+10 votes
in Astronomy by
edited by

Your answer

Your name to display (optional):
Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications.
+4 votes
by

Yes, circumnavigation of the Earth has been used as evidence to support the idea that the Earth is round. Numerous individuals and expeditions throughout history have successfully traveled around the Earth in a roughly straight line and returned to their starting point, demonstrating the spherical shape of our planet.

One of the most famous examples is Ferdinand Magellan's expedition from 1519 to 1522. Magellan set out with a fleet of ships and traveled westward, eventually completing a circumnavigation of the Earth. Although Magellan himself did not survive the journey, one of his ships, the Victoria, returned to Spain, thus completing the first recorded circumnavigation.

Since then, many other explorers, adventurers, and aviators have accomplished similar feats. For instance, in 1884-1886, Joshua Slocum became the first person to sail single-handedly around the world in a small sailboat called the Spray. Similarly, in 1924, the US Army Air Service conducted the first aerial circumnavigation of the Earth using a combination of airplanes and ships.

These circumnavigations, whether by land, sea, or air, provide tangible evidence that the Earth is a curved, spherical shape, as traveling in a straight line consistently brings the travelers back to their starting point. Such expeditions, along with other evidence from astronomy, geodesy, and satellite imagery, collectively support the understanding that the Earth is indeed round.

Welcome to Physicsgurus Q&A, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community.
...