Flat Earth debunks - Celestial objects

{{pseudoastronomy}}
{{ArticleSeries|Flat Earth|the Flat Earth}}

Flat-Earthers have made several incorrect observations to claim the Earth is flat. This article refutes claims made by flat-Earthers about celestial objects.

== "But the asteroids are fake!" ==

Because it makes very little sense heavy objects fly through the firmament (that supposedly keeps out the heavenly waters above), flat-earthers do not believe asteroids are real. E.g., Mark Sargent has [https://youtu.be/jW_gR2_gVlg?feature=shared&t=22 said] they were fired by the powers be, out of boredom. As a proof of this, flat-earthers have [https://youtu.be/2-vIoLzlVoY?feature=shared&t=300 circulated] [https://youtu.be/ehigxRLVkw4?feature=shared&t=294 images] of mysterious spheres that fell from the sky, and that even [https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/vietnam-space-balls-1.3393229 made the news]. The flatties claimed these are actually the thing people see when they see asteroids, and that the hollow cavity of the spheres had contained the fuel that powers the flight, and/or that burns to create an illusion of an asteroid burning during its {{wpl|Atmospheric_entry|atmospheric entry|.}}

The spheres [https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/the-aliens-arent-attacking-its-just-a-hydrazine-bladder-tank-falling-from-the-sky/news-story/8c32655a58c053b56f0697698d3846b5 turned out] to be upper stage {{wpl|Hydrazine#Rocket_fuel|Hydrazine}} propellant bladder tanks. The ones that look like giant balls of yarn, are [https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20110014357/downloads/20110014357.pdf#page=7 composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs)], that wrap carbon fiber around the tank to increase it's tensile strength, while saving weight.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
Hydrazine tank.jpg|An all-metal Hydrazine propellant bladder tank found in Namibia.
COPV.jpg|A ruptured COPV Hydrazine tank.
Upper stage.jpg|Agena, an upper stage used to place satellites into orbit has its Hydrazine tanks visible. Installed COPVs can be seen [https://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/space-debris/falling-satellite/mystery-of-rocket-tank-re-entry-over-spain-solved/ here].
</gallery>

There have been two predicted, tracked, and recovered impact events: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_LA#Fragment_recovery 2008 TC3] and [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7611328/ 2018 LA].

== See also ==

* [[Flat_Earth|Flat Earth]]

Flat Earth debunks

* [[Flat_Earth_debunks_-_The_Earth|The Earth]]

* [[Flat_Earth_debunks_-_The_Moon|The Moon]]

* [[Flat_Earth_debunks_-_The_Sun|The Sun]]
* [[Flat_Earth_debunks_-_Stars|Stars]]
* [[Flat_Earth_debunks_-_Celestial_mechanics|Celestial mechanics]]
* '''[[Flat_Earth_debunks_-_Astronautics|Astronautics]]'''
* [[Flat_Earth_debunks_-_Astrophotography|Astrophotography]]
* [[Flat_Earth_debunks_-_The_conspiracy|The conspiracy]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Anti-intellectualism]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories]]
[[Category:Denialism]]
[[Category:Flat Earth]]
[[Category:Pseudoastronomy]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience]]

Categories: Anti-intellectualism, Conspiracy theories, Denialism, Flat Earth, Pseudoastronomy, Pseudoscience