Re: Just to be sure: Planet with multiple moons

On May 9, 12:22 am, Eivind <eivindor...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Wayne Throop skreiv:
>
> > You'd be surprised (or rather, I'm surprised) how
> > few people will be able to answer, say, "if it's midnight and the
> > moon is just rising, what's the phase?".  Well... assuming you're
> > moderately close to the equator, I suppose.  Otherwise it can be
> > off by a bit.
>
> People don't -think- about how the world works, not even items they
> interact with daily, much less stuff like the moon.

(snip)

> So it doesn't surprise me that people are completely stumped by
> questions such as, if you're in the northern hemisphere and there's a
> new moon, exactly half, in the south, what time is it ?

  It doesn't help that the popular media seem to help perpetuate this
sort of stumpidity (mind if I make up a word?). Ever watch the
American TV series _Smallville_?

  A typical establishing shot in the show is the exterior of the Kent
farm's barn at night with a crescent moon in the sky. With the horns
pointing DOWN.

  I'm hoping it was done accidentally at first and is now a running
joke since it's never been corrected; the same upside-down moon still
appears. Not that little real-world things like astronomical accuracy
matter much in TV but still.


  Mark L. Fergerson