In the hope that we will soon have some warm dry weather with clear skies, the theme for this issue is the Night Sky, but note that not every answer is visible to the naked eye! This time there is a bonus question, a particularly difficult one, perhaps!
- Q. By what name is the constellation Ursa Major better known?
A. The Great Bear, The Plough or The Big Dipper - Q. Which planetary object, visible in the night sky using binoculars, has the shortest name?
A. Io, one of the four moons of Jupiter that were discovered by Galileo - Q. Who wrote the music to the famous song, Moon River, and who originally performed it and in which film?
A. The music for Moon River was composed by Henry Mancini. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film, Breakfast at Tiffany's, winning an Oscar for Best Original Song - Q. Which planet is sometimes known as the Evening Star?
A. Venus - Q. Which planet did William Herschel discover in 1781?
A. Uranus - Q. Who composed The Planets orchestral suite?
A. Gustav Holtz - Q. By what name are the Pleiades better known?
A. The Seven Sisters - Q. Who played Jim Collins in the movie Apollo 13?
A. Tom Hanks - Q. Which is the brightest star in the night sky?
A. Sirius, The Dog Star - Q. When do we have a ‘blue moon’?
A. When we have two full moons in the same calendar month the second one is called a ‘blue moon’. This occurs every two to three years - Q. Who entitled his autobiography Failure is not an option, referring to his experiences on the Apollo 13 mission to the moon?
A. Gene Kranz, the NASA engineer, most famous for being the flight director for Apollo 13.