Flat Earth: How Bizarre Would Life be if the Earth were Flat?

Earth is our spherical abode. But think of the Earth being flat. After all, some individuals actually believe in this idea which is retrograde. How would the day-to-day life function? Would it even function at all?

Let's explore how strange the Earth would have been if it were flat and whether humans would have been lucky (that is if the earth were flat) to inhabit a bizarre disk with the sun and moon moving above like a cosmic carousel. 

(Photo : Getty Images)

1. Say farewell to gravity (at least it is known)

On spherical Earth, gravity also pulls equally on objects not considering where in the world they are located. For Earth to appear like a flat disk in the first place, gravity - as humans know - must not be having any effect. If it did, soon it would tug the planet back into a spheroid. 

Perhaps, a flat-Earth would not have any gravity at all, as an Earth which is solid and disk-like would not be attainable under true gravity conditions, as per calculations in the 1850s by James Clerk Maxwell, a mathematician and physicist. 

2. It would definitely clear the atmosphere 

With an absence of gravity, flat-Earth won't be capable of holding onto the layer of gases referred to as the atmosphere. What holds this veil all over our planet is the force of gravity. And in the absence of this protective blanket, skies of the Earth would become black and this is because the light sun emits would not scatter anymore as it gets into Earth's atmosphere and colors the skies the known blue seen today.

When atmospheric pressure is lost, plants and animals will be exposed to the vacuum of space, causing asphyxiation in seconds, a zoologist and educator, Luis Villazon, wrote in BBC Science Focus.

Also Read: The Earth is Very Close to Another 'Mass Extinction' Event, Warn Scientists

3. We would all get lost

There is a possibility that satellites would not be in existence if the Earth were flat, because they would have difficulties orbiting a flat plane. A geophysicist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, James Davis, said in a statement: "There are a number of satellite missions that society depends on that just wouldn't work, I cannot think of how GPS would work on a flat Earth." 

4.  There will be no auroras and we'd all be roasted

On spherical Earth, the rotating molten metal all over our iron core produces electric currents that make our protective magnetic field in turn which curves all over the planet from one pole to the other, as per NASA.

(Photo : Pixabay)

5.  Some journeys would take forever  

Longer journeys can be anticipated, not just because of no-GPS navigation problems, but also due to the distances humans would require to travel. As per flat-Earth belief, the Arctic is positioned at the center of the planet and Antarctica develops a great ice wall surrounding the edge; this wall easily stops people from actually falling off the Earth's face.  

Related Article: Scientists are Puzzled as Earth's Core Continues to Grow Lopsided Over Time

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