THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
"Wherever you go, there you are."
-Buckaroo Banzai
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, January 1, 2016
Quiz: 2015
As of this writing, the last remnants of 2015 just dissolved into the
ages around the International Date Line. We'll honor the new year's
beginning by reflecting back on the old year. Some might find it
strange that we'll celebrate 2016 by focusing on 2015. We don't think
it strange whatsoever. After all, Janus, the god for whom this month
was named, was depicted as being literally two-faced: one face looks
eagerly forward into the future; the other face peers back
reflectively into the past. We'll have ample time to enjoy 2016. For
now, we offer a quiz about some of the most noteworthy events of the
year that was.
1. In March, 2015, the DAWN space craft became the first probe to do what?
a. land on a comet
b. visit a dwarf planet
c. exit the solar system
d. make a complete, self-replicating copy of itself
2. A powerful Earthquake killed more than 8,000 people in which Asian country?
a. Nepal
b. Pakistan
c. China
d. Bangladesh
3. In April, the painting "Les Femmes d'Alger" was sold for $179.3
million, the highest amount ever paid for a painting. Who painted "Les
Femmes d'Alger?"
a. Michelangelo
b. Pablo Picasso
c. Salvador Dali
d. Claude Monet
4. In October Hurricane __________________ developed into the most
intense hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere.
a. Xavier
b. Patricia
c. Joaquin
d. Edouard
5. According to an Associated Press poll, what is considered to have
been the top news story of 2015?
a. the refugee crisis
b. the Islamic state conflict
c. the discovery of liquid water on Mars
d. the Bill Cosby sex crimes allegations
6. As of 9:34 a.m, January 1, 2016, what movie holds has the
distinction of being the biggest money maker of 2015?
a. Jurassic World
b. The Avengers
c. Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens
d. Furious 7
7. (I'm still trying to redeem myself) What is 2015 expressed in Roman numerals?
a. MMXIV
b. MMXXV
c. MMXV
d. MMXLV
8. Which one of the following celebrities did NOT die in 2015?
a. Leonard Nimoy
b. Wayne Rogers
c. Mario Cuomo
d. Harry Morgan
e. Christopher Lee
f. Charlemagne
9. The Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its ______th birthday in 2015.
a. 15
b. 20
c. 25
d. 30
10. Ok, Now, it is January 1, 2016. How long will we have to wait
until the year number is a prime number? The last prime number year
was 2011.
a. One year
b. Eleven years
c Thirty three years
d. One hundred and three years
ANSWERS
1. b, visit a dwarf planet.
The DAWN spacecraft established an orbit around the dwarf planet,
Ceres, on March 6, 2015.
2. a. Nepal
This 7.8 magnitude quake devastated Nepal, causing 8.857 deaths in
that small, mountainous country.
3. b. Pablo Picasso
4. b Patricia
This hurricane developed top sustained winds of more than 200 mph!
5. b. The Islamic state conflict
6. a. Jurassic World
That is, for this very moment;
Jurassic World's domestic total for 2015 is $652 million,
Star Wars VII total -after only two weeks- is already $629 million.
The correct answer to question # 6 will likely be different on Monday
(And...even though all tickets for Star Wars will be sold in 2016, it
is still considered a 2015 movie as it opened in that year.)
7. c. MMXV
We made sure this was the right answer.
8. f. Charlemagne
Yes, we decided to throw in an east question.
We are sorry to report that Wayne Rogers died on December 31, 2015
9. c. 25
And, as many know, the HST started its mission as an abject failure
due to a small, but highly significant flaw, in its mirror. Later,
astronauts repairs the Hubble and it became one of the most productive
spacecraft ever
10. a. One year
2017 is a prime number,
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