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Quiz about A Journey Through the Southern Night Sky
Quiz about A Journey Through the Southern Night Sky

A Journey Through the Southern Night Sky Quiz


You've ventured away from the city lights and have your telescope all set up. While waiting for total darkness to set in, try this quiz to test your knowledge of the southern skies. Have fun!

A multiple-choice quiz by stredman. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
stredman
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
379,232
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
413
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Reveler (10/10), Guest 171 (4/10), bakeryfarm (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. When viewing constellations from the southern hemisphere, what is the difference in orientation compared to the northern hemisphere? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In summer what the Greeks recognised as a giant with a sword and belt, stargazers from the southern hemisphere see as a saucepan. What is this constellation? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Our next constellation contains two of the brightest stars in the sky. It is named after a half man half horse creature from Greek mythology. What constellation is this? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Dominated by Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, what is this next constellation ? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Our next stop is the smallest of all the constellations. Despite this fact, it is depicted on the flags of five southern hemisphere nations. What is the name of this famous constellation? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Named after the Portuguese sailor who is credited as leading the first expedition to circumnavigate the earth, this galaxy appears as a cloud about twenty times the size of the moon. What is its name? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Our next constellation is the southernmost of all the constellations and is never visible from north of the equator. Named after Table Mountain in South Africa, it has a name reserved for the brightest minds on Earth, although it doesn't contain any of the brightest stars. What is this constellation? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The next constellation on our tour is the largest of all. Known as the water snake, what is this constellation? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Our next constellation is one of the zodiac constellations represented by the archer. Which constellation is this? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The Milky Way is a wondrous sight from the southern hemisphere, but wait! What is the name of that great black patch with no stars near its southern end?
Hint





Most Recent Scores
Mar 16 2024 : Reveler: 10/10
Feb 19 2024 : Guest 171: 4/10
Feb 09 2024 : bakeryfarm: 9/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. When viewing constellations from the southern hemisphere, what is the difference in orientation compared to the northern hemisphere?

Answer: Inverted

The constellations do not change, it is only the viewer's orientation that changes due to the fact that the Earth is a sphere. Of course you could always lie on your back with your head pointing north to get a northern hemisphere viewpoint.
2. In summer what the Greeks recognised as a giant with a sword and belt, stargazers from the southern hemisphere see as a saucepan. What is this constellation?

Answer: Orion

All the other constellations are only visible from the northern hemisphere. Orion sits on the celestial equator and is visible from both hemispheres. Orion contains the famous Horsehead Nebula, which lies just south of Alnitak, one of the three stars on Orion's belt.
3. Our next constellation contains two of the brightest stars in the sky. It is named after a half man half horse creature from Greek mythology. What constellation is this?

Answer: Centaurus

Centaurus contains Alpha Centauri which is the fourth brightest star in the sky and Beta Centauri which is the tenth brightest. Centaurus also contains the Boomerang Nebula, which due to the rate at which it is expelling gas from its central star, is known as the coldest known place in the universe in the early twenty-first century.
4. Dominated by Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, what is this next constellation ?

Answer: Canis Major

Canis Major along with Canis Minor are two constellations of the southern sky which represent the two dogs following Orion (the hunter) through the night sky. Canis Major is one of the original constellations that were catalogued in ancient Greece when it was visible in the northern sky.

In ancient Greece, Sirius rose during the hottest part of the summer, and was named Sirius which means scorching. The Greeks referred to the hot days in summer as dog days, as only dogs would be mad enough to go out in such heat (Englishmen were not around at the time), which led to Sirius becoming known as the Dog Star, and the constellation named after it as Big Dog.
5. Our next stop is the smallest of all the constellations. Despite this fact, it is depicted on the flags of five southern hemisphere nations. What is the name of this famous constellation?

Answer: Crux

Better known as the Southern Cross, Crux measures covers only six degrees of the sky (your closed fist at arms length covers ten degrees). As there is no bright star close to the celestial south pole, using the two stars on the long axis as pointers, Crux is a useful aid to finding it.
6. Named after the Portuguese sailor who is credited as leading the first expedition to circumnavigate the earth, this galaxy appears as a cloud about twenty times the size of the moon. What is its name?

Answer: Large Magellanic Cloud

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is one of the few galaxies visible with the naked eye. The LMC contains approximately 10 billion stars, compared to our Milky Way's 100 billion stars. At some distant point in the future the Milky Way will probably consume the LMC.
7. Our next constellation is the southernmost of all the constellations and is never visible from north of the equator. Named after Table Mountain in South Africa, it has a name reserved for the brightest minds on Earth, although it doesn't contain any of the brightest stars. What is this constellation?

Answer: Mensa

Mensa lies just south of the Large Magellanic Cloud close to the south celestial pole. Mensa derives from the latin Mons Mensae (Table Mountain). French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille called it that as a reference to the site from which he made his observations: Table Mountain in Cape Town South Africa.
8. The next constellation on our tour is the largest of all. Known as the water snake, what is this constellation?

Answer: Hydra

Stretching from Cancer to Libra, Hydra covers 102 degrees of the sky. Hydra is so long it takes over six hours to completely rise above the horizon.
9. Our next constellation is one of the zodiac constellations represented by the archer. Which constellation is this?

Answer: Sagittarius

Sagittarius contains the famous Pistol Star, which is about 200 times as massive as our Sun and four million times as luminous. The Pistol Star radiates as much energy in 20 seconds as our sun does in a whole year!
10. The Milky Way is a wondrous sight from the southern hemisphere, but wait! What is the name of that great black patch with no stars near its southern end?

Answer: The Coalsack

The Coalsack is the most visible dark nebula in the sky. The Coalsack is made up of interstellar gases, dust and frozen molecules so dense that it obscures those stars in the Milky Way behind it. Many millions of years in the future, the dust
clouds which make up the Coalsack will coalesce into new stars.
Source: Author stredman

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