Making Flat Earth Globes
September 19, 2007 by John Krygier
What if the world was spherical, but it didn’t matter?
Most of you have been unable to avoid the flat-earth kerfuffle on the day-time talk show The View.
On a recent episode one of the hosts, Sherri Shepherd, said she doesn’t believe the theory of evolution. Whoopi Goldberg, also a host, asked Shepherd “Is the world flat?”
Shepherd’s response was “…I Don’t know. I… I never thought about it, Whoopi. Is the world flat? I never thought about it.”
Most maps show the earth as flat. Map projection is the process whereby the surface of the 3D earth is transformed into 2 dimensions. A flat earth is usually more useful than a spherical one.
Awhile back I made a flat-earth globe for folks like Ms. Shepherd. It is a globe designed for niche cosmologies.
More images and basic instructions for making your own flat-earth globe below.
I am assuming Ms. Shepherd favors a rather literal interpretation of the all-time best selling Bible (the Christian one). The Bible is largely silent on the flat/spherical earth debate, besides a reference to “the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22) - which rather suggests a 2D earth. So be it.
I believe there is a market for the flat-earth globe, and am certainly willing to entertain proposals for licensing this innovative flat orb.
To make a flat-earth globe:
1. Create an azimuthal equidistant map projection centered on the north pole. A bit of color and a few place names were added to mine, but you don’t need to do this. I printed the globe on a large format ink-jet printer at 1500dpi, but a smaller low-resolution ink jet print would work too. You can use the great free software package GProjector to create the azimuthal equidistant projection. For Projection: select azimuthal equidistant; for the Overlay: one of the Earth outlines that comes with the software, set the Lat to 90° N and the Radius: to 180°.
2. Visit a well-stocked craft store. They usually have thin pressed-wood circles of different sizes for less than $5. Select a wood circle that fits the diameter of your flat-earth globe.
3. Carefully trim the circular flat-earth globe with a sharp blade, using the wood circle as a guide.
4. Glue your flat-earth globe to the wood circle.
5. Craft a stand: I found an old globe at a yard sale and removed it from its stand. I then drilled two holes in the side of my flat-earth-globe and fitted it to the stand. My globe was printed 12 inches wide to fit the stand for a 12 inch globe.
That’s it!
That is cool looking!
BTW, there are those of us who do not believe that the theory of evolution is a sound one who do know that the earth is round.
The problem, of course, would be the carefully imprinted markings on the existing “globe holder” and their correspondence to the new, improved “flat earth” disk.
But very interesting nonetheless, and worthy of creating for teaching purposes. Perhaps you would find a willing market in cartography and introductory geography classes around the country. What do you think your break-even point would be?
I enjoy your blog, John, and often think it’d be fun to get together for old times’ sake.
[...] pretty nifty looking, and you can see pictures of it here. 25 September [...]
[...] Build your own Family Values Flat-Earth “Globe” [...]
I am passing this post along to friends in NASA and, um, certain federal entities. It will come in handy if Gov. Huckabee is successful in his presidential bid.
I love it!! …and want to put one in my backyard garden. Any thoughts on how to adapt these instructions to create a flat-earth globe that will withstand the elements?
I’m curious to know what’s on the reverse side of the circle. One possibility might be a mirror image of the map pictured in the photos, as if the continents continued through the thickness of the circle. Another one might be an azimuthal equidistant map projection centred on the north pole.
Right now the verso of the flat earth is black. I guess the dark depths of hell? I will have to see if there is any theological guidance as to what should be on the underside.
So have you ever made the mythical “globe of a state”?
yes - i do have a globe of Wisconsin. watch for it in a future post.
You people are silly. Science has clealry already proven that the Earth is indeed spherical in shape. If this were not the case, then how did Magellad sail around the world without falling off the purported “edge” you would have people beleive.
Ice wall. It’s all about the Ice wall, Jaudan. And Magellan just flitted his boat to the ice wall, went around the circumfrence of the earth once, then came home and said “I’ve been mutinied against! So I’m not really hear to claim victory! Ignore my ravings!”
And his crew was summarily executed for the heresy of a flat earth. The Church has always historically been very hush hush about the truth–them and their round earth. Bastards!
I suggest a turtle for the reverse image. Or Darwin.