LF: Thousands marvel as total eclipse darkens Chile, Argentina, Flat-Earthers Call it FAKE

Title: Thousands marvel as total eclipse darkens Chile, Argentina, Flat-Earthers Call it FAKE - "The sun hologram needs updating’"
Source: Associated Press
URL Source: https://www.apnews.com/0eb6678b88944c48a925fbe20cef75c7
Published: Jul 3, 2019
Author: AP
Post Date: 2019-07-03 07:51:20 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 6704
Comments: 35

The moon blocks the sun during a total solar eclipse in La Higuera, Chile, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. Northern Chile is known for clear skies and some of the largest, most powerful telescopes on Earth are being built in the area, turning the South American country into a global astronomy hub. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

LA SERENA, Chile (AP) — Tens of thousands of tourists and locals gaped skyward Tuesday as a total eclipse of the sun darkened the heavens over Chile and Argentina.

Tourists from around the world gathered to witness the cosmic spectacle, which began in the morning as the moon crossed in front of the sun and cast a shadow that passed over a tiny uninhabited atoll in the South Pacific and headed to South America. Chile and Argentina were the only inhabited places where the total eclipse could be seen.

The eclipse made its first landfall in Chile at 3:22 p.m. (1922 GMT) in La Serena, a city of some 200,000 people where the arrival of more than 300,000 visitors forced the local water company to increase output and service gas stations to store extra fuel. Police and health services were also reinforced.

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” thousands of spectators shouted as they jumped and danced without taking their eyes off the sky. After a brief moment of silence, the yelling returned as the sun’s rays began reaching Earth again.

‘The sun hologram needs updating’ THIS is how flat earthers explain the solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon is at a close enough point to the Earth and simultaneously crosses the path of the sun, causing it to cast a shadow over large parts of Earth’s surface, with the US getting the best view this time around.

All perfectly reasonable if you believe that the Earth, moon and sun are round.

However, some conspiracy theorists believe that the Earth is flat and is part of a big international governmental cover up.

If the Earth is flat, then it would not orbit the sun and the moon would not orbit our planet, both would just appear in our skies, essentially orbiting us.

So how do ‘Flat Earthers’, as they are known, explain the impending solar eclipse?

The conspiracy theorists have taken to Reddit to detail how they believe the natural phenomenon occurs.

Some believe the sun and the moon are simply holograms projected in the sky, to convince the masses that we are part of the universe which we are led to believe we are in.

Sometimes, these holograms need updates, flat earthers say.

A person by the username Hoeskioeh wrote on Reddit: “Maintenance downtime of the sun/moon hologram, new firmware upgrade.”

Another explanation is that the moon is actually much larger than the sun – in reality the sun’s diameter is 400 times larger than the moon’s – and it crosses in front of it to turn the day black.

Reddit user Anschauung wrote: “The sun is very small and much closer to Earth than ‘roundies’ claim it to be.

“It's only a few hundred meters wide and about five miles above our disc.

“The moon is much, much larger and a tiny little bit closer. When the enormous moon passes just beneath the tiny sun it completely obscures its light.”