Julian Date: 2459195.16
2020-2021: LVIII
"Reality is for those who can't face science fiction."
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Monday, December 14, 2020
Remote Planetarium 131: Week 28 Astronomy/Mythology Quiz
Friday got completely away from us. Fridays tend to do that. Mondays, in contrast, sit still and frown at you until you pay attention to them. So today, we offer a quiz based on last week's "Remote Planetarium" articles. Tomorrow, we find
1. The name Laniakea comes from the Hawaiian language. It literally means___________.
a. "lots of stars"
b. "immense heaven"
c. "dark lagoon"
d. "infinite suns"
2. Laniakea consists of approximately _______________ galaxies.
a. 1,000
b. 10,000
c. 100,000
d. 1,000,000,000
3. Laniakea extends over _____________ light years of space.
a. 100,000
b. 2,000,000
c. 45,000,000
d. 520,000,000
4. The mythological Universe was born out of _____________.
a. chaos
b. quantum foam
c. Laniakea
d. Nyx
5. Hemera was the personification of ___________.
a. light
b. air
c. day
d. childbirth
6. The Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex is about ________________ in length.
a. 1 million
b. 10 million
c. 100 million
d. 1 billion
7. The Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex can be divided into how many distinctive regions?
a. 2
b.4
c. 5
d. 8
8. The Virgo Supercluster of Galaxies accounts for _______% of the entire mass of the Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex.
1. 0.1
b.1.0
c. 2.3
d. 3.4
9. Who abducted Persephone?
a. Apollo
b. Hades
c. Zeus
d. Hermes
10. Even though Zeus commanded Hades to release Persephone, why did she have to end up returning to the underworld each year?
a. because she swore by the River Styx to always return
b. because she ate the Pomegranates Hades offered her
c. because Hades kept her child there
d. none of the above
ANSWERS
1. The name Laniakea comes from the Hawaiian language. It literally means___________.
b. "immense heaven"
Quite an appropriate name for such a vast structure.
2. Laniakea consists of approximately _______________ galaxies.
c. 100,000
And, quite understandably, Laniakea is about 100,000 times more massive than the Milky Way Galaxy.
3. Laniakea extends over _____________ light years of space.
d. 520,000,000
It was named "Immense Heaven" for a reason.
4. The mythological Universe was born out of _____________.
a. chaos
Our modern definition of chaos, a disordered jumble lacking structure, is somewhat different from the mythological definition, which is a formless void. The mythological Universe arose from Chaos. The first beings to take form became the antecedents of all the gods, mortals, and even regions within the mythological realm.
5. Hemera was the personification of ___________.
c. day
6. The Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex is about ________________ light years in length.
d. 1 billion
Lanaikea is one part of the Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex. So, too, are many other galaxy clusters that are immense in and of themselves.
7. The Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex can be divided into how many distinctive regions?
c. 5
(1) The Pisces-Cetus Supercluster. The Pisces-Cetus Superclusters are its richest clusters and consequently became the complex's namesake. (2) The Perseus-Pegasus chain of superclusters, including the Perseus-Pisces Supercluster. (3) The Laniakea Supercluster, which, as we learned during the last Remote Planetarium session, contains the Virgo Supercluster. This supercluster contains the Local Group of which the Milky Way is a part. (4) The Hercules and Sculptor Superclusters as well as the other members of the Sculptor Region and (5) Pegasus-Pisces Chain of Superclusters.
8. The Virgo Supercluster of Galaxies accounts for _______% of the entire mass of the Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex.
1. 0.1
Despite its unfathomable size, Virgo Supercluster contributes very little to the entire mass of the Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex!
9. Who abducted Persephone?
b. Hades
Hades fell in love with Persephone and carried her away to the Underworld. Demeter became so distraught at her abduction that the world grew cold and all the crops failed.
10. Even though Zeus commanded Hades to release Persephone, why did she have to end up returning to the underworld each year?
b. because she ate the Pomegranates Hades offered her
Tricky devil!
Before preparing to convey Persephone back to Earth, Hades persuaded her to eat some pomegranates. By partaking of this food, Persephone was required to remain in the Underworld. However, Zeus brokered a compromise by which Persephone would be allowed to return to Earth to be with her mother Demeter for a few months each year. During the other months, she was required to live with Hades. When Persephone was in the underworld, her mother became morose and the world became barren and frigid. When Persephone returned to her mother, Demeter became so joyful that the world became warm and the crops grew. This was the mythological explanation for the seasons.
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