Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This star was of importance to the ancient Egyptians, who used it to track the rising of the Nile River. When this star appeared just before sunrise, the people knew that the annual floods were soon to come. This star is also said to bring madness to dogs, and today shares its name with a satellite radio company. What is the name of this star?
2. In astrology, the placement of certain constellations at the moment of a person's birth are said to determine aspects of the person's personality and foretell events in the person's life. The constellations of primary interest to astrologers are called the Zodiac. How many constellations are counted as part of the Zodiac?
3. Of this heavenly body, John Gadbury writes in 1665, "Threatening the world with Famine, Plague and War: To Princes, Death! To Kingdoms, many Crosses; To all Estates, inevitable Losses! To Herdsmen, Rot; to Plowmen, hapless Seasons; To Sailors, Storms, To Cities, Civil Treasons!" Historically, these bodies appeared in the sky at the beginning of the reign of Augustus Caesar, during the Norman conquest of England, before the abdication of Charles V, at the birth of Mark Twain, and at the mass suicide of Heaven's Gate cultists. What are they?
4. Ptolemy, an ancient Greek astronomer and observer, wrote that falling stars happened when the gods looked down between the spheres upon the earth, allowing some stars to slip into the gaps they made between the spheres. The playwright Aristophanes wrote that falling stars were the drunken souls of the poor, staggering home after dinner at a rich star's. In modern times, we know falling stars to be meteoroids, chunks of rock falling from space, burning up in the Earth's atmosphere. In July and August in the northern hemisphere, we see a great number of these falling stars, that seem to emerge from which constellation?
5. The star closest to Earth is, of course, the Sun, and so the Sun figures into a number of beliefs and traditions. A solar eclipse, in which the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, is said to have occurred on which holy day in the Christian tradition?
6. Some planets appear to the naked eye to be stars; Venus and Mars are particularly prone to being misinterpreted by earthly viewers. Venus, sometimes known as the "Morning Star", is associated in world religion with which of the following entities?
7. The Tarot is a card-based system of divination and meditation originally developed in the mid-15th century as a stylized pack of playing cards. In many modern decks, a card called The Star is devoted to our stellar friends. It often features a naked woman pouring water both into a pool and onto the ground, while a number of large stars shine above. Which of these are usual interpretations for this card in divination?
8. This starry feature of the night sky is said in various cultures to be the embers from a fire tossed up into the sky; straw or cornmeal stolen from one mythological figure by another and spilled in the escape; a road for gods, birds, or spirits; spilled divine milk; and the belly of a cosmic dolphin.
9. This star was known to ancient Persian astrologers as one of the four Royal Stars, guardians of the four directions and the seasons. It is one of the brightest in the night sky, and appears in the constellation Leo. The common name of this star is from the Latin for "little ruler" and it is also known as Basiliscus, Venant, and Cor Leonis. What star is this?
10. Finally, referring to the name of this quiz, folk traditions all over the world encourage wishing on falling stars. According to Disney's adaptation of the Italian tale "Pinocchio", what happens when you wish upon a star?
Source: Author
featherynscale
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
Pagiedamon before going online.
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