Flat-earther's conducts experiment to prove Earth is flat - accidentally proves planet is round instead

A Reddit clip has reignited interest in the 2018 documentary "Behind the Curve," which examines the global community of Flat-Earth believers navigating a world that largely rejects their views. Posted in the r/facepalm community, the viral clip features a pivotal scene where Flat-Earther Jeran Campanella conducts an experiment to prove the Earth is actually a flat plane and not a speroid. Unfortunately for him, the experiment inevitably proves that the Earth is, in fact, not flat.

In the clip, Campanella—part of the YouTube channel Globe Busters—conducts an experiment using a camera, two boards with holes positioned 17 feet above water, and a friend holding a flashlight. The camera is aligned with the holes, which are placed in a straight line at increasing distances. The flashlight holder stands beyond the boards, ready to test the theory. Meanwhile, Campanella's friend with the flashlight stands at a distance further beyond the boards.

Here's what Campanella sets out to prove through the experiment: If the earth actually is flat, no matter how the flashlight is, the camera should be able to perfectly record its light without any occlusion, when it's held at the same height and aligned with the holes. On the other hand, if the earth is round, the planet's curvature comes into play. So the second, more distant hole, would slightly cover the light unless the person with the flashlight positioned the light above his head (7 meters/23 feet above the water level). Needless to say, since the Earth is round, the light doesn't appear on camera when everything is positioned in a way meant to prove the planet's flatness.

A baffled Campanella radioed his friend to confirm the flashlight was 17 feet above sea level. When assured it was, he asked him to lift it higher. Sure enough, the light finally shone through. "Interesting. That's interesting," Campanella says of the result. According to Insider, this particular experiment has been a staple of flat-Earthers since 1836, when Samuel Birley Rowbotham first did it on the Old Bedford River. "Time and time again, it has revealed the curvature of the Earth," the publication states.

In addition to hearing from multiple big names in the flat-Earth community, "Behind the Curve" also features expert commentary from an astrophysicist, a psychologist, a psychiatry professor and a number of physics experts. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, director Daniel J. Clark revealed how he approached his subjects with empathy and humanity rather than trying to disprove their beliefs. "I think the first step is to not be condescending and not to talk down and not belittle people whose beliefs, in most people's eyes, are wrong, because that doesn't change much. Shaming someone doesn't change the way they feel about something. In fact, it probably just reinforces it and they become more entrenched in their belief," he said.

"So approaching it from the angle of, 'I see where you're coming from, now here's where I'm coming from,' is better. I think it's probably idealistic because some people aren't to listen necessarily. And this isn't just Flat Earthers, this is everybody. So if you come at it from a more understanding and empathetic angle, I think you have a better chance of at least having them understand where you're coming from," Clark added. Physicist Spiros Michalakis makes a similar point in the film. "The problem I see is actually not from the side of the conspiracy theorists, it is actually from our side. From the side of science. Very often it's difficult not to look down [on the flat-earthers]," he says, according to Digital Spy. "The worst case scenario is you just completely push these individuals to the fringe of society. And then society has just lost them."

This article originally appeared 2 years ago.