General
By the Numbers
Astrophysics 101
Culturally Speaking
Back Then...
100
The part of the sun that's invisible to people on Earth except during a total solar eclipse. ...a) the magnetic field ...b) the core ...c) the corona
What is the corona?
100
The width of the shadow cast by the moon ...a) Exactly 35 miles ...b) About 70 miles ...c) Almost 140 miles
What is about 70 miles?
100
The shape of the moon's shadow during a solar eclipse ...a) an ellipse ...b) a polygon ...c) a circle
What is a polygon? The sharp outlines of craters on the moon create a series of connected straight lines in a closed loop.
100
For centuries, people from this country thought an eclipse was a dragon eating the sun ...a) Ethiopia ...b) China ...c) Peru
What is China? During an eclipse, the people would bang on drums and yell in an attempt to scare off the dragon. The return of daylight was proof of their success!
100
The number of years since a total solar eclipse crossed the continental US ...a) 38 ...b) 7 ...c) 99
What is 99 years?
200
Total solar eclipses can only happen when the moon is in this phase. ...a) Crescent ...b) Full ...c) New
What is the New Moon? That is when the moon slides between the Earth & Sun.
200
The maximum length of totality for Aug 21st eclipse ...a) 2 min, 43 sec ...b) 7 min, 29 sec ...c) 4 min, 10 sec
What is 2 min, 43 sec?
200
The type of solar eclipse that has a ring of light around the outline of the moon ...a) Annular ...b) Partial ...c) Total
What is Annular? This type of eclipse does not completely cover the sun. A partial eclipse only takes a "bite" out of the sun.
200
How the Inuit of Arctic America interpreted eclipses ...a) The Sun & Moon were coming to make sure all was well on Earth ...b) The Sun & Moon were having a marital spa ...c) The Sun & Moon were drunk on seal fat wine
What is coming to check that all was well on Earth?
200
The oldest solar eclipse ever recorded ...a) Oct 22, 2134 BC ...b) May 3, 1375 BC ...c) July 9, 401 AD
What is Oct 22, 2134 BC?
300
The percentage of totality that will be seen in Topeka on Aug 21 ...a) 100% ...b) 99% ...c) 95%
What is 99%
300
The number of solar eclipses of all kinds that happen every year ...a) 1 to 2 ...b) 2 to 3 ...c) 5 to 7
What is 2 to 3? But most of these are not total eclipses. We only get a total solar eclipse about every 18 months.
300
Total solar eclipses occur due to this unique feature common to both the Sun & Moon ...a) Same equatorial diameter ...b) Same angular diameter ...c) Same distance from Earth
What is the same angular diameter? The Sun is 400 times wider than the moon and 400 times farther away from Earth. So they appear the same size.
300
In this country it was believed that food cooked during an eclipse is poisonous ...a) India ...b) Nicaragua ...c) Morocco
What is India? They also thought going to sleep with wet hair will make you crazy.
300
The most famous solar eclipse was in 1133AD when this happened ...a) The Romans fought the Mongols and lost ...b) The Mayan temple was discovered ...c) King Henry 1st of England died
What is King Henry 1st died?
400
Solar eclipses also occur on this planet ...a) Jupiter ...b) Venus ...c) Mercury
What is Jupiter? Neither Venus nor Mercury have moons.
400
When Earth will no longer have total solar eclipses ...a) 600,00 yrs from now ...b) 6 million yrs from now ...c) 600 million yrs from now
What is 600 million years? The moon is slowly moving away from Earth. Eventually it will be too far away to fully cover the sun.
400
The pattern of solar eclipses that repeats every 18 years, 11 days ...a) The Sol cycle ...b) The Mayan cycle ...c) The Saros cycle
What is the Saros cycle? It was used by the Babylonians to predict the eclipse on May 3, 1375 BC
400
In this culture, is it believed that flowers planted during a solar eclipse have brighter, more colorful blooms ...a) British ...b) Southern US ...c) Italian
What is Italian?
400
These ancient ruins were used to track eclipses ...a) Taj Mahal ...b) Stonehenge ...c) Great Pyramid
What is Stonehenge? It is believed that Stonehenge was used to track many astronomical events, including eclipses.
500
The jewelry-related term used to describe one of the features of a total solar eclipse ...a) Ruby earring ...b) Garnet necklace ...c) Diamond ring
What is the diamond ring effect? Also called Baily's Beads, small beads of brilliant light appear on the corona right before & after totality. They are caused by craters on the moon, allowing a tiny bit of the sun's light over them.
500
The speed you'd have to travel to keep up with the shadow of the moon during the eclipse ...a) In a racecar going 120mph ...b) In a fighter jet going Mach 1.5 ...c) In a spaceship going 245 times the speed of light
What is in a fighter jet going Mach 1.5. That's about 1100 mph!
500
This famous scientific theory was confirmed by a solar eclipse in May, 1919 ...a) General relativity ...b) First law of thermodynamics ...c) Newton’s first law of motion
What was Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity? Sir Arthur Eddington saw light from more distant stars being distorted by the sun’s gravity during a total eclipse.
500
The Tahitians interpreted eclipses as: ...a) The Sun had fallen asleep ...b) The Moon was giving birth to a star ...c) Lovemaking between the Sun & Moon
What is Lovemaking between the Sun & Moon?
500
On Feb 29th, 1504, this intrepid explorer saved his crew from starvation by predicting an eclipse of the moon. ...a) Marco Polo ...b) Eric the Red ...c) Christopher Columbus
What is Christopher Columbus? The natives of Jamaica were good to Columbus & his crew at first. But bad treatment by some of the sailors & extended ship repairs caused them to quit providing food. Columbus checked the almanac, noted that an eclipse was due & told the natives the moon would disappear if they didn’t provide food. When the moon turned red, the frightened natives provided!
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