THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N 70.2667° W
Founded January 1970
2022-2023: V
Sunrise: 6:06 a.m.
Sunset: 7:15 p.m.
Civil twilight ends: 7:44 p.m.
Sun's host constellation: Leo the Lion
Moon phase: Waxing crescent (38% illuminated)
Julian date: 2459823.16
“I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone everything whose being-in-the-world affected was affected by mine. I am anything that happens after I'm gone which would not have happened if I had not come.” -Salman Rushdie "Midnight's Children."
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, September 2, 2022
Quiz # 1: Late Summer Sky
Congratulations! You've survived the first week of the school year largely unscathed. We'll end the week, as is our wont, with a brief quiz. This week's topic pertains to the late summer night sky. Although we are now in the second day of meteorological autumn, astronomical summer will continue until ____________. We remain in that surreal epoch when the summer heat persists despite the school year's resumption and only in the evenings can we now feel the chill of the imminent autumn. Join us as we celebrate the summer that, though soon doomed to extinction, remains with us for about three more weeks.
1. On September 2, the Sun occupies the constellation ________________
a. Virgo the Maiden
b. Leo the Lion
c. Cancer the Crab
d. Libra the Scales
2. The Summer Triangle consists of all but which one of the following stars?
a. Vega
b. Deneb
c. Antares
d. Altair
3. Astronomical autumn begins on which date this year?
a. September 20
b. September 21
c. September 22
d. September 23
4. Which summer constellation contains the "teapot" asterism?
a. Scorpius
b. Hercules
c. Sagittarius
d. Cygnus
5. The ____________ Meteor Shower, which peaks around August 11th, is considered the summer's most prominent meteor shower.
a. Perseid
b. Orionid
c. Leonid
d. Geminid
6. The Summer Milky Way is considered _________________ as the Winter Milky Way.
a. to be fainter
b. to be brighter
c. to be the same brightness
d. none of the above
7. The constellation Hercules is known as the "kneeling one." On what or on whom is Hercules kneeling?
a. Lepus the Hare
b. Draco the Dragon
c. Medusa's head
d. Vulpecula the Fox
8. Astronomical Summer is the ____________ of the four seasons in the Northern Hemisphere.
a. longest
b. shortest
c. well, that just about covers all the options.
9. The Sun occupies the constellation ____________ on the first day of astronomical summer.
a. Gemini
b. Taurus
c. Cancer
d. Aries
10. Which of the following names are often associated with August's full moon? (Could be more than one.)
a. Sturgeon Moon
b. Mountain Shadows Moon
c. Corn Moon
d. Black Cherries Moon
ANSWERS
1. On September 2, the Sun occupies the constellation ________________
b. Leo the Lion
The Sun moves through Leo the Lion between August 15 - September 16
2. The Summer Triangle consists of all but which one of the following stars?
c. Antares
3. Astronomical autumn begins on which date this year?
c. September 22
Autumn begins precisely at 9:05 p.m. September 22, 2022
4. Which summer constellation contains the "teapot" asterism?
c. Sagittarius
The "teapot:" in Sagittarius and the Big Dipper in Ursa Major are two of the most famous asterisms, defined as recognizable star patterns within larger constellations.
5. The ____________ Meteor Shower, which peaks around August 11th, is considered the summer's most prominent meteor shower.
a. Perseid
This shower begins around July 17th, ends around August 24th and peaks around August 10th or 11th. Named for Perseus, the constellation from which the Perseid meteors appear to originate, this major meteor shower occurs when Earth moves through the meteoroid stream cast off by Comet Swift-Tuttle.
6. The Summer Milky Way is considered _________________ as the Winter Milky Way.
b. to be brighter
The summer Milky Way, defined as the band of the galaxy visible in the summer evening sky, appears brighter than the band one observes in the winter evening sky because in the summer we're looking toward the inner regions of our home galaxy. In the winter, we're seeing the outer part of the Milky Way, which appears dimmer due to the deceased stellar density.
7. The constellation Hercules is known as the "kneeling one." On what or on whom is Hercules kneeling?
b. Draco the Dragon
Hercules kneels triumphantly on the head of Draco the Dragon, one of the many creatures that the prolific killer Hercules slew during his preternaturally adventurous life.
8. Astronomical Summer is the ____________ of the four seasons in the Northern Hemisphere.
a. longest
Yes, you beleaguered, winter-weary New Englanders! Astronomical summer is the longest season in the northern hemisphere. Earth reaches aphelion, its farthest point from the Sun, in early July. Consequently, Earth is at its greatest distance from the Sun during the summer and so requires more time to progress from the summer solstice to autumnal equinox points than it needs to travel between any other two successive seasonal points. Astronomical summer in the northern hemisphere is about 93 days long. Winter lasts about 88 days.
9. The Sun occupies the constellation ____________ on the first day of astronomical summer.
b. Taurus
The Sun's summer solstice point is barely within the region defined as Taurus the Bull. Soon after the solstice, the Sun appears to move into Gemini the Twins. Precessional wobbling, which shifts the constellations along the zodiac by about one degree every 73 years, nudged the summer solstice point into Taurus in 1990.
10. Which of the following names are often associated with August's full moon? (Could be more than one.)
a. Sturgeon Moon
b. Mountain Shadows Moon
c. Corn Moon
d. Black Cherries Moon
They are all associated with the August full moon. Note: this year's harvest moon occurs on September 10.
I hope you enjoyed the first quiz of the new school year.
We'll see you on Tuesday.
Have a great extended weekend!
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