Flat-Earthers say Blood Moon was FAKE – and ‘invisible satellite’ is to blame for lunar eclipse
The kooky conspiracy theorists think our planet is shaped like a pizza
FLAT-EARTHERS have cooked up a wacky theory to explain Monday's total lunar eclipse.
The conspiracy theorists, who believe the Earth is disc-shaped rather than a sphere, claim the the crimson Super Wolf Blood Moon was triggered by an invisible "Shadow Object".
Total lunar eclipses are caused by the moon passing through the shadow cast by the Earth.
Earth's nearest neighbour turns blood-red because light from the sun passes through our planet's atmosphere before hitting the moon.
But in the world of Flat-Earthers, this doesn't sit right.
The kooky group believe the Earth is shaped like a pizza, with the sun and the moon floating above the North Pole.
If you believe this version of events, then our planet cannot cast a shadow on the moon, and so Flat-Earthers have come up with their own explanation for a total lunar eclipse.
They claim a mysterious "shadow object" passing between the moon and the sun is responsible.
It orbits close to our star but has never been seen by scientists, according to theory.
"The shadow object is never seen in the sky, because it orbits close to the sun," says .
"Its orbital plane is tilted at an angle of about 5°10' to the sun's orbital plane, making eclipses possible only when the three bodies (Sun, Object, and Moon) are aligned."
The group does give the shape, size or composition of the Shadow Object, but say it could be a natural satellite like an asteroid – or even a whole planet.
"There is a possibility that the Shadow Object is a known celestial body which orbits the sun.
"More study would be needed to track the positions of Mercury, Venus and the sun's asteroid satellites and correlate them with the equations for the lunar eclipse before any conclusion could be drawn."
This doesn't sit with scientists' predictions for when Venus and Mercury will pass between Earth and the sun.
Their positions suggest Mercury will transit across the Sun on November 11, 2019, while the next transit of Venus will be in December 2117.
The fact that several total lunar eclipses will occur between now and then suggests they can't be responsible.
This isn't the first time conspiracy theorists have rattled off about lunar eclipses.
What is a Blood Moon? Lunar eclipses explained
Here's what you need to know...
The Earth is constantly rotating around the Sun, and the Moon is constantly rotating around the Earth.
Sometimes all three can align, placing the Earth directly between the Sun and the Moon in a straight line.
It means the Moon is in the darkest part of Earth's shadow – the "umbra".
And due to convenient sizing and distancing of all three objects, no sunlight can directly reach the Moon.
However, some sunlight is refracted by Earth's atmosphere, making the Moon appear reddish – hence the name "Blood Moon".
Lunar eclipses typically last just a few hours, and can be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth.
Because they're typically quite dim, it's also possible to view lunar eclipses without eye protection, which isn't the case with a solar eclipse.
There are three different types of lunar eclipse:
- Total lunar eclipse – This is where the Moon turns deep red, receiving only light that's passed through Earth's atmosphere.
- Penumbral lunar eclipse – This is when the Sun, Moon and Earth fail to form a perfect straight line, so the Moon only travels through the outer part of Earth's shadow. This means the Moon's surface is partly darkened.
- Partial lunar eclipse – This is when part of the Moon travels through Earth's full shadow, which results in part of the Moon being darkened.
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Loony stargazers believe the world will end after series of four consecutive lunar eclipses.
Paul Begley from West Lafayette, Indiana, predicted there was a small chance the world would end during Monday's eclipse.
However, most people simply enjoyed the rare spectacle with a series of stunning pictures posted to social media.
What do you think of the Flat-Earther theories? Let us know in the comments!
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