Beautiful horizon is '˜proof of flat Earth'

Members of the Flat Earth Network say video footage of Blackpool’s horizon, showing the offshore wind farm and Isle of Man, proved that the Earth is indeed flat, despite popular scientific opinion that it is spherical.

A spokesman said: “The wind turbines are 30 miles away and the Isle of Man is 65 miles away, neither should be seen from Blackpool if we are on a globe.”

But experts say the unusual view was caused by a combination of warm weather and cold sea temperatures affecting the curve of light.

Dr Megan Argo, astronomy lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “This is a beautiful example of the bending of light caused by a temperature inversion, often referred to as a mirage. Normally, due to the curvature of the Earth you could not see more than a few miles out to sea when standing at sea level on the beach, so the island would not be visible from the beach most of the time. The image of the Isle of Man behind the wind turbines is caused by light rays from the island being bent by a warm layer of air sitting over a colder layer.

“Warmer air has a lower density than cold air, this changes the refractive index of the air and literally changes the speed of light within that layer.

“The recent spell of unseasonably warm weather for April combined with the normal cold sea temperatures at this time of year to provide the perfect conditions for producing this type of optical effect.”