Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The flat-Earthers are still trying to convince themselves that these classic ether experiments showed the Earth was stationary.
I will highlight the original text from each experiment to show what they really said. I will show that none of these scientists ever concluded that - they didn't even mention the possibility.
I will then evaluate whether or not we could interpret these results in the context of a flat, stationary Earth. SPOILER ALERT: the results are consistent with a rotating sphere.
A lot of people find Einstein's Special Relativity hard to believe. These real-world experiments lead us to Relativity as the only rational explanation.
jump ahead:
@0:00 Intro
@2:11 Movement of Earth through the ether
@4:03 Airy's Failure
@12:53 Michelson-Morley
@17:44 Rotation of Earth within the ether
@18:46 Michelson-Gale
@25:19 Rotating Ether on a Stationary, Flat Earth
@27:29 Ether Does Not Work on a Stationary, Flat Earth
@34:09 Ether Does Not Work on a Rotating, Spherical Earth in Stationary Ether
@34:53 Summary (Ether Does Not Work, Earth is a Rotating Sphere, this leads us to Relativity)
source material:
Airy's Failure:
Proceedings of the Royal society of London, VOL20 (1871-1872)
"On a supposed alteration in the amount of Astronomical Aberration of Light, produced by the passage of Light through a considerable thickness of Refracting Medium." By George Biddell Airy, C.B. Astronomer Royal.
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k56114d/f79.table
Michelson-Morley:
American Journal of Science (Third Series) Vol. XXXIV No. 203-November 1887
"On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Liminiferous Ether." by Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley.
history.aip.org/exhibits/gap/PDF/michelson.pdf
Michelson-Gale:
Astrophysical Journal, vol. 61, April 1925
"The Effect of the Earth's Rotation on the Velocity of Light, II." by A. A. Michelson and Henry G. Gale Assisted by Fred Pearson.
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1925ApJ....61..140M
Errors:
@12:54 I say, "...late 1900s." I should have said, "...late 19th century." or, "...late 1800s."
Duh... the date is right there on the slide.
The flat-Earthers are still trying to convince themselves that these classic ether experiments showed the Earth was stationary.
I will highlight the original text from each experiment to show what they really said. I will show that none of these scientists ever concluded that - they didn't even mention the possibility.
I will then evaluate whether or not we could interpret these results in the context of a flat, stationary Earth. SPOILER ALERT: the results are consistent with a rotating sphere.
A lot of people find Einstein's Special Relativity hard to believe. These real-world experiments lead us to Relativity as the only rational explanation.
jump ahead:
@0:00 Intro
@2:11 Movement of Earth through the ether
@4:03 Airy's Failure
@12:53 Michelson-Morley
@17:44 Rotation of Earth within the ether
@18:46 Michelson-Gale
@25:19 Rotating Ether on a Stationary, Flat Earth
@27:29 Ether Does Not Work on a Stationary, Flat Earth
@34:09 Ether Does Not Work on a Rotating, Spherical Earth in Stationary Ether
@34:53 Summary (Ether Does Not Work, Earth is a Rotating Sphere, this leads us to Relativity)
source material:
Airy's Failure:
Proceedings of the Royal society of London, VOL20 (1871-1872)
"On a supposed alteration in the amount of Astronomical Aberration of Light, produced by the passage of Light through a considerable thickness of Refracting Medium." By George Biddell Airy, C.B. Astronomer Royal.
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k56114d/f79.table
Michelson-Morley:
American Journal of Science (Third Series) Vol. XXXIV No. 203-November 1887
"On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Liminiferous Ether." by Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley.
history.aip.org/exhibits/gap/PDF/michelson.pdf
Michelson-Gale:
Astrophysical Journal, vol. 61, April 1925
"The Effect of the Earth's Rotation on the Velocity of Light, II." by A. A. Michelson and Henry G. Gale Assisted by Fred Pearson.
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1925ApJ....61..140M
Errors:
@12:54 I say, "...late 1900s." I should have said, "...late 19th century." or, "...late 1800s."
Duh... the date is right there on the slide.
