Does The Earth Rotate

by William Westfield
(From an old flat earth booklet)

Eclipse In the Moon

It is said the diameter of the moon is about 2,160 miles and that of the earth about 8,000. it is also stated that the moon’s motion round the earth works out at about 37 miles per minute, while in its journey round the sun the earth travels along at about 1,080 miles per minute. Now supposing the shadow cast by the earth on the moon is equal to half its (the earth diameter – 4,000 miles is an outside estimate, as the shadow would tend to converge. And if these figures, given by astronomers of the earth’s and moon’s motion are correct, readers will see it is impossible for an eclipse to last on the moon for more than 7 minutes, although eclipses have been known to last for over 4 hours, so that this shows the eclipse cannot possibly be caused by the shadow of the earth’s rotation.

It is known that there are dark bodies in the heavens, and eclipses may be caused by the periodical motion of one of these. In any case, eclipses are no proof of the earth’s rotundity.

It is argued that the shadow cast on the moon is generally circular. A circular shadow is no necessarily cast by a moving globe. It can be demonstrated in a room with one light. Take a ball or orange and place a flat ruler, so that its shadow is cast upon the ball, and it will be seen that its shadow is curved or circular, it could not be otherwise.

Again, where there is a gaslight with an ordinary mantel over the kitchen table and with an ordinary plate or plates underneath, although flat it shows a circular shade on the table cloth.

Just a word as to the shape of the earth which I consider flat but possibly round like an ordinary plate – as the 7 seas run into each other this is surely agreeable to a fixed, flat earth.

The earth can be circumnavigated, but it is no proof whatever that it is a globe or rotating.