Constellations

As this is a finite list I thought I’d try and fill in my knowledge gaps of some of the lesser known ones, but this was much drier than I anticipated. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the real joy in this subject is hiking somewhere where there is less light pollution and really appreciating the magic and imagination the night sky can really bring. Maybe I could recognise Orion, but the use of that word ‘maybe’ tells you where the problem lies.

Questions

Commemorating an invention by Denis Papin, what is the constellation called that has a name meaning ‘pump’ in Greek and Latin?

ANTLIA

Having a name that means ‘without feet’, the constellation apus represents which member of the animal kingdom? Of course this animal does have feet!

BIRD OF PARADISE

Having no Messier objects so probably only of minor interest to non-experts, by what name is the constellation known as ‘the giraffe’ recognised by the International Astronomical Union?

CAMELOPARDALIS

Although its brightest star is Arcturus, the name of the constellation Boötes is not derived from a bear, but from which other animal? This leads to the usual nickname for this constellation.

OX / COW (Boötes is known as ‘The herdsman’)

The nearest star to Earth after the three stars in the Alpha Centauri system, in which constellation can Barnard’s Star be found?

OPHIUCHUS

Home to the Whirlpool Galaxy, the stars Cor Caroli and La Superba as well as one of the largest known black holes, what word is added to ‘Canes’ in the name of the constellation known as ‘the hunting dogs’?

VENATICI

Not as immediately obvious as the ‘Chamaeleon’ that sits before it in the alphabetical list, what is the constellation known as ‘the compass’ called in Latin? That’s a draughtman’s compass!

CIRCINUS

Along with leo, which other constellation has a name that only runs to three letters?

ARA

One of the numerous inanimate objects included in the constellations, what does the Latin word ‘ara’ mean in English?

ALTAR

Only approved by the Working Group on Star Names in 2017, Meridiana is the brightest star in which constellation, with Alphecca being the equivalent for the next constellation in the list alphabetically?

CORONA AUSTRALIS

One of the brightest stars in the night sky, Fomalhaut can be found in which constellation that contains a sign of the zodiac, albeit with a slightly different spelling, within its two-word name?

PISCIS AUSTRINUS

Although its easy to think that the constellation dorado might refer to a goldfish and some have also called it a swordfish, it actually refers to which other fish with the binomial name ‘Coryphaena hippurus’?

DOLPHINFISH

Having its brightest star as Dalim, a word used for an ostrich, what is the Latin name for the constellation known as ‘the furnace’?

FORNAX

Known as the ‘little horse’, ‘foal’ or even ‘pony’, which constellation is associated with Celeris, a possible offspring of the winged horse pegasus?

EQUULEUS

Along with Pavo, Phoenix and Tucana one of the constellations known as the ‘Southern birds’, what is the constellation called that is known as ‘the crane’?

GRUS

Actually an abbreviation of its former name ‘Equuleus Pictoris’, as what inanimate object is the constellation Pictor usually depicted?

EASEL

The constellation known as Puppis represents what inanimate object, rather than a nice, happy puppy or a butterfly waiting to emerge?

POOP DECK

Not containing the word ‘australis’ as one might expect, what is the smallest of the 88 constellations?

CRUX

Not satisifed with there being constellations that represent a fish, southern fish and a dolphinfish, which constellation is known as the ‘flying fish’?

VOLANS

In an attempt to confuse those casting only a cursory glance over all things astronomy, the constellation known as ‘the cup’ has a Latin name that is shared with what feature that can be found many times in our solar system?

CRATER

Perhaps one of the duller names among the 88 constellations and not to be confused with the etymology for one of the chemical elements, how is the constellation ‘the chisel’ known in Latin?

CAELUM

Attempting to drive me to complete insanity, which constellation is named for the mariner’s compass rather than the draftman’s compass like Circinus?

PYXIS

Apophis

Armageddon it!

Questions

What type of object in our Solar System is 99942 Apophis?

AN ASTEROID

The asteroid Apophis scores the highest rating to date of 4 on what scale, that categorises the impact risk of Near Earth Objects and was introduced at a UN conference in 1995? Fortunately it’s rating has been revised to zero.

TORINO SCALE

What two-word term is used for a tiny region of space where a planet’s gravity would alter the orbit of an incoming object such as Apophis, so that it would crash into that body?

GRAVITATIONAL KEYHOLE

Apophis was discovered at which National Observatory in the Arizona-Sonoran desert? Situated in the Quinlan Mountains it is one of the largest gatherings of astronomical instruments in the northern hemisphere.

KITT PEAK

A more detailed Impact Hazard Scale is named for which Italian city, with the Torino Scale being generally used for non-scientific media?

PALERMO

Found at the Mauna Kea observatory in Hawaii, which Japanese telescope is named for the Pleiades star cluster, with it being used to confirm Yarkovsky effect predictions, which concerns itself with the force acting on a rotating body in space?

SUBARU

One of three satellite communications networks in NASA’s Deep Space Network, which observatory is named for a California ghost town, being used to observe Apophis and re-calculate its orbit?

GOLDSTONE

Apophis gets its name from the Egyptian snake god Apep, who was known for their battles with which other Egyptian god, “The Coffin Texts” suggesting he used his magical gaze to overwhelm them and their entourage?

RA

Space

Eeny meeny miny moe, which meteor shower in November does show?

Questions

Represented as a lion on the skandola talisman that protects against evil, which lord of the underworld of the Mandaean religion in southern Iraq gives their name to a macula on Pluto?

KRUN

Having the symbol of the python with that creature being honoured in the region, which Igbo fertility deity gives their name to a macula on Pluto?

ALA

Named for an American astronomer, what track is followed by pre-main sequence stars of over 0.5 solar masses after the Hayashi track ends?

HENYEY

Following on from a protostar’s rapid contraction, what type of star is an extremely luminous pre-main sequence star which follows the Hayashi track, being named for a specific example found in a zodiacal constellation?

T TAURI

What is the Chinese name and number of the lunar rover for the Chang’e 4 mission, with its name meaning ‘jade rabbit’?

YUTU-2

Carried out by Frank Drake in 1960, what project name was the first SETI experiment given, named for a queen in the Frank L. Baum novels?

OZMA

Proposed during a 2005 conference in the micro-state, what risk does the San Marino scale measure?

RISKS WITH EXTRATERRESTRIAL COMMUNICATION

Also having asteroid 191856 (that number really doesn’t need to be remembered!) named after him, which Hungarian astronomer proposed the San Marino scale, with them also serving on the Advisory Council of METI, which is short for Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence?

IVÁN ALMÁR

What two moons is US astronomer Asaph Hall best known for discovering in 1877?

PHOBOS AND DEIMOS

Who was the fourth person to walk on the moon, partnering Pete Conrad in the Apollo 12 mission and sharing their surname with a TV and film character?

ALAN BEAN

Who was the sixth person to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 14 mission alongside Alan Shephard, sharing his surname with a British comedian?

EDGAR MITCHELL

Sharing their surname with an Oscar winning actor, who was the seventh person to walk on the moon, becoming the first to drive on the moon as part of the Apollo 15 mission?

DAVID SCOTT

Sharing their surname with a former Manchester United player, who was the eighth person to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 15 mission, but unfortunately the first and youngest to die in 1991 at the age of 61?

JAMES IRWIN

The only person to pilot or command four different classes of spacecraft, who was the ninth person to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 16 mission? He was teamed up with tenth moon walker Charles Duke, the youngest to ever set foot on the satellite.

JOHN YOUNG

Which eccentric who claimed the outer space nation of Celestia, shares their surname with a British comedian who voiced Postman Man in 2014’s “Postman Pat: The Movie”?

JAMES T. MANGAN

Armenian astrophysicist Benjamin Markarian is best known for a group of what that is named after him?

GALAXIES (Markarian’s Chain and Markarian galaxies)

The Leonid meteor showers are at their peak every 33 years and were first discovered over 1,000 years ago. They are associated with which comet that was independently discovered by two individuals in 1865 and 1866?

TEMPEL-TUTTLE

During the Leonid meteor shower, the Earth moves through a stream of solid particles that are known by what word, with them being ejected by the comet when the sun heats them up too much?

METEOROIDS

Two appearances of the Leonids frame which 1985 novel by Cormac McCarthy, which follows ‘The kid’ and his association with a group of scalp hunters? It has not yet been adapted into a film, with the material seen to be particularly challenging.

BLOOD MERIDIAN

In a brutal attempt to confuse quizzers, the Perseid meteor shower takes place over a similar period of time to people being born under the star sign of Leo. With which comet are they associated, being named for a comet that was independently discovered twice in 1862?

SWIFT-TUTTLE

To add fuel to the fire, the December peaking Geminids were discovered in 1862, the same year as the Swift-Tuttle comet, though much more recently that the Leonids and Perseids. With which asteroid is this meteor shower associated, which gets closer to the Sun than any other asteroid and carries the number 3200?

PHAETON