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The Final Experiment (expedition)
The Final Experiment was a 2024 expedition to Antarctica done with the intent of challenging the validity of modern flat Earth beliefs. It marked the first known time that modern flat Earthers travelled to Antarctica.[1] The expedition, which took three years of preparation, was organized by Will Duffy, an American Christian pastor and disbeliever of the flat Earth theory who invited a total of forty-eight content creators so that they could witness and livestream the Midnight sun, a natural phenomenon which contradicts most flat Earth theories and is dismissed by most flat Earthers as not being real. Half of the invitees were flat Earthers, while the others frequently made content to rebuke flat Earth theories. Although most of the invitees did not participate, the expedition took place nonetheless with a number of both flat Earthers and "globe Earthers" (believers in spherical Earth) from 14 to 17 December, with the travelers taking a plane flight from Chile to Antarctica. The experiment was successful, with the Midnight sun being livestreamed by both flat Earth and globe Earth content creators. The participating flat Earthers all admitted to the Midnight sun phenomenom being real, although the larger flat Earth community has rejected the results entirely, accusing the participants, including the flat Earthers, of having faked the expedition. Another Christian pastor, flat Earther Dean Odle, suggested publicly that the sun witnessed during the expedition was a false sun created by Satan. Flat Earth conspiracy beliefs The Earth's spherical shape was discovered in ancient Greece and has been repeatedly confirmed over the centuries since. Modern flat Earthers have used social media sites such as YouTube to spread pseudoscientific conspiracy theories claiming the shape of the Earth is a flat disc.[2] In the azimuthal equidistant projection used by many flat Earthers, Antarctica is said to be an "ice wall" encircling the Earth. For the Sun to illuminate the entire wall at once, the entire disc would have to be lit up for 24 hours, contradicting accepted observations of the day-night cycle. Hence, observing the midnight sun would falsify the Flat Earth model.[citation needed] ExpeditionWill Duffy is a volunteer Christian pastor of Agape Kingdom Fellowship in Denver, Colorado, and former investment broker. The idea for the expedition came from debates he had with a friend of his who was a flat Earther, and took about three years to happen.[2][3][1] He invited twenty-four flat Earthers and twenty-four globe Earthers to make a trip to the privately operated Union Glacier Camp located at approximately 79 degrees south latitude, where they could observe the midnight sun, although most of the participants would have had to pay for the trip.[1] The expedition cost approximately $35,000 per person. Some expedition members crowdfunded their trip, while Duffy says he paid the travel costs for four of the participants. Duffy also started a YouTube channel called "The Final Experiment" to promote the expedition and document the results.[2][3] Flat Earthers could participate in a "Golden Ticket" random selection event where one of them picked at random would earn a participation in The Final Experiment, entirely paid by Duffy; the winner was Lisbeth Acosta, a member of the group FlatEarth Gang.[1] Many flat Earthers believed that the Antarctic Treaty restricted access to the continent during summer to preserve the "myth" of a 24-hour sun.[1] Despite this, the party disembarked at Union Glacier Camp without issue after a plane flight from Chile. Using Starlink, they were able to live-stream the midnight sun for three days.[4] ReactionsJeran "Jeranism" Campanella, an American Youtuber popular among flat Earth content creators, acknowledged that his flat Earth model was no longer valid after witnessing the midnight sun firsthand.[2] He said, "I realise that I'll be called a shill for just saying that. And you know what, if you're a shill for being honest, so be it." He later stated to The Denver Post that he was going to "step away" from the flat-Earth community.[1][2] Fellow flat Earth creator Austin "Witsit Gets It" Whitsitt, while livestreaming the Midnight sun, claimed live: "I was one of the people that said I definitely didn't think that there was a 24-hour sun. We obviously haven't actually seen the sun for 24 hours, but it is doing what they said it would do, very clearly. It is still dancing around high in the sky. So obviously we're documenting it. But I said what I feel about this the whole time, truth doesn't fear investigation. I think we're truly trying to figure out the truth. Obviously some people think that what we were told is the truth, I don't think that but I do think that people need to be honest and humble and be like, whoa, you know, we were wrong when we claimed that there was no 24-hour sun." He, however, still considered himself a flat Earther.[1] Flat Earth expedition member Lysbeth Acosta agreed that the Midnight sun was real, stating: "I've seen a lot of vitriol, a lot of crashing out on both sides and it's just like, are we here for truth or are we here to hold onto a narrative and ego? That's not saying a 24-hour sun proves a globe model, there's still things that are definitely in question."[1] Mark Herman, Candace Owens's director who took part in the expedition, stated: "Who would have thought? Two groups of people who are so opposed in belief and ideology to the point where there's ridicule, there's shame, all kinds of horrible things, but when they come together, there's so much camaraderie and teamwork between people. I'm very thankful to be a part of it."[4] The wider flat Earth community has largely denied the results of the expedition, claiming that the footage was filmed in a dome studio or on a green screen, and that the participants were part of a larger conspiracy to promote the globe model.[2] Duffy stated of the overall reaction from flat Earthers: "The flat Earth community is imploding. They cannot decide what to believe. They've all come up with their own conspiracies."[2] Duffy was accused of taking funds from his church to finance the expedition, which he has denied. Dominic Enyart, a friend of Duffy and a member of his congregation, said the accusations were baseless.[2] Campanella suggested that Duffy might come to regret the expedition, claiming that Duffy was now "this evil villain of the flat-Earth world."[2] During his sermon in 30 December, Dean Odle, an Alabama pastor, suggested that Satan created a fireball to act as a false sun to undermine a fringe interpretation of Scripture, stating: "You don't think Satan would go, 'OK boys, y'all head on down there to Antarctica. I'll be there on this day. I'll clear the weather up for you, and I'll be the angelic light in the sky?'"[2] See alsoReferences
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