THE 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 Julian Date: 2459229.18 2020-2021: LXXIII THE DAILY ASTRONOMER Friday, January 15, 2021 Exploratorium VIII: Week 2 Quiz More is less. Less is more. Or something like that. The first Exploratorium quiz was shorter than the others due to tight time constraints. While I felt the urge to apologize, there was little need. I heard from a few subscribers who were delighted at the truncation. So, being an insecure fellow who constantly seeks others' approval, I decided that perhaps the Exploratorium quizzes could be shorter than the Remote Planetarium quizzes. Of course, if I hear from subscribers who actually prefer longer quizzes, I'll be in a real quandary. Until then, enjoy this shorter and sweeter Week 2 Exploratorium quiz! *1. Antaeros was the god charged with avening unrequited love. The minor deity Pothos represents what?* a. love for more than two people b. love for the absent c. love for animals d. none of the above *2. According to recent estimates, the day's length increases by _____________ second(s) per century.* a. 0.0017 b. 0.17 c. 1.7 d. 17 *3. The asteroid that created Crater Tycho was about __________ miles wide.* a. 2 - 3 b. 3 - 4 c. 5.5 - 6 d. 10.5 - 11 *4. How many hunters pursue the bear in the Big Dipper pattern according to the Nyah-Gwaheh legend?* a. 2 b. 3 c. 4 d. 5 *5. What is significant about the meteorite Allan Hills A81005?* a. it was the first meteorite discovered in North America b . it was the first lunar meteorite discovered on Earth c. it is the largest meteorite yet found d. it is the only meteorite yet found that originated outside the solar system *6. _____________________________ started the practice of naming lunar craters.* a. Galileo Galilei b. Johannes Kepler c. Isaac Newton d. Giovanni Battista Riccioli *7. The Norns nourish ______________, the tree that holds up the nine worlds of Nordic mythology.* a. Yggdrasill b. Entmoot c. Brunhilde d. Rogoranok *8. According to the Block Universe Theory, the birth of your great-great-great grandfather is _______________.* a. a non-event b. happening now c. considered to have occurred in imaginary time d. none of the above *9. Although Theseus might have believed Poseidon to have been his father, his actual father was ______________.* a. Minos b. Aegis c. Daedalus d. Apollo *10. If you travel at 86.6% light speed for 3 years, how much time will elapse for people on Earth?* a. 3 years b. 5 years c. 6 years d. 12 years ANSWERS *1. Antaeros was the god charged with avening unrequited love. The minor deity Pothos represents what?* b. love for the absent Every type of love is governed by the Erotes. They include Himeros ("fleeting love"), Pothos ("love for the absent"), Hedylogos ("sweet talk") and Hymenaios ("Bridal Hymn.") *2. According to recent estimates, the day's length increases by _____________ second(s) per century.* a. 0.0017 As the moon moves away from Earth, the Earth's rotation rate slows slightly. Over millions of years, this speed reduction becomes significant. *3. The asteroid that created Crater Tycho was about __________ miles wide.* c. 5.5 - 6 Ouch! That rock made quite a hole on the lunar surface! Crater Tycho is more than 80 miles wide and 3 miles deep. The impact energy was so intense that the asteroid gouged out a crater much larger than the object, itself. *4. How many hunters pursue the bear in the Big Dipper pattern according to the Nyah-Gwaheh legend?* c. 4 Three stars appear to be following the bear in the Big Dipper Pattern. However, the central handle "star" consists of two stars, Alcor and Mizar. In the Nyah-Gwaheh legend, the youngest and slowest brother is represented by the smaller of the two stars at the handle center. *5. What is significant about the meteorite Allan Hills A81005?* b . it was the first lunar meteorite discovered on Earth In 1982, John Schutt and Ian Whillans found this object in Antarctica. It was named for the hills near the end of a Antarctic mountain range. Through chemical analysis, it was determined to have originated on the moon. *6. _____________________________ started the practice of naming lunar craters.* d. Giovanni Battista Riccioli While not nearly as well known as the other scientists mentioned in this question Riccioli is famous for naming lunar craters. *7. The Norns nourish ______________, the tree that holds up the nine worlds of Nordic mythology.* a. Yggdrasill One of those worlds, Midgard, is the realm of the humans. *8. According to the Block Universe Theory, the birth of your great-great-great grandfather is _______________.* b. happening now According to this theory, all moments in the past, present and future exist now. All of space-time is contained within a "block." Moments that happened 20, 200, and 2000 years ago still exist, along with moments that will transpire in the future. *9. Although Theseus might have believed Poseidon to have been his father, his actual father was ______________.* b. Aegis The King of Athens. *10. If you travel at 86.6% light speed for 3 years, how much time will elapse for people on Earth?* c. 6 years Anyone traveling at 86.6% light speed will experience a time dilation factor of 2. Consequently, the traveler will experience half the time a stationary observer experiences. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Daily Astronomer: https://lists.maine.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=DAILY-ASTRONOMER&A= <https://lists.maine.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=DAILY-ASTRONOMER&A=1>