THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249      www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street     Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N                   70.2667° W
Founded January 1970
Julian date:  2457648.16
            "No, we didn't forget!"


THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, September 16, 2016
Quiz III:   Night Sky True or False


Every so often, when life's whirlwinds assail us, we'll post a rapid fire
quiz that might not be quite as detailed as we would like them to be,
However, we have made a solemn vow to post no repeats this school year.
Now that we've entered the third week of that year, we're glad to tell you
we've stood by our word thus far.   We'll see about next week.

For now, we post and proffer this petite quiz for your enjoyment and
elucidation!     All about the night sky....well, except for the two
questions about the Sun.


TRUE OR FALSE

1.   The full moon is twice as bright as the quarter moon

2.  Mars will never be as bright as Venus in our sky

3. The word "aurora borealis" means "false dawn."

4.   The Sun is a circumpolar star.  (A circumpolar star is a star that
doesn't rise or set on a given day.)

5.   The Sun appears to occupy the constellation Aries on the first day of
spring.

6.  Meteor showers are named after their parent comets

7.   The "Milky Way" light band is only visible through a telescope.

8.   Mercury is never visible at midnight here in the United States.

9.   The north star, Polaris, is the outermost handle star in the Big
Dipper.

10.   Libra the Scales is the only inanimate object depicted on the zodiac.

ANSWERS

1.  FALSE!
The full moon is nine times brighter than the quarter moon.   The moon
reflects most of its light directly back along the incidental path.  When
the moon is full, we are directly in that path.  When the moon is at the
quarter phase, we're parallel to that path.

2.   TRUE!
Even if Mars were at its maximum brightness at the same time Venus was at
its minimum brightness,   Venus would still be about three times brighter
than Mars.

3.  FALSE!
,"Aurora borealis" means "northern dawn, as it appears in the north, not
the east. Galileo Galilei coined the term.

4. TRUE!
Now, if the statement had read  "The Sun is a circumpolar star here in the
United States," the answer would have been false!    The Sun will be
circumpolar for part of each year within the region north of the Arctic
Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle,

5.   FALSE!
The Sun used to appear to occupy Aries on the first day of spring (vernal
equinox), but now it occupies Pisces the Fish.   The sun's vernal equinox
position changes gradually over a 26,000 year period due to precessional
wobbling, which causes the poles to shift orientations and the Sun's
seasonal positions along the ecliptic to migrate.

6.  FALSE!
Meteor showers are named for the constellations from which they appear to
emanate. For instance, the Leonid shower in November is named for Leo the
Lion because these meteors appear to originate from Leo the Lion.
Sometimes, a meteor shower will be named for a star that is close to this
apparent origin point.

7.   FALSE!
This band is diffuse and will be difficult to observe if there is too much
ambient light in your sky.  However, in a dark sky, it is readily visible
to the unaided eye and, far from city lights, looks like a luminescent
cloud form.    (Don't bother looking for the Milky Way when the moon is
full, however.)

8.   TRUE!
Mercury is an inferior planet, meaning that it is closer to the Sun than
Earth.  Only superior planets those farther from the Sun than Earth, can
ever been seen at midnight.

9.  FALSE!
Polaris marks the outermost star on the LITTLE DIPPER's handle.

10.  TRUE!
The zodiac also contains  Scorpius the scorpion, Ophiuchus the serpent
charmer, Sagittarius the Archer,   Capricornus the seagoat,  Aquarius the
water bearer, Pisces the fish,  Aries the ram, Taurus the bull,  Gemini the
twins, Cancer the crab, Leo the Lion,and Virgo the maiden....people and
animals...