THE USM SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249     www.usm.maine.edu/planet
<http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usm.maine.edu%2Fplanet&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHulkHuLP13bOG2PkNrPazsGWFs2A>
70 Falmouth Street     Portland, Maine  04103
43.6667° N                   70.2667° W
Altitude:   10 feet below sea level
Founded January 1970
               "What are we going to do with all those cute 'best baby
names' books when we all become incorporated into the Borg collective?"
             -excerpt from "The Stupidest Worries in World History"
collection

CELESTIAL EXPLORATION CLASS # 3:
Exploring the Summer Night Sky
Monday, July 8, 2019
7:00 p.m.
Enrollment: $12 one person  ($20 for a couple)
Walk ins welcome!

Yes, we know that the very last thing you want to do after our nine-month
winter-spring is to find a hollow of perpetual darkness in which to
languish!   Yet, if you can find your way to our subterranean star dome
theatre on Monday night, you will spend 1.5 hours wholly immersed in the
enveloping darkness of our simulated night sphere.   Clear,
star-adorned,skies in a climate-controlled (we keep both doors open)
environment enlivened by convivial fellowship and wholly devoid of
blood-craving mosquitos.

Now that this youthful summer is beginning in earnest, what better time to
venture down into our planetarium theatre to discover the wondrous
firmament?  Yes, we know, the better time would be when it's rainy, cold
and miserable, but -worse luck-the weather is just a shade south of sublime
right now.

You don't need to pre-register!
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
We'll begin our celestial excursion at 7 p.m. (Or, around 7:05 p.m. to
accommodate late comers.)

Hey, if you made it this far through the announcement, you deserve a little
fun with a three question quiz about summer celestial mythology.

1. The constellation Hercules is called "The Kneeling One."  On whom/what
is he kneeling?
a.  Draco the Dragon
b.  Orion the Hunter
c.   Medusa
d.  Ursa Major

2. Who did Delphinus the Dolphin rescue?
a. Andromeda, the princess
b. Arion, the musician
c.  Arachne, the weaver
d.  Atalanta, the capital of Georgia

3. Why is Scorpius sometimes called the "Thanksgiving Constellation?"
a.  because the pilgrims actually dined on scorpion meat
b.  because the Sun appears to pass through Scorpius around Thanksgiving
c.  because scorpions were often considered good luck by people in the 17th
century
d.  because in old star atlases, Scorpius represented a turkey, not a
scorpion




ANSWERS
1. a.  Draco the Dragon

2.  b. Arion, the musician
From the pirates who tried to kill him and steal his gold.

3. b.  because the Sun appears to pass through Scorpius around Thanksgiving
Scorpius is one of the 13 zodiac constellations.  The Sun appears to move
through Scorpius around the time of Thanksgiving.