Nearly every clue I chose has been featured on J!, on an on-line test, as a DD or FJ, or in various study guides in some form, see how many you can recall!
DISCLAIMER: First TD effort so please bear with me! Thanks to RandyG for suggestions and support. I tried to include a range of clues from common knowledge to the most obscure.
If my clues get too obscure please tell me as all constructive criticism is much appreciated and my skin is thick!!
Each item number has at least one 'gimme!' clue, I hope(!) so if you can avoid taking a DROP you won't get zero, at least, don't be shy to Sheep, but consider that the 'gimme' choice may not be the Sheep, and you might do better taking an easy-looking clue!
RULES (cribbed from TD 214, thanks to eboettch, Ladies of Shakespeare Know Who I Am!)
1. Please send in your responses in a PM to Goatman. Do NOT post them anywhere in this thread.
2. The deadline for submission is Monday, Jan 26, 6:00 PM Eastern/3:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (some wiggle room in that, timely submissions please!).
3. The object of the game is to provide the least popular correct answer for each question. Your score for each question will equal the number of people, including yourself, that gave your answer. Incorrect answers will receive double the points of the most popular answer (the sheep) for that question. (Blank answers, as well as multiple DROP’s and SHEEP’s, will be counted as incorrect.) The lowest final score wins!
4. You may DROP one question by submitting DROP instead of an answer(s). That will give you a score of zero points for that question.
5. You may take the SHEEP score on one question by submitting SHEEP instead of an answer. You will receive the number of points the most popular correct answer received for that question.
6. There are four bonus questions at the end of the quiz that allow you to subtract up to 10 points from your score. There is no penalty for wrong answers for bonuses.
7. Answers must be provided out of the wealth of information that is in your brain, and only the wealth of information that is in your brain - no research! However, if you are lucky enough to stumble onto an answer between when the questions are posted and the time you submit your answer, it’s acceptable to use that.
8. The first tiebreaker will be pre-bonus score, followed by number of singletons, then number of doubletons.
9. If you have questions or comments, send them to me via private message, unless you’re sure your question won’t accidentally reveal an answer or hint at one. If needed, I’ll post a clarification below the questions.
10. When there’s an identification involved give the letter in your response, otherwise it will be marked wrong. You will not be penalized for spelling as long as you give an answer that is phonetically correct, e.g.; “Emanciptation Proclamation” is a no-no, but “Emancipayshun Proclamation” is fine.
1. Easy warm-up on 8 major planets of our solar system, which are named for archaic deities. Provide a response to ONE of the clues below, WITH letter:
a. Smallest major planet of the solar system, since Pluto was demoted (is that a kind of 'promotion'?!); named for the messenger of the gods.
b. 'Sister' planet to Earth, AKA the Morning and the Evening 'Star', named for Roman goddess of love, all its features are named for ladies.
c. Name the only planet other than Earth not named for a Roman God or Goddess; it is named for Greek Titan, son of Chronos and Gaia.
d. Planet with a high concentration of methane in its atmosphere, giving it a bright green hue; it's also the only planet to have its axis tilted nearly perpendicular to the ecliptic, maybe it got 'knocked on it's side'?
e. Name a major planet with only two moons, named 'Fear' and 'Terror,' it's appropriately named for a 'warlike' deity.
f. It's the largest planet of the solar system, has a Great Red Spot, and is also the planet with the most moons (64 and counting), by Jove!
g. Seasons on this planet named for the Roman God of Agriculture last 21 years; it changes color from a drab orange in summer to a cool pale blue-gray in winter and has large, pretty rings!
h. This smallest of the gas giants is named for the Roman God of the Sea, it has a rocky core and a dark blue hue with a vanishing Great Dark Spot and very narrow rings, which are really visible only when viewed from behind!
i. The word 'planet' comes from the Greek "aster planetes," meaning this:
2. Many dwarf planets are now known, one in the asteroid belt and many new ones discovered in Trans-Neptunian orbits. The general term 'Plutino' has become popular in describing these small worlds. Name ONE of the following:
a. Dwarf Planet named for Roman God of the underworld, the original 'Plutino,' demoted from full planetary status in 2006.
b. Asteroid, AKA 'minor planet' named for Roman Queen of the Gods, not quite qualified to be a dwarf planet; also the name of a spacecraft headed for Jupiter, arriving in 2016.
c. Asteroid or minor planet named for Roman Goddess of the Hearth, also didn't quite make the cut for dwarf designation.
d. Dwarf Planet named for Roman Goddess of discord, formerly nicknamed 'Xena' for the warrior princess; the largest known dwarf planet.
e. Dwarf Planet named for Roman Goddess of fertility, the largest world in the asteroid belt, previously a 'super-asteroid.'
f. Dwarf Planet named for Goddess of fertility of the Rapanui people of Easter Island, because of its discovery on Easter: it's name sounds like "do-do."
g. Technically a moon, this dwarf planetoid is known as the 'anti-Pluto' and is locked in resonant orbit with its master in a binary planetary system.
h. Dwarf Planet named for Etruscan God of the Underworld, homonymous with a resort island in Puget Sound, where the discoverer likes to vacation; it has a tiny moon named 'Vanth.'
i. Dwarf Planet named for Matron goddess of Hawaii, it has two moons named Hi'iaka and Namaka, her daughters.
j. Dwarf Planet originally known only as TNO 90377, now named for an Inuit goddess of the Sea; she lives at the bottom of the frozen Arctic ocean, how apropos, considering this world is the farthest known TNO wandering in the frozen wastes of interstellar space, its orbit spans 942 Astronomical Units from the Sun, over 60 times farther out than Neptune!
3. The moons of the major planets also have fascinating appellations; name ONE of the following about Jupiter's moons:
a. Metis, Adrastaea and Thebe are tiny satellites that maintain Jupiter's narrow ring system by 'herding' ice particles in orbit with their tiny gravity, giving rise to this pastoral name for moons that 'guide' and 'watch over' their 'flocks' of particles:
b. Name the Jovian moon named for a girl who was turned into a Heifer by Zeus to hide her from a very angry, jealous Hera.
c. Name the Jovian moon named for a girl who was abducted (that word again!) by Zeus, who transformed himself into a bull to escape Hera's wrath. (Recently featured in an art category where she is shown riding his back crossing a river with Hera in hot pursuit, by Raphael!)
d. Name the Jovian moon named for a girl who was Zeus' secret lover and nymph of Artemis, it is the farthest out of the large Jovian moons in its orbit.
e. Name the Jovian moon named for a boy who was abducted by Zeus; the largest of the moons, it's larger than the smallest major planet!
f. Name the Jovian moon named for the she-goat who suckled Zeus while his mother hid him from his father Cronus, it's the 5th largest moon of Jupiter, discovered in 1892 by Barnard.
g. This comet, consisting of at least '9' separate bodies, missed becoming moons and fell into Jupiter in 1994 making a titanic splash, name it:
4. The Moons of Saturn are even more fun for the whole family:
a. Name the largest moon of Saturn; it is the second largest moon of all the solar system's moons, it's name sounds like an ancient god.
b. Saturn's moon Mimas is named for a Titan Giant slain by Ares using red-hot projectiles from Hephaestus' forge, it is nicknamed for "this evil Imperial battle station" because of it's large, characteristic crater spanning over 80 miles (130km), about 1/3 of the tiny moon's diameter (Quote: "Head for that small moon!" "Umm... that's not a moon, Han...") ->name the battlestation!
c. This moon of Saturn has an icy crust and active ice geysers spray water ice into its thin icy atmosphere, it is apparently is formed almost entirely of water ice.
d. This moon of Saturn named for Cronus' wife and mother of Zeus, it sounds like a flightless South American bird, and is spelled the same too!
e. Features on the surface of Saturn's moon Iapetus are named for places and characters in the Song of 'this' Paladin of Charlemagne; e.g.; Roncevaux Terra: name the Paladin.
f. Moon of Saturn named after an Ocean Goddess, a Titan goddess of Greek Mythology who also had a primordial sea named for her, which divided the continents Gondwana and Laurasia and covered much of what is now the Sahara.
g. Moon of Saturn named for a Titan goddess of the Moon, she sounds like a character from 'Friends,' but she is not Monica or Rachel.
h. Moon of Saturn named for a Titan meaning, 'watchful,' he was Chronus' elder brother; its also the name of a Longfellow novel and a Keats poem.
5. Persons who discovered the planets and their moons have taken their place in history as famous pioneers. Name ONE of the following with letter:
a. Discovered the four large moons of Jupiter using a homebuilt telescope based on design published by Hans Lippershey: First person to discover moons orbiting another world, on the evening of 7 Jan 1610 he found "three fixed stars, totally invisible by their smallness", circling Jupiter, which he showed to be in orbit by their changing position over subsequent observations: name this "Father of Modern Science."
b. Dutch discoverer of the largest moon of Saturn in 1655 using his own telescope design; a spacecraft probe that landed on Saturn's largest moon in Jan 2005 is named after him.
c. Discovered four additional Saturnian satellites bewtween 1671-84 that he wanted to call Siderea Lodoicea after King Louis XIV, his sponsor, fortunately that didn't catch on; the spacecraft sent to Saturn in 1997, arriving in 2004 is named for him, as well as the large Division in Saturn's rings.
d. Discovered two additional satellites of Saturn in 1789 after he discovered Uranus, 1781; wanted to call it "Georgium Sidus," fortunately that was also disapproved; he also discovered the two largest moons orbiting Uranus and was knighted for all the above, becoming Astronomer Royal.
e. Berlin astronomer who discovered Neptune in 1846 based on mathematical predictions of LeVerrier and Adams, who share credit for his discovery.
f. Discovered largest moon of Neptune 1846 just a few days after the planet's discovery, as well as third and fourth largest moons of Uranus. You could say he 'lassooed those moon ponies!'
g. Discovered Pluto in 1930 while working as an assistant to 'real' astronomers; the PL in Pluto may be in recognition of his boss, Percival Lowell. IMHO they shoulda called it "Cluto!"
h. Discovered five dwarf planets between 2002-2011 with his Caltech group, name the author of: "How I Killed Pluto and Why it had it Coming."
i. Scientist- PR man who selflessly promoted scientific learning and understanding, designed the "Adam & Eve" plaque on Pioneer 10 & 11 and author of Contact, made into a film starring Jodi Foster and Matthew McConaughey in 1997, and Cosmos; his memorable quote: "billions and billions" (not Ray Kroc!); he passed away in 1996 without having seen his film.
6.Moons of Uranus are named for characters in plays and poems, always great DD and FJ fodder; name ONE of the following (I spared you the pain of choosing from among all 27 known Uranian moons!):
a. Alexander Pope wrote "The Rape of The Lock", from which two moons of Uranus are named, name either.
b. Shakespeare wrote "A Midsummer NIght's Dream," its characters names are the source for many moons of Uranus, name one.
c. Name the only Uranian moon whose name is shared by a character in both the above plays!
d. Name the Uranian moons named for character in Midsummer Night's Dream known as Robin Goodfellow (sounds like a hockey player!).
e. This daughter of Prospero, the magician in The Tempest is the namesake of a Uranian moon, name her/it.
f. The two largest moons of Uranus were named for faeries in Midsummer Night's Dream by the same astronomer who discovered the planet, name both.
g. This youngest and truest daughter of King Lear has a Uranian moon named for her (She replied to her father; “Nothing, my lord.” (1.1.86). She continued, “Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave / My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty / According to my bond; no more nor less.”
h. This moon is named for Hamlet's love, for whom her brother Laertes; "Forbid my tears, for she has had too much of water already.":
i. This moon of Uranus is named for the poor, dumb, monstrous brute that Prospero had to do his bidding:
j. This Uranian moon is named for Kate's sister in The Taming of the Shrew, she was the sweetie-pie of their household:
k. Uranian moon named for Othello's unfortunate wife, whom he; "Loved not wisely, but too well."
l. Uranian moon named for girl who played a lawyer in The Merchant of Venice, she said; "The Quality of Mercy is not strained, it droppeth from Heaven like the gentle rain upon the place beneath, and is twice blessed, for it blesseth both him that receives, and him that gives it."
m. Uranian moon named for girl who gets lost in the Forest of Arden in As You Like It, and meets up with Jacques, a dour fellow who considers 'all the world a stage, and the men and women in it merely players; they have their entrances, and exits."
n. Uranian moon named for a poor little royal waif who gets 'lost' in The Winter's Tale and spends 16 years separated from her mother Queen Hermione (shades of Sleeping Beauty here, eh?):
o. Uranian moon named for a mischievious winged spite with bow & arrow who puts Timon of Athens at risk for venereal disease:
p. Uranian moon named for Romeo's love:
q. Uranian moon named for Troilus' love:
7. Moons of Neptune are named for sea-gods and goddesses, and make great DD fodder:
a. Name the largest moon of Neptune, the only large solar system moon which has both retrograde rotation and retrograde orbit, it must eventually fall into the planet from tidal forces or be torn to pieces, forming new rings, so it was almost certainly a dwarf planet that 'wandered' too close and was captured.
b. Five Neptunian moons are named for sea nymphs; name Neptune's second largest moon, the largest of the 'nymph-named' moons:
c. He discovered Neptune's second largest moon above in 1949; objects beyond Neptune are said to be in this 'Belt' named for Gerald_________(NOT "asteroid," please!).
d. This 6th largest moon of Neptune is named for a statue that Pygmalion so loved, Aphrodite brought her to life (Not Eliza Doolitte!); name the statue/moon:
e. Larissa was discovered in 1981 during occultation of Neptune's rings, making it faintly visible; Despina and Thalassa are 'nymphs' and names of small moons discovered in the flyby of this spacecraft in 1989. (Specify both spacecraft name and number designation, please!)
f. This smallest, innermost moon was also discovered in 1989; it's name means "shape-changer."
g. Name of a tiny 'nymph' moon discovered in 1989, which is eponymous with Havana-Key West swimmer Diana______; perhaps she is a nymph of Artemis?! (No penalty for spelling!)
8. Beyond our solar system are countless "Billions and Billions" of stars. Give the proper name one of the following bright spots' nicknamed:
a. The Dog Star
b. The Little Dog Star, its name means 'before the dog'
c. The bright blue-white giant that makes Orion's left foot
d. The Supergiant red star that makes Orion's right shoulder
e. Our nearest neighboring star (two acceptable responses, depending on source)
f. The North Star
g. Brightest star in Constellation Cygnus, its name means 'tail' in Arabic
h. Brightest star in Constellation Aquila, its' name means 'flying eagle'
i. Brightest star in Constellation Lyra, it has been the North Pole Star, and in about 13k years will be again:
j. These 'seven sisters' appear in Taurus.
k. These cousins of the seven sisters, the 'five sisters,' also appear in Taurus.
l. This bright red supergiant in Taurus is often confused with similar-sounding Alderaan, the homeworld of Princess Leia!
m. Brightest star in Leo, it's name sounds quite 'regular'!
n. This variable star in Perseus means 'Gorgon' or 'Ghoul' in Arabic.
o. This bright double star in the handle of the Big Dipper, in the middle of the handle, is actually two binary systems, or a quadruple system of four stars; its name means belt or girdle in Arabic; the ability to distinguish a binary star was used as a vision test for acuity in ancient times.
p. Millions and millions of stars taken together form galaxies, a word originating from the Greek, "Galaxias" meaning this:
9. Stars make up constellations, some of which reoccur on J! with great regularity. Name ONE of the following (Please carefully recall that Zodiac names are similar, but NOT the same spelling or pronunciation as constellations, e.g; certain Zodiac signs end in "-io" while their constellation names end in "-us," negbait pitfall, look out!):
a. Constellation named for a hunter, he holds a club in one hand and a sword in his belt
b. Constellation named for the hunter's dogs (two possible)
c. Constellation named for the hunter's quarry, a rabbit
d. Constellation named for a girl who was chained to a rock, also the name of a galaxy in our Local Group headed for a direct collision in ~4B years
e. Constellation named for the guy who saved the girl chained to the rock
f. Constellation named for the horse that the guy who saved the girl rode in on
g. Constellation named for the vain queen mother of the girl chained to the rock. who boasted of the girl's beauty and angered the gods, bad move!
h. Constellation named for the husband of the mother of the girl chained to the rock, he was King of Aethiopia
i. Constellation named for a swan
j. Constellation named for an eagle
k. Constellation named for a goat
l. Constellation named for a bull
m. Constellation named for an archer
n. Constellation named for an arrow (similar to (k) but not equivalent!)
o. Constellation named for a bear (two possible)
p. Constellation named for a virtuous maiden
q. Constellation named for a balance scale
10. Astrology, which is superstition is commonly inappropriately associated with and confused with astronomy, which is science, are hopelessly jumbled into each other in television game shows and popular culture; name ONE Zodiac sign constellation from its meaning below, with letter:
a. The Goat
b. The Water-Bearer
c. The Fish
d. The Ram
e. The Bull
f. The Twins
g. The Crab
h. The Lion
i. The Maiden
j. The scales
k. The scorpion
l. The archer
11. Potpourri:
a. Moons with names meaning 'Fear' and 'Terror' were referenced in clue above. Name both!
b. Name both major planets that have no known moons.
c. This moon of the dwarf planet formerly named 'Xena' is named for a minor goddess of chaos, her name means "bad memory." Formerly named "Gabrielle," it Is actually the 3rd largest dwarf planet, in another binary planetary system.
d. Element named for Earth's moon Goddess (not Lunarium, lol!).
e. Only five planets were known to the ancients; name the most distant planet visible as a 'star' to the naked eye.
f. Name both planets with a retrograde rotation (turns clockwise when viewed from north, above ecliptic plane).
g. Name both Mars rovers that explored two different sites from 2003 - 2011, when contact was lost with one rover (the other continues to operate today!).
h. "Heavenly body" that played Terpsichore in "Down to Earth," born Margarita Carmen Cansino.
i. "Heavenly body" known as the original 'blonde bombshell,' born Harlean Carpenter.
j. "Heavenly Body" known as the "Working Man's Monroe," born Vera Jayne Palmer.
k. "Heavenly Body" known as the first cover girl on Playboy magazine, nee Norma Jean Mortenson.
l. "Heavenly Body" known for her namesake life vest.
m. "Heavenly Body" known for her film; "And God Created Woman" and French activism in women's rights, more famous for her St. Tropez tan.
n. "Heavenly Body" known for her roles opposite Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront" 1954 and Cary Grant in "North By Northwest" 1959.
o. "Heavenly Body" known for her roles in Hitchcock films 'Dial M for Murder' and 'Rear Window' and marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco.
BONUS ROUND: You may respond to any or all of the following in an attempt to reduce your score; there is no penalty for guessing incorrectly! Theoretically you could win with a minimum perfect score of zero (there are 11 questions, with one Drop, and 8 choices, three of which are two-pointers)!
a. Name the spacecraft sent to Venus in 2004 that was made of spare parts, and named for the explorer, whose ship was first to circumnavigate the Earth (he didn't make it!); for a bonus bonus point, name the spacecraft sent to Mercury in 2004, whose name is an acronym derived from Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging, how appropriate!
b. Spacecraft Pathfinder's robotic rover sent to explore Mars in 1997 was named for an African-American women's rights activist, name the rover:
c. Farthest man-made object from Earth, it overtook Pioneer 11, the 'little spacecraft that could' and crossed the heliopause in 2012, an historic first:
d. Rosetta, the ESA spacecraft mission to comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko ("Chury") dropped this probe onto the surface in 2014, the first ever to land on a comet; name the lander:
e. This spacecraft will arrive at Pluto in July and will be the first to ever visit a dwarf planet after a nine years' voyage, name the spacecraft (as in J!, will be wrong if improper number singular/plural!):
f. The Paladin of Charlemagne that took one for the team at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass was famed for carrying a named sword and a horn that when blown, sounded like trumpeting from a large land animal (legend has it that he burst his temple from the force of blowing it when overrun); name either for one point less, or both for two! If you can remember his horse's name I'll go still one better, or if not, then feel free to guess at its meaning for a tiebreaker!
g. Name the giant crater in Saturn's moon Mimas; it is named after the moon's discoverer, dubbed a Knight by George III, who also discovered Uranus and was appointed Astronomer Royal.
h. "Heavenly Body" known for her roles in silent screen film as America's Sweetheart, she married Douglas Fairbanks, JR, the so-called "King of Hollywood" and together they founded their own studio, United Artists: for one point give the name of the actress, and for two points off, give the nickname of the jointly-named estate where they lived in Beverly Hills:
So Many Heavenly Bodies, so little Time! Check it out, over half a million catalogued so far, and counting:
