"How many moons orbit the Earth?" quiz question

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drpl

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Hi everyone,<br />Have a very Happy Christmas!<br /><br />Now onto my question <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Last night, I was watching QI, a UK quiz show which tests celebrities knowledge by exposing fallacies that have been accepted as truth. One of the questions was "how many moons does the Earth have?" and one celebrity said "one", and he was informed that he was wrong. The answer was Luna, and another moon that had a weird name but I can't recall it.<br /><br />However, I thought there were more. Isn't/wasn't there a "moonlet" called Toro? I read about it in a childrens book from 1975. Or have I had too much wine and mince pies?<br /><br />TIA<br /><br />Paul
 
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vogon13

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Toro was in an interesting resonance with Venus until a century ago, and then moved into an orbit around the sun that was resonant with earth.<br /><br />Another interesting object is Cruithne.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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Really it all depends on your definition of what a moon is.<br />Is it a smaller object orbiting elliptically around a barycenter between the two objects? If that's the case, there is only one moon of earth. However there are Lagrange points, horseshoe orbits and such, for objects that stay near earth in the near 1AU orbital realm. Are they moons? I think not, but it depends on the definition.<br /><br />My websters dictionary has a definition 4: "any planetary satellite", that definition is "a natural body that revolves around around a planet."<br /><br />By that definition (1), there is only one moon of earth.<br />Definition 2 (for satellite) is, however, "a device designed to be launched into orbit around the earth". That does not fit the "natural" part of thr definition above.<br /><br />Is this show ever asked to verify or defend their answers, or do they just make it up as they go along?<br />I know that I have had problems with many quiz shows where the answers are wrong, or the questions so poorly worded as to be meaningless, and have never recieved a response to my inquiries.. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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alokmohan

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A fine answer.But there is a theory that in past we had five moons.
 
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drpl

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Thanks for your replies: I thought the answer in the quiz was wrong (and its repeated in their book -"The book of general ignorance").<br />Isee the show has its own website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/qi)- which links to a forum. I may give them a pounding over this answer <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />
 
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MeteorWayne

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Since none of those objects "revolve" around the earth, by the strict dictionary definition, they are not moons. <br />Only the moon is a moon. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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Since an object in L-4 does not revolve around the earth, but rather co-orbits with it, in what way would that be consuidered a moon by any definition?<br /><br />Please show me a reference that says a co-orbiting object is a moon.<br /><br />That is not what I understand ANY of the definitions to be. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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Actually, our moon , Luna, is a satellite (definition 1 in my Websters), and it is not artificial.<br />Check the definitions.<br /><br />While definition 4 for a moon in my Websters does include satellites, One has to go from all moon definitions, down to the 2nd definition for satellite to justify anything other than the "Moon" being included. Hence, my astro opinion is that such objects should be called artificial moons. The preferred definitions refer to natural objects orbiting a planet.<br /><br />Since the question in question was nonspecific, it really was a worthless one. Typical of many quiz shows. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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Saiph

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I don't think any objects in the lagrange points would be considered moons. <br /><br />Cruithne and a few other odd objects are candidates for "moon" because their apparent orbit from earth does have it encircle the earth (and the sun <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> ). <br /><br />Lagrange point objects would just sit in front, or behind earth in it's orbit, never to visit any other location in the night sky. (i.e. never reach opposition or conjunction). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#c0c0c0"><br /></font></p><p align="center"><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">----</font></em></font><font color="#666699">SaiphMOD@gmail.com </font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">-------------------</font></em></font></p><p><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">"This is my Timey Wimey Detector.  Goes "bing" when there's stuff.  It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually.  I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- </font></em></font><font size="1" color="#999999">The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>
 
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drpl

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Its a great quiz, but it's odd that you can get points for, conceivably, giving a totally wrong answer as long as its interesting (and funny).<br /><br />Eg.<br />Q."With what are the contents of mince pies made?"<br />A."The fetid rectal dribblings of the Himalayan Yak?"<br />"Well done! 10 points for an interesting answer!"<br /><br />
 
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