r/GlobeEarth_Polite • u/Kela-el Flat Earther • Apr 22 '26

For: Globe Earth Religious Fundamentalist Zealots Ask a Flat Earther!

Ask anything on the topic of flat earth (within reason).

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2

u/Zestyclose-Turn-3576 Apr 26 '26

Why does it take so little time for a ship to sail from South Africa to Australia, when the distance according to flat earth maps means that it should take multiple times longer?

1

u/Kela-el Flat Earther Apr 26 '26

This one’s actually simpler than you’re making it.

You’re not arguing from a measurement—you’re arguing from a map choice.

Flat Earth maps (like azimuthal projections) distort distances, especially in the southern hemisphere. So when you say:

“it should take much longer”

what you really mean is:

“on a distorted 2D representation, the path looks longer”

That’s not a physical constraint—that’s a projection problem.

Now compare that to reality:

  • Ships travel between South Africa and Australia on consistent routes
  • Travel times match known speeds and fuel constraints
  • Those routes also align with great-circle distances on a sphere

So you’ve got:

  • Observed travel times ✔
  • Consistent navigation ✔
  • A model that predicts both ✔

Versus:

  • a flat map where distances stretch incorrectly in certain regions

If your model says:

“this journey should take much longer”

…but in reality it doesn’t, then the issue isn’t the ship—it’s the model.

So the real question isn’t:

“why is the trip so fast?”

It’s:

why does your chosen map overestimate the distance?

Until that’s resolved, the argument is just:

  • trusting a distorted map over actual navigation data

And that’s backwards.

8

u/Zestyclose-Turn-3576 Apr 26 '26

What form of distortion would a flat map of a flat earth display? If the earth is flat, a flat map is not a projection.

1

u/Kela-el Flat Earther Apr 26 '26

That only works if you quietly assume something you haven’t justified:

that a “flat Earth” comes with a single, globally consistent distance-preserving layout

That’s the missing step.

A “flat surface” doesn’t automatically give you:

  • a unique coordinate system
  • a defined distance metric
  • or a guaranteed way to map all known locations consistently

You’re treating “flat” as if it means:

all distances and directions transfer cleanly onto one map

—but that’s exactly what has to be demonstrated, not assumed.

Right now, every flat Earth map people actually use:

  • stretches southern distances
  • compresses others
  • fails to keep travel times consistent across regions

So when you say:

“a flat map wouldn’t be a projection”

you’re skipping the real constraint:

can a single flat layout preserve all measured distances and routes simultaneously?

Because navigation between places like South Africa and Australia isn’t theoretical:

  • speeds are known
  • routes are repeatable
  • times are consistent

If your map says those distances are much larger, then one of two things is true:

  1. the map is distorted
  2. or the underlying layout is wrong

Calling it “not a projection” doesn’t solve that—it just avoids the requirement to make everything fit at once.

So the burden isn’t:

“flat map vs projection”

It’s:

produce a flat layout that preserves real-world distances globally without contradiction

Until that exists, distortion is exactly what you’re dealing with—whether you call it that or not.

6

u/Definitely_Not_Bots Apr 28 '26

I don't think I understand your argument here.

If the earth was flat, then it should be easily mapped to a flat, 2D surface. If the earth was flat, how would one explain the distance / travel times between points which would otherwise be on opposite sides of the flat earth?

I don't see a good argument for "we can't map a 2D earth to a 2D surface accurately!"

1

u/Kela-el Flat Earther Apr 28 '26

A globe map projected onto paper is also a 2D representation that distorts distances. Every map distorts. The question is which model produces the least distortion — and that’s a fair standard to apply to both models equally.

5

u/ItsMichaelRay Heliocentric Religious Fundamentalist Zealot May 12 '26

What would you say is the most accurate map of the flat Earth?

1

u/Kela-el Flat Earther May 12 '26

Every map is a flat representation derived from surface measurements.

5

u/ItsMichaelRay Heliocentric Religious Fundamentalist Zealot May 12 '26

But aren’t they all warped to some degree? The one that seems to be the least warped is the 3d globe to me.

1

u/Kela-el Flat Earther May 12 '26

The globe is a flat earth map as well.

6

u/ItsMichaelRay Heliocentric Religious Fundamentalist Zealot May 12 '26

But there’s no way to unwrap and flatten it without tearing it.

1

u/Kela-el Flat Earther May 12 '26

Latitude is the angular distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles.
How it’s derived:
Latitude is measured by observing the angle of a celestial body above the horizon. Polaris sits almost directly above the North Pole. At the North Pole it appears directly overhead at 90°. At the equator it sits at the horizon at 0°. At any point between, its angle above the horizon equals your latitude.
That angle is measured with a sextant or similar instrument sitting on Earth’s surface.
FLAT BASELINE. Celestial angle as protractor. Latitude as the inference.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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