is the moon there when were not looking at it?

Question

my point is , how do we know somthing is there when were not looking at it AND how do we prove it? we cannot prove it NO MATTER what!!!!

when i was small (11 years old ) i used to wonder, did my toys move around when i slept and go EXACTLY back to there places 5 minutes before i woke up and look at them (the time before i wake up is not relative)....i know, i had a big imagination, BUT dont laugh at me, and dont say a camera is the solution, for the princible works just the same ( the moon reapears when the camera points at it)...


so is the moon really there whn we dont look at it?

Answer 1

What is this doing in "Astronomy and Space"? Put it in "Philosophy".

Answer 2

Quantum physics tells us that it is the act of observation that makes the outcome of a quantum event definite, before then it is both 100% one thing and the other.. Or something. Look, nobody really understands quantum physics, they just do the maths and it works out.

But yes, your query is perfectly valid, even though it goes against all sense. That is because it is that sense that keeps us alive. If we decided that the big cat outside the cave no longer existed on account of not being able to observe it, we wouldn't last very long. We didn't last very long. Not those ones, anyway.

We must assume that the moon is still there, because there is nothing to say that it disappears when we look away, and the simplest explaination (that it remains) is the best. I'm not that good with philosophy, there are better answers, I'm sure.

The moon is a bad example though, if it were gone, we'd feel the effects immediately. No moonlight, for one. The tides would rush out/in to a position affected only by the sun (the mother of all tidal waves). The axis of the Earth might begin to wobble in the long term.

Answer 3

Yes. The moon is always present, whether you're looking at it or not. If the moon weren't there, our ocean tides would cease and there would be no low or high tide. Since our tides continue to come and go like clockwork, you can call that proof that the moon is always there.

:-)

Answer 4

So are stars actually in the position that you see them with our naked eye. With star light travelling for tens or hundreds of light years, the actual position of the star is not exatly where you see the white dot.

Answer 5

First, most things are never seen. And some things you see aren't really there. Like the Moon--you're not seeing it as it is, you're seeing it as it was 1.3 second earlier.

Answer 6

Experiment 1:

Turn around and have a friend hit you in the back of the head.

Does it hurt?

Answer 7

An ageless and profound philosophical question that won't be answered on Yahoo! Answers I'm afraid.

Answer 8

Using your backward logic, it is always there b/c there is always someone looking at it. And too much Toy Story for you buddy.

Answer 9

image effect and approaching differences.It is still a magic.It is a perfect sphere in shape.There is an irregular reflection of sun rays from its surface.

Answer 10

yes, it is just outshined by the light of the sun