History of Astronomy - Part 1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: France

It is believed that the menhirs (large, carved stone blocks) at Carnac were arranged in such a way that they were aligned with objects in the sky. The same can be said for the monoliths at Stonehenge in England, among many others. However, the true nature of these objects may never be known.

Answer: Mayan

There is some archaeological evidence to suggest that the Mayans were the first people to seriously examine the night sky. The Dresden Codex includes solar eclipse tables, and observations of comets, the planets and other night sky events. In addition, it sets out the Mayan calendar.

Answer: true

Prior to 4,000 B.C. the Egyptians employed a lunar calendar, much like the other ancient civilizations. However, this calendar proved unsatisfactory, particularly when attempting to predict the flooding season of the Nile. Based on the appearance in the night sky of 36 different stars called 'decans', the Egyptians fashioned a fairly accurate calendar that proved much more useful for agricultural purposes.

The 24-hour day was also established by employing the stars in the night sky. Like the monoliths in Europe, the Pyramids were also aligned in such a way as to make possible certain astronomical observations.

Answer: Solar eclipse

The Chinese were probably the first to have recorded several astronomical events, including the first observed comet and the first observed supernova. There are claims that the Chinese observed the first comet in 2296 B.C., but this is possibly apocryphal. There is no doubt, however, that the Chinese were among the first careful observers of the sky.

Answer: Chaldeans

The Chaldeans, who commanded Babylon for a period during ancient times, were some of the greatest ancient scientists. They advanced upon the Egyptian calendar system, establishing the current system which we use wherein 60 seconds equals a minute, and 60 minutes an hour. They also developed the zodiac (Gr., circle of animals) that we use today, though the names of the signs were different.

Answer: 585 B.C.

Thales traveled extensively to both Babylon and Egypt, and probably borrowed well-established methods of calculating solar eclipse events from those civilizations. His accurate prediction helped establish Thales as a well-respected man of science, and his pupils furthered his inquiry into mathematics, physics and the heavens.

Answer: Sundial

Like his mentor, Thales, Anaximander sojourned to both Babylon and Egypt. He profited from his journeys through his 'discovery' of the gnomen, the upright piece on a sundial that makes it possible to determine specifically the movement of the sun. Anaximander made attempts to measure the distance from Earth to the sun and the moon, and to measure the relative sizes of these objects. However, his calculations were far from accurate.

Answer: Pythagoras

The Pythagoreans are typically awarded the distinction of being the first thinkers to have accepted the idea that Earth is spherical in nature, and everything that this idea entails. However, the Pythagoreans did not suggest that the Earth revolved around the sun; this would have to wait for a later date.

Answer: Cleostratus

Cleostratus is a lesser-known figure of ancient Greek science, possibly because he did not make innovations in any of the sciences, but was merely the transporter of knowledge from Babylonia. He was active around 520 B.C., another traveler to the Fertile Crescent (notice a trend here?)

Answer: Recognized that the 'morning star' (Venus) was also the 'evening star'

Parmenides was a brilliant observer of nature, and hence some of his astronomical observations were surprisingly acute. He not only made the connection with Venus and its morning and evening variants, but also made the observation that the moon merely reflected sunlight, rather than having its own source of illumination. Parmenides also asserted that the Earth was spherical, though probably at later date than Pythagoras. Thank you for playing this quiz. The next quiz in this series explores the further advances of Greek astronomy; see you there!