THE USM SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM

207-780-4249     www.usm.maine.edu/planet

70 Falmouth Street     Portland, Maine  04103

43.6667° N                   70.2667° W 
Altitude:   10 feet below sea level

Founded January 1970

Julian date:  2458655.5

                "Curious factoid:  Christmas presents are more likely to be stolen in the winter than summer."

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, June 21, 2019

Quiz XXII:   Summer Returns!

Happy Summer!

We're deviating from our usual posting schedule so as to send this quiz at ALMOST the precise moment of the summer solstice.  (It started about a minute prior to this quiz's arrival.)  If you're reading this silly quiz, you are now in the very first moments of the northern hemisphere's summer.    At this juncture it would be customary to allude to the various trappings of the glorious New England summer such as threadbare sweaters, condensation obscured windows, cupboards of chowder and mood medications.  However, there is such a thing as too much cheer and bad poetry, so we will proceed quite merrily along to the quiz pertaining to the start of the summer that we've been eagerly anticipating for the last 275 days.

1.   The Sun appears to occupy which constellation on the June (summer) solstice?

a.  Sagittarius the Archer

b.  Taurus the Bull

c.  Virgo the Maiden

d.  Pisces the Fish

2.  On the June solstice, the Sun appears overhead along:_____________

a.  the Tropic of Cancer

b. the Tropic of Capricorn

c. the Equator

d. the Arctic Circle

3. On the summer solstice, the midnight Sun is visible in which region on Earth?

a.  Every point north of the Antarctic Circle

b. Every point north of the Arctic Circle

c. The North Pole and the South Pole

d. Every point north of 81.5 degrees N

4.  Which of the following statements about the summer solstice is/are true?

a.  one can balance an egg on its end on the summer solstice

b.  the Sun sets as far north of west as possible for your given location on the summer solstice

c.  the Sun is closest to Earth on the summer solstice

d. the Sun rises due east on the summer solstice

5.  In Portland, the Sun will be above the horizon for 15 hours and 26 minutes today.    How long will the Sun be above the horizon on the Equator on the summer solstice?

a. 18 hours

b. 16 hours, 43 minutes

c.  15 hours, 26 minutes

d.  12 hours

6.  What does "solstice" mean?

a.  "Sun still"

b.   "Sun high"

c.    "Sun in fourth house"

d.   "Sun"

7.  Hey, you know that bottle of sunscreen you received as a prank gift on your birthday?  Notice the SPF listed on it?   What does SPF stand for?

a.   Solar Production Factor

b.   Sun Protection Factor

c.   Skin Protection Factor

d.  None of the above

8.  How is the solstice celebrated at the most celebrated solstice site of Stonehenge?

a.  the stones are painted psychedelic colors

b.  Black Sabbath performs live (or, at this point, what would serve as an approximation of live)

c.  it is opened to the public and thousands flood into the megalithic structure

d. it is actually closed to the public at the behest of those who consider it a sacred site.

9.   How high does the Eiffel Tower expand in the summer due to the heat?

a. it doesn't

b. about six inches

c.  about four feet

d.  about ten feet

10.  Hibernation refers to the period of dormancy some animals experience in the winter.  What is the name of the dormancy period that some animals experience in the summer?

a.  aestivation 

b.  solstivation 

c.  crepuscular hibernation 

d. there is no such thing

ANSWERS

1. b.  Taurus the Bull

Due to precessional shifting, the summer solstice point was located in Gemini the Twins until 1989.   Now, the summer solstice position occupies the constellation Taurus the Bull.

2. a.  the Tropic of Cancer

The Sun is overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn on the December solstice.   The Sun is overhead on the Equator on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.   The Sun will never be overhead at the Arctic Circle unless Earth tilts by 66.5 degrees (somewhat unlikely.)

3. b. Every point north of the Arctic Circle

To be slightly more precise, the midnight Sun region is every point north of a line about half a degree south of the Arctic Circle due to the tricky atmospheric refraction: how it projects the Sun about half a degree above the horizon.    Any observer within this region will see the Sun above the horizon for 24 hours.   Now that we're moving toward the autumnal equinox, the midnight Sun region will migrate northward until just after the autumnal equinox when the Sun sets at the North Pole.

4. Two true statements

a.  one can balance an egg on its end on the summer solstice

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you're patient enough, you can balance an egg on its end on any day the year.  

b.  the Sun sets as far north of west as possible for your given location on the summer solstice

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Sun rises as far north of east and sets as far north of west as possible on the summer solstice.   It rises as far south of east and sets as far south of west as possible on the winter solstice.  The Sun rises due east and sets due west on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.

5. d.  12 hours

The duration of daylight equals 12 hours every day of the year on the Equator

6. a.  "Sun still"

The Sun appears to linger around each solstice position for a few days before reversing course. For this reason, the solstice was regarded as the time when the Sun seemed to stop momentarily.   

7. b.   Sun Protection Factor

SPF is a fantastic factor!   It relates to how long a sunbather can remain exposed to the Sun's rays before developing a burn.       Sunburns are caused by UVB rays, which are in the ultraviolet segment of the EM spectrum.    The SPF number helps one approximate how long one can be exposed to the Sun before damage results.  (It doesn't apply to those of us high northern European descendants who sizzle within seconds under unfiltered florescents.)    Let's say that without skin protection, you would burn within 10 minutes on a sunny day.    If you apply SPF 15, you can remain outside for 10 x 15 = 150 minutes before a burn develops.     If you apply SPF 30, you can remain outside for 300 minutes.    Important note:   make sure the significant other who is applying the Sunscreen pays attention and doesn't let his/her mind wander to more prurient (i.e. natural) matters.  Under-applying sunscreen significantly reduces its effectiveness:

If you apply half of the needed sunscreen, the effective SPF number is not reduced to half its value, but to the square root of its value.   So, SPF 30 would be equivalent to SPF 5.5 if only half of the needed lotion were appli...and, yes, we know you're asleep.

8. c.  it is opened to the public and thousands flood into the megalithic structure

9.  b. about six inches

Iron and other metals expand in the heat.  The amount by which they expand depends on the metal type.      The Eiffel tower's height, to the tip, is 1,063 feet (324 meters).   Compared to that height six inches isn't much.  (The career curtailing Mae West quip originally included here has been deleted by the one person who actually wants this fool to keep his job..i.e., this fool.)  

10. a.  aestivation 

Desert tortoises, salmanders and cantankerous tourist-loathers are examples of species who lapse into dormancy in the summer for purposes of self-preservation.