THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
70 Falmouth Street      Portland, Maine 04103
(207) 780-4249      usm.maine.edu/planet
43.6667° N    70.2667° W  Founded January 1970
2022-2023: LXXXVI
Sunrise: 6:00 a.m.
Sunset: 7:23 p.m.
Civil twilight begins: 5:31 a.m.
Civil twilight ends: 7:53 p.m.
Sun's host constellation: Pisces
Moon phase: Waning crescent (36% illuminated)
Moonrise: 3:33 a.m.
Moonset: 2:01 p.m. (4/15/23)
Julian date: 2460049.29
               "You can observe a lot just by watching."
                                 -Yogi Berra

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, April 14, 2023
Quiz # 19: Summer Constellations

Yes, we know that astronomical summer has not yet begun. . We still have to wait 67 days, 23 hours and 48 minutes for that golden moment to arrive.  However, we've been so savoring this sweetly unseasonable weather that we felt inspired to celebrate the hot season prematurely.     What better way to mark the eventual, though not necessarily imminent,  return of summer than with a quiz pertaining to the summer constellations. After all, one can see these patterns now, provided that one ventures out later in the evening.

So, slather on the sunscreen, hoist up the coolers, frolic around in your flip-flops and brace yourself for a sultry day of oppressive heat, suffocating humidity, scorching sand and all the other things that truly make life worth living.


1.  Hercules, whose name translates into "Glory of Hera," is also known as the "Kneeling One," because in the night sky he is kneeling on which constellation?

          a.  Andromeda the Constrained Princess (no comment)

          b.  Draco the Dragon

          c.  Cepheus the King

          d.  Corvus the Crow

 

2.  Deneb, Vega and ____________ comprise the famous Summer Triangle.

            a.  Antares

            b. Alnilam

            c.  Altair

            d.  Alnitak

 

3.  This small constellation is nicknamed the "Jewel Box," as its pattern is a compact array of beautiful stars.    Its official name is Delphinus the _____________.

           a. Dragon

           b. Dogwood Tree

           c. Demon Eye

           d. Dolphin

 

4.   Which constellation marks the position of the galactic nucleus?

           a.  Scorpius the Scorpion

           b. Sagittarius the Archer

           c.  Scutum the Shield

           d.  Vulpecula the Fox

 

5.  Virgo the Maiden, associated with the Greek Persephone, was abducted by which God? 

          a. Zeus

          b. Apollo

          c.  Vulcan

          d. Hades

 

6. ___________________, known as the "Serpent Charmer," was a mortal who was a divinely gifted healer.

         a.  Ophiuchus

         b.  Corona Borealis

         c.   Bootes

         d.   Corvus

 

7.   Lyra represents a harp that _______________ played to compose love songs for ________________.

            a.  Arion;  Lilith

            b.  Orpheus; Eurydice

            c.  Pyramus; Thisbe

            d.  Bill; Hillary

 

8.  Antares, the red supergiant star in Scorpius, is so large _______________ Suns could fit inside it

          a.  100

          b. 90,000

          c. 2.2 million

          d. 50 million

          e.  none of the above

 

9.   Which queen spends the early summer evenings lurking low in the northern sky?

         a. Cassiopeia

         b. Cepheus

         c. Andromeda

         d. Lacerta

 

10.     _________ the Scales is the only inanimate object included in the astronomical zodiac

              a.  Libra

              b. Cancer

              c.  Corvus

              d. Crater

 

 

ANSWERS

 

1.  b.  Draco the Dragon

Draco, like Camelopardalis, is a circumpolar constellation that few people have seen.   Its stars are relatively faint and his pattern meanders all through the northern sky.   However, one can easily observe his triangular head just north of Hercules.

 

2.    c.  Altair

 

Note:  Alnilam and Alnitak are both stars within ORION's belt!

 

3.     d. Dolphin

Delphinus the Dolphin rescued the musician Arion from his pirate captors and conveyed him to safety. 

 

4.  b. Sagittarius the Archer

At a distance of more than 23,000 light years, the galactic nucleus is not visible to us due to the obscuration of gas and dust.   

 

5.  d. Hades

Identified with the Roman Pluto.  Just a brief note:  the word "Hades" often signifies the Underworld, itself.  However, originally, Hades was the God who presided over the Plains of Asphodel, Tartarus and other underworld regions. 

 

6.          a.  Ophiuchus

After he resurrected ORION, Ophiuchus was struck down by a thunder bolt by Zeus, but then placed in the night sky as a tribute to his skill.

 

7.   b.  Orpheus; Eurydice

He used this Lyre when he went into the underworld to fetch Eurydice, who had been slain by a serpent at their wedding.  It ultimately didn't end well, but at least he liberated her for awhile. 

 

8.  e. none of the above

330 million Suns could fit inside Antares Some purists will insist that each answer was technically correct.

Bully for them!

 

9.  a. Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia is circumpolar, meaning that she never sets at our latitude.  However, she is low in the northern summer sky in the early evenings. 

 

10.  a.  Libra


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