Neil deGrasse Tyson has been known for his straightforward and effective rebuttals to flat Earth claims. In one notable response, he uses basic observational evidence to refute the flat Earth theory.
Tyson often highlights the concept of gravity and how it influences our understanding of the Earth’s shape. He explains that gravity pulls objects towards the center of mass, which naturally forms a sphere. If the Earth were flat, the force of gravity would create noticeable differences in weight depending on where you are on the surface, which isn’t observed in reality.
Another common point he makes is abou
t the curvature of the Earth. Tyson points out that when ships disappear over the horizon, they do so hull-first, not all at once, which is consistent with a spherical Earth. On a flat surface, you’d expect to see the entire ship shrink uniformly rather than the hull disappearing first.
He also references the way that the Earth’s shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse is always round, further proving that the Earth is spherical. This is because only a sphere can cast a consistently round shadow from all angles.
Tyson’s approach is effective because it relies on simple, observable phenomena that anyone can check for themselves, rather than complex scientific jargon. This makes his rebuttals accessible and convincing, providing clear evidence against the flat Earth hypothesis
