Next Earth's shadow on the moon during a lunar eclipse certainly proves that Earth is a sphere. Also solstice photos form both North and south poles would not be possible unless Earth were a sphere. As well as, the varying height of the north star as you move from latitude to latitude. The fact that you can make star trail photographs with the north star as a center point would not be possible if earth were not a sphere.
After that, since we now have technology far exceeding that 1542, High flying aircraft, Weather balloons. Astronauts, orbiting spacecraft, pictures of Earth from the moon and pictures of Earth from Mars all demonstrate the overwhelming fact that Earth is an oblate spheroid.
Hopefully, this will satisfy your confusion.
-
Raymond say: Earth has actually been observed to be (almost) spherical, so that proof is no longer needed**. But still, the Greek philosophers had already sufficient evidence, over 2300 years ago, to determine Earth was "round" and very probably spherical.
The crap about Christopher Columbus was invented by an American author (Washington Irving) in his... how to say this politely... "enhanced" biography of Columbus back in 1828 (and a second book still pushing the lie about "flat Earth" beliefs, in 1831).
Unfortunately, for American schools, Washington Irving was named Minister to Spain, by president John Tyler.
This gave Irving far more credibility than he deserved, and his books became school manuals for history courses.
That is why generations of Americans ended up hearing about Columbus proving the Earth was round (false, everyone already knew that for centuries).