P A N

you may want to look into the proofs of gravity. there are none. there is a claim that one exists - "gravity waves" - but it's pretty sketchy. you can look at all the math you want. gravity is a theory, and it's fairly well known. it's so all pervasive because without it we would fall off the ball. kind of a funny coincidence, really.

Chula Vista

Did you bother to read both articles? The reason it works here on earth is based on a few principles that couldn't be replicated in an experiment. (1) The size/mass of the planet, (2) The speed at which it revolves. (3) The space around us is curved.

Here's another link that explains it in easy terms.

Einstein's World - The Truth about Gravity

The reason why Mars doesn't have an atmosphere is because it's mass and speed results in a gravitational pull that's not strong enough to entrap one. If you weighed 150 pounds here on earth you'd only weigh 57 pounds on Mars. Same thing with the moon. I'm sure you've seen the videos of astronauts bouncing around on the moon like they were rubber balls.

Re: Flat Earth

How much proof do you need? Do you believe we orbit around the sun? Do you believe the earth rotates? After all, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west for a reason, right? And why when the earth partially blocks sunlight from reaching a portion of the moon is the shadow an arc?



Have you ever watched a large ship sail away from a port? Explain why it slowly disappears over the horizon the further it moves away from you.

Have you ever flown across an ocean? A 747 cruises at about 45,000 feet. You can easily see the arc of the planet from that height.

You can even see it from much lower too.



Maintaining a belief that the earth is flat is beyond stupid and ignorant. Unlike the atmosphere and gravity the earth being a sphere has been a proven fact for over 5,000 years.

Look up Hellenistic Astronomy.

__________________

“The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well,
on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away
and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”

Key

Literally, any of the questions you are asking can be answered in 10th grade astronomy class.

P A N

well answer them then. you have the internet at your fingertips. it should be easy.

Key

Why bother? Like Janz said, it's far too easy and should be something people should already know if they went through high school. Not our problem if you couldn't pass astronomy.

P A N

haha. it seems it's a lot easier to talk about how easy it is.

Key

Well, because something like this should be common sense if you've done any form of research on astronomy and space. It's been laid out time and time again, so it's your own ignorance that blinds you.

P A N

i can certainly admit to ignorance. i could even base this thread on my own ignorance. i'm not so arrogant as to assume i even remember everything i've ever learned.

but if it's all so obvious, you should be able to very easily provide be an example of a gaseous, closed system existing without any barrier between it and a vacuous expanse.

my ignorance - the root of my curiosity - is what brought me to these questions, and i found it's not as easy as i'd thought it should be. all this being said, it should be remembered that ignorance can take many forms, and if you wish to be above ignorance yourself - which would give you licence to call me ignorant - you should probably prove it, as it's a hefty claim.

Key

That's the thing, I shouldn't have to provide it, as per it being obvious. Perhaps ignorant wasn't the right word, but all the questions you are asking are questions that I remember being on the final exam for Astronomy class. Maybe i'm ignorant or blinded, but you're throwing around claims about Earth and its surrounding elements that have been debunked time and time again.

P A N

well, why are you participating in the thread? i'm looking to see two things here. one is if people actually have any idea how they came to believe we live on a ball flying through space at a gajillion miles an hour. the other is if the earth is - as i suspect - flat.

there is no shortage of people willing to enlighten me with phrases such as "the earth is not flat." believe me. it's just redundant to inundate threads like this with such unoriginal lines. so, enlighten me with facts. show me what i asked to see. otherwise, i can only assume that - like me - you are not able to do so.

the reason i'm asking for an example of a gaseous system existing within a vacuous expanse without the aid of a barrier is because as far as i can find, there is no other example of this other than earth. i'm not claiming this is a reason - in and of itself - to believe the earth is flat either. i'm just taking this one step at a time.