Twinkle Twinkle Lots of Stars! Quiz

Answer: Cygnus

Cygnus is a name taken from the Latinized Greek word for swan. Most of the night sky constellations have a story to them. In Greek mythology, there is a story of Zeus disguising himself as a swan to seduce Leda, the Spartan king's wife. She gave birth to Helen of Troy, Gemini, and Clytemnestra. One of the brightest stars in the night sky is Deneb which is located in Cygnus.

Answer: Pegasus

Pegasus appears in the northern sky. The brightest star in the constellation is Epsilon Pegasi, also known as Enif. In Greek mythology, Pegasus is a pure white winged horse whose parents are Poseidon and Medusa. Among many Greek legends concerning Pegasus is the story of the hero Bellerophon. With the help of Poseidon and Athena, Bellerophon captures Pegasus at the fountain of Peirene. Riding Pegasus, Bellerophon battles and defeats the Chimera monster. Unfortunately, the hero falls from the back of Pegasus on a journey to Mount Olympus. Zeus then transforms the dying hero into the constellation of Pegasus.

Answer: Orion

Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations in the night sky and visible from both hemispheres. The brightest stars in the constellation include Betelgeuse and Rigel. Orion was born to Poseidon and Euryale who was the daughter of King Minos. Orion was a mighty hunter and had the power to walk on water.

In Greek legend he was a legendary hunter but was blinded by King Oenopion. After being healed by Helios he went on other adventures including a hunt with the goddess Artemis. During the hunt, Orion is said to have boasted that he would kill every beast on the Earth. Mother Earth, on hearing this, sent a giant scorpion to slay Orion.

Many of the Greek goddesses petitioned Zeus to honor Orion by placing him in the heavens. Zeus consented and also placed the scorpion constellation in the heavens with Orion, but on the other side of the night sky.

Answer: Leo

Leo is one of the twelve zodiac constellations, and is situated between Cancer and Virgo in the night sky. It is named for the Latin word for lion and does indeed commemorate Heracles (Hercules in Roman legend) defeating the Nemean lion as one of his epic twelve labors.

The 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy cited Leo as one of his original 48 constellations and is included today as one of the 88 identified constellations in the night sky.

Answer: Draco

Draco is from the Latin word for dragon. There are 14 main stars in the Draco constellation. From 3942 BC until 1793 BC, the star Thuban within Draco was the northern pole star. It is claimed that the Egyptian pyramids were constructed to face north with an entrance that made Thuban visible at night. Thuban has since moved its position in the night sky but estimates suggest it will again become the pole star in about 21000 AD.

Answer: Lupus

Lupus is Latin for wolf and is a constellation mainstay in the Southern night sky. Lupus is also a devastating autoimmune disease, a Japanese rugby team, and a city located in Moniteau County Missouri. Of course most people will think of the beautiful wolf when hearing the word lupus. The American Gray Wolf or Timber Wolf is known as the Canis lupus.

Answer: Phoenix

The Phoenix, Grus, Pavo, and Tucana are known as the Southern birds in terms of night sky constellations. The Phoenix constellation first appears in a celestial publication in Johann Bayer's 1603 "Uranometria." The phoenix is a really cool bird and appears as Fawkes in the "Harry Potter" series.

In some legends, the phoenix lives for 1500 years before experiencing re-birth after spontaneous combustion.

Answer: Sagittarius

Sagittarius is also one of Ptolemy's 48 original constellations. The name comes from the Greek word for archer. The zodiac sign for Sagittarius is usually a centaur pulling back on a bow. Stargazers often assign the shape of a teapot to Sagittarius when looking for it in the night-time sky.

In Greek mythology, the satyr Crotus who was the son of Pan is credited with inventing archery. Some legends suggest that Sagittarius is thus based upon the story of Crotus. Interestingly, the arrow from the Centaur's bow is aimed at Antares, the heart of Scorpio suggesting a protection over nearby Hercules and a reminder that someone should avenge Orion who was killed by the scorpion. Who doesn't love Greek legends?

Answer: Libra

Libra is the seventh sign of the Zodiac and sometimes difficult to locate in the sky. It sits between Scorpius and Virgo and its Latin name is translated as 'weighing scales.' Libra is a depiction of the scales held by Astraea (Virgo) who is considered the deity of justice. Libra also has the distinction of being the only sign in the zodiac to NOT have symbolism related to a living creature.

Answer: Aries

Aries is located in the northern celestial hemisphere between Pisces and Taurus. The ram is historically associated with the Aries constellation. This is suggested to be on account of a reference to the Golden Fleece of the winged ram of Colchis. It was this same fleece that Jason and his crew of Argonauts set out on a quest to find.