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Founded January 1970
Julian Date: 2458797.16
2019-2020:  LIII
                     "How does a pansy, for example, select the ingredients
from soil to get the right colors for the flower? Now there's a great
miracle. I think there's a supreme power behind all of this. I see it in
nature."
                       ______________, Pluto's discoverer


THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, November 15, 2019
Quiz XI:   Pluto


[image: maxresdefault.jpg]

Our quirky quiz quest through unbounded space continues.  Last week brought
us to the gas giant realm.  Today, we proceed a step further to Pluto,
which well adjusted, happy, confident, strong people still consider to be a
planet, thank you very much.

1.  _______________ discovered Pluto in ________________
a.  Clyde Tombaugh;   1930
b.  William Herschel; 1781
c.   Urbain Leverrier; 1846
d.   John Couch Adams;  1930

2.  What is the name of Pluto's largest moon?
a.  Ganymede
b.  Charon
c.   Nyx
d.  Hydra

3.  About how much time does Pluto require to complete an orbit around the
Sun?
a.  10 Earth years
b.  118 Earth years
c.  248 Earth years
d.  512 Earth years

4.  How many known moons revolve around Pluto?
a.  2
b. 3
c. 5
d. 8
e. 13

5.  In what heart-breaking year did that gathering of sinister
intelligences, the International Astronomical Union, vote to strip Pluto of
its planetary status?
a.  2003
b  2004
c. 2006
d. 2010

6.  Pluto is named for the Roman counterpart of Hades, god of what?
a.  the underworld
b. rivers
c. the north
d. dawn

7.  Which of the following statements about Pluto's name is/are true?
a. "Pluto" was its second name.   It was initially called "Chaos."
b.  The name was suggested by an 11 year old girl
c.   The name was changed in some parts of Papua New Guinea, for in one
of their indigenous languages, the word "Pluto" sounded very much like a
vulgar curse word
d.   actually, none of these statements are true

8.  Which fictional character was named "Pluto."   No, we're not going to
include the Disney dog!
a.  a black cat in Poe's "The Black Cat."
b.  one of the pilgrims in  "The Canterbury Tales"
c.   one of the Little Rascals in the original series
d.   Dr. Who's grandson

9.  How often is Pluto visible to the unaided eye here on Earth?
a.   For about two months every 248 years
b.   For three years every 248 years
c.   For six months every 124years
d.    Never

10.  How old is Pluto's discoverer?
a.  he is no longer alive
b.  89
c.  93
d. 102





ANSWERS

1.  a.  Clyde Tombaugh;   1930
American astronomer* Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto  using a blink
comparator.   This machine enables astronomers to scrutinize images of the
same night sky region captured at different times.  Any planet located
within the field would alter position enough to "jump" between the images,
rendering it easier to detect.

[image: default.jpg]
Clyde Tombaugh using a blink
comparator.

2.  b.  Charon
Discovered byJames Christy in 1978, Charon is Pluto's largest moon.
While it is not the largest moon in absolute terms, Charon is the largest
satellite when measured in relation to the size of its parent body.

3.  c.  248 Earth years
Pluto hasn't even completed half of its orbit since its discovery!

4. c. 5
The five known moons are Styx, Nyx, Kerberos, Hydra and Charon.

5. c. 2006
In August 2006, the IAU convened its triennial meeting in Prague.  At the
end of this meeting, the 450 astronomers who still remained voted to demote
Pluto.  In fact, they voted to change the classification of "planet."  In
so doing, they removed Pluto from the planet rolls, much to the chagrin of
most of Earth's population.

6. a.  the underworld
The soul of a departed human was  destined to congregate on the Plains of
Asphodel unless he/she experienced an apotheosis and ascended to Olympus or
unless they were so monstrously wicked they were consigned to Tartarus, the
region where the damned suffered ineluctable torments forever.  Pluto
presided over this dark, depressing realm.

7.  b.  The name was suggested by an 11 year old girl
A British schoolgirl Venetia Burney (1918-2009) was 11 years old when her
grandfather told her about the discovery of a new planet.    A passionate
mythologist, Venetia suggested the name "Pluto."   Her grandfather relayed
the suggestion to British astronomer Herbert Hall Turner, who cabled it
onto his American colleagues.    The planet was designated Pluto soon
thereafter.

[image: Photo_of_Venetia_Burney,_aged_11,_c._1929.jpg]
Venetia Burney (1909 - 2009)
The girl who named Pluto

8.  a.  a black cat in Poe's "The Black Cat."

9.  d.    Never
Even at its maximum brightness, Pluto is more than 100 times dimmer than
the dimmest naked eye stars.

10.  a.  he is no longer alive
Clyde Tombaugh moved on in 1997.    If he were still alive today, he'd be
113.

*Some people refer to Clyde Tombaugh as an "amateur astronomer," which, of
course, is a despicable insult.


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