What makes the Earth seem flat even though it’s round?

We have all admired the stunning images of Earth from space. Reuters/File Photo The Earth is about 42 million feet wide, and even a tall adult’s viewpoint is just 6 feet above its surface. Like a fly on a circus ball, we just can’t see enough of the edge where the Earth meets the sky. Big commercial airliners also can fly high enough to give glimpses of Earth’s curvature, although pilots have a much better view from the front of the plane than passengers get from side windows. Reuters/File Photo This is caused by Earth’s rotation, which creates centrifugal force – the same force that would cause you to fly off a spinning merry-go-round if you didn’t hold on.