any context or explanation, cannot show whether sea levels are rising or falling. The photos appeared in a Facebook post published on July 17, 2022.…

Did NASA use the landscape of a remote Arctic island in Canada to produce fake images that were then falsely represented as exploration on the planet Mars? No, that's not true: This accusation lacks a key element -- there is no evidence that NASA has misrepresented images from the Haughton Mars Project (HMP) or any other analog mission conducted on…