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A peeve I have would be to use a language of certainity ("has moons"): > This brings the ringed planet’s total number of moons to 82, surpassing Jupiter, which
by kzrdude 7y ago
A peeve I have would be to use a language of certainity ("has moons"):
> This brings the ringed planet’s total number of moons to 82, surpassing Jupiter, which has 79
When it's clear we don't have the absolute truth. We need to be humble. It's clear then that Saturn has at least 82 moons. Or maybe not even that, taking account the "lost" moons mentioned in this discussion. Now we believe that Saturn has about 82 moons.
- Heliosmaster 7y agomaybe they should have just said they are the 'known' moons.
- jcbrand 7y agoThis is a problem with science reporting in general. Current theories or observations are presented as absolute truth even though they're only approximations of the truth based on our current data and understanding of what's really going on.
- Isamu 7y ago>language of certainty ("has moons") I don't read it that way. This is a science topic, I think the phrase "Jupiter, which has 79" does NOT mean "no more than 79" but does mean at least 79 that we know. I don't think it signals a lack of humility. I think it is just shorthand for "Jupiter has 79 moons, that we have verified". Since this is in the context of discovering more moons that we hadn't seen before, I don't think the extra verbiage is necessary and is implied. Of course we are in the process of discovering more moons. That's what the entire article is about.