Where are the stars located in the flat Earth model?
Let's start with the globe-earth model that shows the positions and movements of stars as seen from Earth. In this view, stars are represented in a spherical map that surrounds the Earth like this:
Whatever you think of this model, we do know that it provides an accurate star map for any location on Earth, at any time. Since it's the model that astronomy apps use, you can test it by going outside at night and seeing if the sky matches what the apps show. If you prefer the old-school method, you can buy a star globe like the one pictured and test that against what you see.
The situation is less clear in the flat-earth model. Most flat-earthers agree on a general model that puts the stars in a dome above the Earth with the North Star (Polaris) at the top, like this:
At a glance the flat-earth model looks workable, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. However, there are problems.
For starters, the stars rotate anti-clockwise when you are north of the equator, but rotate clockwise when you are south of the equator. Flat-earthers have proposed various explanations such as the example below. This image is from a video by YouTuber Everything Flat Earth, that illustrates how the visibility and rotation of the stars could be explained on a flat Earth.
This is an example of how the sky could work, but is it how the sky does work? Well, no. In this video, the stars are moving in a way that doesn't match what we see. For example, people in high northern latitudes would see stars rotating in different directions. If you know the night sky well, you'll see other things in this model that don't match observation.
The flat-earth model works best at the North Pole, but as you get farther south, the problems increase. Perhaps the most glaring issue is the location of Southern Hemisphere stars like Sigma Octantis that always appear directly south. In the flat-earth model, south isn't a single direction—it's a 360° circle pointing away from the North Pole. In this scenario there is no way to explain how Sigma Octantis is always due south from any location in the Southern Hemisphere.
This brings us to the crux of the matter: The fact that there is no flat-earth star map.
Using a globe-earth model, you can create a spherical star map that plots the exact position of every star and constellation visible from Earth. You can test this and show that it works consistently with 100% accuracy from any place and any time on Earth. Astronomy software uses this model. Telescopes are programmed according to this model. It just works.
Flat-earthers have never been able to create a map of the sky that works. In all the websites and YouTube videos addressing this issue, not one of them shows an actual map of the sky that plots the positions of the known stars. Where would Sigma Octantis be in the flat-earth map above? Why is Polaris the only star given a location? Exactly where are constellations such as the Southern Cross?
It's not enough to provide generalized graphics that don't show specific locations of stars. It's not good enough to say "we're still working on it". A sky map is a simple thing. You can go outside and draw a map of the stars from your location. Other people all around the world can do the same, then you can join these maps together to create a single large map that covers the entire Earth. In fact it's even easier than that—since we know that astronomy apps are reliable, just use one of them.
There's no excuse for not having a star map for your cosmological model.
Bottom line: When you evaluate a scientific model, the first step is to test it against what you see. The globe-earth star map can be tested and shown to match observation. The flat-earth star map doesn't exist, so there's not even anything to test. The reason it doesn't exist is that it can't, so you'll never see one.
>> Back to the Flat Earth FAQ
Page information
Author: Dave Owen