THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM

70 Falmouth Street      Portland,Maine 04103

(207) 780-4249      usm.maine.edu/planet

43.6667° N    70.2667° W  Altitude:  10 feet below sea level Founded January 1970

2021-2022: XXX

"This world is but a canvas to our imagination."

-Henry David Thoreau

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER

Friday, October 15, 2021

Quiz 7: Astronomical T and F

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Dedicated to my wonderful son Nicolas who turns 27 on

Sunday! As your mathematical aptitude is far superior to

my own, Nick, perhaps you can explain how you reached such

an age while I managed to stay so young.

___________________________________

Greetings!

Well, to point out the glaringly obvious, it has been a week, hasn't it? We end the week with a coin-flip quiz, as T/F quizzes were called by those of us who were always too preoccupied with metaphysical speculation and geo-political affairs to bother with studying. We list no choices after each question because there are just two of them: true or false.

Enjoy this coin-flip quiz.

We can't wait to see you again on Monday!

1. Proxima Centauri is the closest star to us.

2. The Harvest Moon is the first full moon to occur after the autumnal equinox.

3. Sally Ride was the first woman in outer space.

4. Only two planets in our solar system have no moons.

5. The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies will collide in about one billion years from now.

6. Halley's Comet is the parent body of the Orionid Meteor Shower

7. Meteor showers are named after their discover(s)

8. A black hole about 4 million times more massive than the Sun is located within the galactic nucleus.

9. The moon is moving toward Earth at the rate of 3 -4 cm/year.

10. The chance of earning a perfect score on this quiz simply by guessing is 10%

ANSWERS

1. Proxima Centauri is the closest star to us.

FALSE!

The Sun is the closest star to us. Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the Sun.

2. The Harvest Moon is the first full moon to occur after the autumnal equinox.

FALSE!
The Harvest moon is defined as the full moon that is closest to the autumnal equinox.   While the Harvest moon can occur after the autumnal equinox, it can also precede it, as it did this year. 

3. Sally Ride was the first woman in outer space. FALSE!

Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to go into outer space. She launched into the wild black yonder aboard the Vostok on June 16, 1963.

4. Only two planets in our solar system have no moons.

TRUE!

Neither Mercury nor Venus has a moon.

5. The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies will collide in about one billion years from now. 
FALSE! 

The Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies are due to collide in 4 - 6 billion years. 

6. Halley's Comet is the parent body of the Orionid Meteor Shower

TRUE! The meteoroids responsible for producing the Orionid meteors originate from Halley's Comet, the most famous comet.

7. Meteor showers are named after their discover(s)  

FALSE!
Meteor showers are generally named for the constellation from which the meteors appear to emanate.  (Sometimes they are named for the star that is closest to the radiant, the apparent origin point of the meteors.

8. A black hole about 4 million times more massive than the Sun is located within the galactic nucleus

TRUE!

That black hole, Sagittarius *A, occupies the center of our home galaxy.    Astronomers now assume that supermassive black holes occupy the center of galaxies.  

9. The moon is moving toward Earth at the rate of 3 -4 cm/year.

FALSE!

The moon is moving AWAY from Earth at the rate of 3 -4 cm/year. Consequently, total solar eclipses will cease after 600 million years or so. Lunar eclipses will continue for the remainder of Earth's life.

10. The odds of earning a perfect score on this quiz simply by guessing is 10%

False!

The odds of earning a perfect score on this quiz simply by guessing is 0.097%

(0.5) raised to the 10th power.   

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