Chapter 8: The First New Planet

Question 0

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 98-99b

The Origin of Mercury’s name?

Answer 0

Mercury
•Roman God of Messenger of
the gods

 •faint, fast-moving, never far 
  from the sun

Question 1

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 98-99

Origin of Jupiter’s name?

Answer 1

Jupiter
•Roman name for “King of Kings”
•Bright and Slow-Moving

Question 2

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 98-99c

The Origin of Venus’s Name?

Answer 2

Venus
•Roman goddess of Love and
Beauty

 •most brilliant of them

Question 3

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 98-99d

Origin of Mar’s name?

Answer 3

Mars
•Roman god of war

 •the blood red one

Question 4

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 98-99e

Origin of Saturn’s name?

Answer 4

Saturn
•Roman god of time

•the most sluggish of the bunch

Question 5

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 99

Why is there 7 days in a week?

Answer 5

The designing of the week, with no intrinsic astronomical significance
was assigned 7 days, named after one of the seven bright lights seen in the night Sky

Question 6

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 99b

Where did the name of days of the week come from?

Answer 6

Sunday: Sun
Monday: Moon
Tuesday: Mars
Wednesday:Wodin's day (Mercury) 
Thursday: Thor's Day (Jupiter)
Friday: Freya's Day (Venus)
Saturday: Saturn

Question 7

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 99c

Whose culture’s gods were the days of week named after?

Answer 7

Tuesday through Friday are named after Saxon gods and kindred Teutonic invaders of Celtic/Roman Britain

Question 8

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 100

Why are the days ordered the way they are? Relative distance from the sun? Relative brightness?

Answer 8

Not ordered according to brightness

Nor ordered according to distance from the sun

Question 9

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 100

The number 7 began to acquire supernatural connotations, what are some?

Answer 9

Seventh Heavens
Seven Days of Creation
Seven Virtues
Seven Deadly Sins
Seven vowels in Greek alphabet
Seven is a Lucky number
Seven seals on a scroll are opened
Seven bowls are filled

Question 10

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 103

Who located Uranus?

Answer 10

The planet Herschel found is called Uranus

an inexhaustible source of hilarity renewed in each generation of English-speaking nine-year olds

Question 11

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 103

The origin of Uranus’s name?

Answer 11

Uranus
• Greek Saturn’s father,
Grandfather of the Olympian
gods

      • first planet unknown to the 
        Ancients

Question 12

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 104

What is the atmospheric makeup of Uranus, and what is the strength of the internal heat relative to the other 3 Gas Giants?

Answer 12

Atmospheric Makeup

•Hydrogen &Helium
(2 simplest gases)

• Below visible clouds, enormous quantities of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and water
• lacks potent source of internal heat unlike Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune