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Astronomer Annie Jump Cannon Trivia Quiz

Annie Jump Cannon was born on December 11, 1863 and died on April 13, 1941. She was a very famous astronomer who is unfortunately, not well known. Hopefully, this quiz will help to change that.

A multiple-choice quiz by almach. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
almach

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
251,638

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
270

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Where did she first study physics and astronomy? Hint

Oxford

Yale

Harvard

Wellesley

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Question 2 of 10

2. Does she have a crater named after her on the Moon?

Yes

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Question 3 of 10

3. Besides astronomy, she also developed skills in Hint

photography

biology

botany

fishing

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Question 4 of 10

4. What famous mnemonic phrase in Astronomy refers to a scheme she helped to develop? Hint

The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.

Facts are stubborn things, but statictics are more pliable

Oh, be a fine girl , kiss me!

Magnificent desolation

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Question 5 of 10

5. Annie Jump Cannon also published catalogs of Hint

variable stars

galaxies

supernova remnants

never published any catalogs

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Question 6 of 10

6. Why is she known as one of Edward Pickering's women? Hint

He hired her, and a lot of other women, including Henrietta Leavett to carry out astronomical calculations.

She was his housekeeper.

She was his third wife.

She wasn't known as one of his women.

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Question 7 of 10

7. Annie Jump Cannon was the first woman to be awarded the National Academy of Science's Draper Gold Medal.

True

False

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Question 8 of 10

8. Annie Jump Cannon became curator of the Harvard College Observatory in 1938.

True

False

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Question 9 of 10

9. The Annie Jump Cannon Award is awarded each year for outstanding research by a woman in astronomy.

True

False

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Question 10 of 10

10. She did which of the following? Hint

Helped to catalog the known satellites of the outer solar system

Worked on revising William Hershel's galaxy observations

Assigned the spectral type of over 300,000 stars

Developed the spectrascope

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Where did she first study physics and astronomy?

Answer: Wellesley

The college she attended is in Massachusetts. She graduated in 1884 with a degree in physics.

2. Does she have a crater named after her on the Moon?

Answer: Yes

The name of the crater is Cannon crater. It is 56 km in diameter. It is located on the Moon's near side (Earth's facing side), near the east-northeastern limb. It is not too far from the Hubble crater, which is named after Edwin Hubble.

3. Besides astronomy, she also developed skills in

Answer: photography

Photography was relatively new to the world and she traveled through Europe developing (no pun intended) her skills.

4. What famous mnemonic phrase in Astronomy refers to a scheme she helped to develop?

Answer: Oh, be a fine girl , kiss me!

This should have been an easy one. Only oh, be a fine girl, kiss me is a mnemonic. She classified the stars according to their temperatures. The first letter of each word in the mnemonic stands for the major spectral type. Spectral type O is for the stars radiating between 25,000 and 50,000 degrees Kelvin (K). B is for stars from 11,000 to 25,000K, the A classification is for stars between 7,500 to 11,000K, F for stars between 6,000 to 7,500K, G for stars between 5,000 to 6,000K (our Sun fits in here at 5,800K), K is for stars between 3,500 and 5,000K and M, the coolest stars radiating at 3,000 to 3,500 degrees Kelvin.

5. Annie Jump Cannon also published catalogs of

Answer: variable stars

Variable stars are stars that change their brightness. In some cases it is simply a star passing in front of a companion star. This type is known as an eclipsing variable. Other stars have violent outbursts due to processes within their interiors, these are known as cataclysmic variables. There are other types as well.

6. Why is she known as one of Edward Pickering's women?

Answer: He hired her, and a lot of other women, including Henrietta Leavett to carry out astronomical calculations.

William Pickering, Edward's brother, discovered Phoebe, a moon of Saturn, in 1898.

7. Annie Jump Cannon was the first woman to be awarded the National Academy of Science's Draper Gold Medal.

Answer: True

It was in 1931 while she was at Harvard. The next woman to win wasn't until 1989.

8. Annie Jump Cannon became curator of the Harvard College Observatory in 1938.

Answer: False

She became curator in 1911 and obtained a Harvard appointment as astronomer in 1938, two years before her retirement.

9. The Annie Jump Cannon Award is awarded each year for outstanding research by a woman in astronomy.

Answer: True

The individual, who must be a North American woman, wins a monetary award as well as an opportunity to talk at an American Astronomical Society meeting.

10. She did which of the following?

Answer: Assigned the spectral type of over 300,000 stars

These classifications can be found in the Henry Draper spectral catalog, which is still in use today.

Source: Author almach

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
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