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Quiz about Celestial Navigation Stars
Quiz about Celestial Navigation Stars

Celestial Navigation Stars Trivia Quiz


There are fifty-eight stars that have a special status in astronomy because they aid in celestial navigation. This quiz will test your knowledge of some of them. Good luck!

A photo quiz by Triviaballer. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
Triviaballer
Time
5 mins
Type
Photo Quiz
Quiz #
379,201
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
662
Last 3 plays: 1nn1 (8/10), shuehorn (9/10), Guest 141 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The fifty-eight celestial navigation stars span thirty-eight constellations of the celestial sphere. Similarly to Earth's latitude and longitude, the celestial sphere utilizes two measurements to give the positions of stars. In addition to sidereal hour angle, what other metric, with values between 90° south and 90° north, is used to identify star position? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Possibly the most well-known and utilized star in celestial navigation is located at North 89° 15′ 50.8″. What is the name of this star that is the closest Cepheid variable star to Earth as well as the 50th brightest star in the night sky?

Answer: ((One word))
Question 3 of 10
3. Our next celestial navigation star is located at North 28° at a distance of nearly 34 light years from Earth. It is typically paired with another star in its constellation but ironically they have much different sizes, colors, and even star system quantity. What is the name of this star that shares its name with a character from Greek mythology? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Although this star is the 27th brightest star in the night sky it is only the third brightest star in the constellation Orion. With a Latin name meaning 'female warrior', which star has a size of 8.4 times the mass of the sun and shares its name with a villainous character in the "Harry Potter" series of novels? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The brightest star in the constellation Lyra was the northern pole star around 12,000 BCE. Located just 25 light years from Earth this star was the first other than the Sun to be photographed and have its spectrum recorded. What is the name of this celestial navigation star that makes up part of the Summer Triangle? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In astronomy the term close is of course relatively speaking. One star system is located at just 4.37 light years from Earth and in addition to its most common name it is also known as Rigil Kent and Toliman. What is the name of this celestial navigation star system that has an apparent magnitude of −0.27 making it the third-brightest star in the night sky? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. About 4.7 million years ago the star Adhara was the brightest star in the night sky with a magnitude of -3.99. While Adhara is no longer one of the brightest stars it is still a celestial navigation star and incredibly it emits almost 39,000 times the radiation of the Sun. In what constellation would one find both Adhara as well as the brightest star in the night sky? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. While most stars have a name derived from one language our next star has a name meaning 'calm waters' that is derived from both Arabic and Latin. Located 113 light years from Earth and forming part of the Diamond Cross what is this star located in the constellation Carina? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Incredibly our next celestial navigation star appears on the flags of Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, and Brazil. It is the brightest star in its well-known constellation and the southernmost first-magnitude star. What is the name of this star located 321 light years from Earth? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The final star of our quiz is the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere and the fourth brightest star in the night sky. What is the name of this giant, orange K-type star that forms part of the Spring Triangle asterism? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Nov 16 2024 : 1nn1: 8/10
Nov 13 2024 : shuehorn: 9/10
Nov 01 2024 : Guest 141: 9/10
Oct 15 2024 : MargaritaD: 7/10

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The fifty-eight celestial navigation stars span thirty-eight constellations of the celestial sphere. Similarly to Earth's latitude and longitude, the celestial sphere utilizes two measurements to give the positions of stars. In addition to sidereal hour angle, what other metric, with values between 90° south and 90° north, is used to identify star position?

Answer: Declination

Incredibly there are about 6,000 stars that can be seen from Earth under optimal conditions by human sight alone. Since 1958 the US Naval Observatory and Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office have jointly published the "Nautical Almanac" which included the fifty-eight celestial navigation stars based on their brightness, ease of identification, and distribution across the celestial sphere.
2. Possibly the most well-known and utilized star in celestial navigation is located at North 89° 15′ 50.8″. What is the name of this star that is the closest Cepheid variable star to Earth as well as the 50th brightest star in the night sky?

Answer: Polaris

Polaris is considered the northern pole star because it is located at a declination near the celestial north pole. Polaris is actually a multiple star system with the largest star having a size of 4.5 solar masses. The distance from Earth to Polaris is estimated at 434 light years.
3. Our next celestial navigation star is located at North 28° at a distance of nearly 34 light years from Earth. It is typically paired with another star in its constellation but ironically they have much different sizes, colors, and even star system quantity. What is the name of this star that shares its name with a character from Greek mythology?

Answer: Pollux

Pollux is the brightest star in the constellation Gemini and it is typically paired with its 'twin' star Castor which is actually a system of six individual stars. In 2006 an extrasolar planet was found orbiting Pollux and it was given the name Thestias.
4. Although this star is the 27th brightest star in the night sky it is only the third brightest star in the constellation Orion. With a Latin name meaning 'female warrior', which star has a size of 8.4 times the mass of the sun and shares its name with a villainous character in the "Harry Potter" series of novels?

Answer: Bellatrix

The outer envelope of Bellatrix has a temperature of 22,000 Kelvin, about four times as hot as the sun and its color appears blue-white. On the celestial sphere Bellatrix is located at sidereal hour angle 279 and declination North 6°.
5. The brightest star in the constellation Lyra was the northern pole star around 12,000 BCE. Located just 25 light years from Earth this star was the first other than the Sun to be photographed and have its spectrum recorded. What is the name of this celestial navigation star that makes up part of the Summer Triangle?

Answer: Vega

Vega is the fifth brightest star in the night sky and some astronomers have called it the most important star in the sky after the Sun. In addition to being one of the first stars to have its distance calculated by parallax, Vega is the calibrating star used to measure photometric brightness. At a declination of North 38.78°, Vega can only be seen north of latitude South 51° on Earth.
6. In astronomy the term close is of course relatively speaking. One star system is located at just 4.37 light years from Earth and in addition to its most common name it is also known as Rigil Kent and Toliman. What is the name of this celestial navigation star system that has an apparent magnitude of −0.27 making it the third-brightest star in the night sky?

Answer: Alpha Centauri

There are two main stars in Alpha Centauri known as A and B as well as a red dwarf star called Proxima Centauri (Alpha Centauri C). Although Proxima Centauri is not visible to the naked eye it is the closest star to the Sun. Alpha Centauri A is 50% more luminous than the Sun and its mass is 10% larger whereas Alpha Centauri B has a mass 91% of the Sun and is 45% as luminous. Located at a declination of about South 61°, Alpha Centauri is utilized as a 'pointer' star to locate other stars in the southern hemisphere.
7. About 4.7 million years ago the star Adhara was the brightest star in the night sky with a magnitude of -3.99. While Adhara is no longer one of the brightest stars it is still a celestial navigation star and incredibly it emits almost 39,000 times the radiation of the Sun. In what constellation would one find both Adhara as well as the brightest star in the night sky?

Answer: Canis Major

Adhara is the 23rd brightest star in the night sky with an apparent magnitude of 1.5 and a distance of 430 light years. Incredibly when Adhara was the brightest star in the night sky it was located just 34 light years from the Sun. Adhara appears on the flag of Brazil along with 26 other stars. Sirius, also located in Canis Major, is the brightest star in the night sky and it is estimated to be so until the year 212000.
8. While most stars have a name derived from one language our next star has a name meaning 'calm waters' that is derived from both Arabic and Latin. Located 113 light years from Earth and forming part of the Diamond Cross what is this star located in the constellation Carina?

Answer: Miaplacidus

Of the fifty-eight celestial navigation stars, Miaplacidus has the most southerly declination at South 69° 43′. Miaplacidus has a mass 3.5 times that of the Sun and it lies in the same constellation as Canopus, the second-brightest star in the night sky.
9. Incredibly our next celestial navigation star appears on the flags of Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, and Brazil. It is the brightest star in its well-known constellation and the southernmost first-magnitude star. What is the name of this star located 321 light years from Earth?

Answer: Acrux

Acrux is also known as Alpha Crucis and it is located in the constellation Crux. Within Crux is an asterism of stars known as the Southern Cross of which Acrux is one of the pointer stars. There are two massive, primary stars that make up Acrux designated as α1 and α2 with masses approximately 10 to 14 times that of the Sun. On the celestial sphere Acrux can be located at sidereal hour angle 174 and declination South 63°.
10. The final star of our quiz is the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere and the fourth brightest star in the night sky. What is the name of this giant, orange K-type star that forms part of the Spring Triangle asterism?

Answer: Arcturus

Arcturus is the zenith star of the Hawaiian Islands and before modern technological innovations the star was used by navigators when traveling to areas such as Polynesia. The Chicago World's Fair of 1933 began when the automatic lights came on after the rays of Arcturus were detected. Arcturus is located 36.7 light years from Earth and on the celestial sphere it can be found at sidereal hour angle 146 and declination North 19°.
Source: Author Triviaballer

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