“Antarctica isn’t a unified continent but a giant ice wall—just like in Game of Thrones—that surrounds the continents of Earth.” This claim, made by YouTuber and flat earther Mark Sargent in the documentary Behind the Curve, encapsulates the beliefs of a group convinced the Earth is flat. Years later, 24 flat earthers and 24 globe supporters embarked on an expedition to Antarctica to settle the matter once and for all.
A failed experiment. Led by Pastor Will Duffy, the group dubbed their journey “The Final Experiment.” Their goal was to prove the Earth’s flatness by investigating the Midnight Sun, a phenomenon caused by the Earth’s axial tilt.
Flat earthers argued that observing the 24-hour Sun in Antarctica would contradict their beliefs. Instead, they witnessed the phenomenon firsthand, further confirming the Earth’s roundness.
Reactions and denial. Jeran Campanella, a prominent flat earther, admitted post-expedition that he had been wrong about the Midnight Sun.
However, the broader flat-earth community continues to dismiss scientific evidence, often driven by extreme literal interpretations of religious texts and skepticism toward mainstream science. In this regard, conservative U.S. political figures such as Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, who have used their platforms to appeal to religious and science-skeptical audiences, have pushed the theory.
You don’t need to go that far. Proving the Earth’s curvature doesn’t require an Antarctic expedition—it takes only a stick. More than 2,200 years ago, Eratosthenes, a Greek mathematician and astronomer, used a simple experiment to demonstrate the Earth’s roundness.
While working at the Library of Alexandria, Eratosthenes read that on June 21 in Syene (now Aswan), the Sun’s rays were perpendicular at noon, casting no shadow. Curious, he conducted a similar observation in Alexandria, about 500 miles north. There, a vertical stick cast a distinct shadow at the same time.
The Alexandria experiment. Eratosthenes realized the difference in shadows could only be explained by a curved Earth. He measured the angle of the shadow in Alexandria—7 degrees—and, using the distance between the two cities, estimated the Earth’s circumference with remarkable accuracy. His experiment also helped establish the concepts of parallels and meridians, laying the foundation for modern geography.
Revived by Carl Sagan. Centuries later, astronomer Carl Sagan revived Eratosthenes’ experiment in his groundbreaking series Cosmos. Using simple tools and logic, Sagan elegantly debunked flat-earth theories and demonstrated the Earth’s spherical nature.
Eratosthenes’ contributions didn’t end there. He calculated the Earth-Sun distance, introduced the leap year, and created the first map with parallels and meridians. His work remains a testament to the power of critical thinking and scientific inquiry—qualities that refuted flat-earth speculation over two millennia ago. What a genius.
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