Inconstant Moons? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leda

'fLED Across'. Leda was the queen of Sparta. Zeus, in the form of a swan, fathered two children with her: Pollux and Helen of Troy.Leda is the smallest of Jupiter's moons.
'Thankee-sai' to Stephen King for the memorable sentence that begins one of my favorite tales,"The Gunslinger". Not only a good book but the beginning of an incredible series. Check it out if you want a good read.

Answer: Mimas

'hiM I'M A Singer'. Mimas was one of the Titans slain by Hercules. This moon has a huge impact crater that measures about 80 miles across (130 kilometers). The crater is named "Herschel" after the man who discovered the satellite in 1789.

Answer: Europa

'amatEUR OPAl'. Europa was a Phoenician princess who was kidnapped by Zeus (who had taken the form of a white bull). Europa is slightly smaller than the Earth's moon.

Answer: Titan

'geT IT ANother'. Titan was discovered by Christiaan Huygens in 1655. Titans were a family of giants, the children of Uranus and Gaia. According to Greek mythology, they tried to rule the heavens but were defeated by the family of Zeus. Titan is larger than Pluto.

Answer: Titania

'wanT IT AN' I Always'. Titania is the largest of Uranus's moons. Titania is Queen of the Fairies and wife of Oberon in William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Answer: Callisto

'CALL IS TO'. Callisto was a nymph that found herself changed into a bear (The goddess Hera was jealous of her). She was pulled into the heavens along with her bear-son, Arcas. Together they are known as Ursa major and Ursa Minor.

Answer: Io

'scorpIOns'. Zeus (aka Jupiter) was in love with Io, but once again Hera is jealous. To protect Io, Zeus turned her into a heifer to hide her from the vengeful Hera. It seems that Zeus will never be a one-woman-guy.

Answer: Deimos

'riDE I MOStly'. Deimos is the smaller of Mars' two moons and has an unusual shape, sort of like a kidney bean! In mythology, Deimos (it means 'panic' in Greek) is one of the sons of Ares (Mars) and Aphrodite (Venus).

Answer: satellite

'LiSA TELL IT Even'. A celestial body that orbits a planet is called a satellite or a moon.

Answer: Ganymede

'askinG ANY MEDEville'. Ganymede was a beautiful boy from Troy whom Zeus carried away to be cup bearer to the gods on Mount Olympus. Ganymede is the largest satellite in the solar system and is larger than the planet Pluto.

Answer: Lysithea

'loneLY SITH EArns'. Lysithea was one of the many daughters of Oceanus and Tethys known as the Oceanids; the goddesses of springs, clouds and rain. She was also one of Zeus' lovers. Go figure...

Answer: Carme

'nasCAR MEmbers'. Carme was the mother and (guess who?) Zeus was the father of Britomartis, a Cretan goddess. An unusual feature of Carme is that its orbit is retrograde(clockwise).

Answer: Charon

'marCH A RON'. Charon is so large compared to its planet that many people think of them as a 'double planet'. In mythology Charon is the ferryman who carries the dead across the river Acheron. He requires a payment for the passage which is why a corpse will be buried with a coin under its tongue. FYI: The 1989 Ron Howard film chronicled a 225-day peace march in 1986 and starred Howard as well as Martin Sheen, Leonard Nimoy, Yoko Ono, and Jesse Jackson.

Answer: Triton

'aT RI TO Nh'. Triton is the Greek god of the sea and son of Poseidon. You will usually see him as having the upper body and head of a man and the tail of a fish. According to Disney, he is also the father of Ariel; the beautiful princess of movie fame.

Answer: Carpo

'sCAR POinted'. Carpo is a daughter of Zeus and Themis. She is one of the daughters known as the first generation of the Horae (meaning 'hours') who were in charge of the seasons. Carpo was in charge of 'autumn'. I hope you enjoyed the quiz!
One last question: From which play did I borrow the title of this quiz, pray tell? Drop me a line if you know!