Neil deGrasse Tyson proves the Earth is not flat once and for all

There are still people in the world who shun collective knowledge, decades of scientific progress and all formal education systems to conclude that the Earth is flat.

Flat Earthers, they’re called.

And although numerous experts and organisations - Nasa, Elon Musk and a bunch of other highly intelligent individuals – have provided exhaustive explanations about why the Earth is in fact round, Flat Earthers haven’t taken to them.

Well, now it’s American astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s turn to try and convince them of what is quite obviously the truth.

Speaking to StarTalk TV, he proves the Earth is round using a simple example:

A lunar eclipse.

During an eclipse, the sun will always cast the Earth’s shadow into space. During a lunar eclipse, the moon “occasionally” passes through that shadow.

Picture: StarTalk screengrab 

DeGrasse Tyson said:

If you see the shape of Earth’s shadow on the moon? It is always round. Always round.

If Earth was flat, sometimes you’d get like a flat shadow. And we’ve never seen a flat shadow!

In fact, it is a segment of an arch of a circle no matter the orientation of the moon and the sun.

And the only thing that makes a perfectly circular shadow is something that’s perfectly spherical.

Picture: / this is what the Earth's shadow would look like if it was flat 

So, why do flat earthers persist in calling the earth flat?

DeGrasse Tyson has the answer:

We live in a country with a failed education system. Our system needs to train you not only what you know but how to think about information and knowledge.  

If you don’t have that kind of training you’d run around believing anything. 

Hear that, Betsy DeVos?

More: Professor Brian Cox had the perfect response to Flat Earthers

More: Here’s why Nasa is 'lying' about the Earth being round – according to a Flat Earther