Re:In defense of flat earthers (2020)
by eesmith on Tuesday January 18, 2022 @06:35AM
(#29977707)
Here's Philip Morrison showing how to do a similar experiment, from the 1980s TV series "The Ring of Truth". https://youtu.be/yRY2SkMTafc?t=567
They found a road that was almost due north and south (US 183 from Bassett, NE to 370 miles south in Coldwater, KS). They measured the elevation of Antares at its zenith one night, then again the next. From that they get the change in latitude. Combined with odometer data and some estimates for wiggles, and end with a result about 5% larger than the best-known solution.
Their measuring instrument was a Ryder van dubbed "The Van of Eratosthenes."
They found a road that was almost due north and south (US 183 from Bassett, NE to 370 miles south in Coldwater, KS). They measured the elevation of Antares at its zenith one night, then again the next. From that they get the change in latitude. Combined with odometer data and some estimates for wiggles, and end with a result about 5% larger than the best-known solution.
Their measuring instrument was a Ryder van dubbed "The Van of Eratosthenes."
As an aside, later in the same episode is when I learned about GPS. https://youtu.be/yRY2SkMTafc?t=2968 . "This is the future of mapping."