In this page:-

• Answers of the Questions
• The Winners
• Grand Prize's Lot

Answer: This means when you were born, the Sun was in Gemini. The answer of this question could be found in our site at the Sign's Page

Q4) What is the longest duration of a lunar occultation (excluding solar eclipses) ?:-

• About one hour.
• About 1:40 (hh:mm).
• All occultations are equal in duration.
• 2:06 (hh:mm).

Answer: The longest duration of a lunar occultation is about one hour and 40 minutes (01:40). Most references mention it is about one hour, but this is not accurate. The Moon actually travels about 0.5 degree per hour, and as its diameter is about 0.5 degree, so this will lead to make the answer about one hour ! But, due to the Earth's rotation, the apparent motion of the Moon in the sky will be less than 0.5 degree per hour ! And this effect will be the largest when the Moon is at transit, while it will be the minimum when the Moon is rising or setting. In a short, the occultation will be the longest if:-

1. The occultation is a central one.
2. The Moon is at apogee, that means it is the slowest. Although its diameter will be the least at apogee, but the effect of the velocity's change between the perigee and apogee is larger than the effect of the diameter's change.
3. The Moon at the transit. For example on 21/10/1998 the Moon was at apogee. And from 10-11 UT, it was at transit from Jordan. At that time its velocity was 0.3072 degree per hour as seen from Jordan. So, if a central occultation happened then, its duration would be one hour and 36 minutes.

Q5) If the Sun (under ideal conditions) will rise tomorrow at 6:00 Am. When do you expect it would rise, if the light is to travel at an infinite speed (i.e. instantaneously) ? Assume you are at the Equator, or close to it.

• 05:54 Am.
• 06:08 Am.
• 05:52 Am.
• 06:00 Am.

Answer: It would rise at 05:54 AM ! Surprise ? Well, when the light travels at an infinite speed, it no longer needs 8 minutes to reach us from the Sun, so it will rise at 05:52 AM. But, when the light travels in an infinite speed, it will NOT be refracted in our atmosphere ! Usually, the effect of refraction in atmosphere at the horizon makes the Sun to appear 0.5 degree higher than its actual elevation. But this is not the case when the light travels in an infinite speed, i.e. it won't be refracted. And as the Sun moves 0.5 degree every two minutes near the horizon at the Equator, so it needs another two minutes to compensate this 0.5 degree. As a total, we will see the Sun 6 minutes before 06:00 AM.

Added on 22 March 2005: Mr. Jordi Mas Trullenque of the Astronomical Association of Barcelona said:

"Your answer is wrong because it assumes that the Earth is not rotating and the Sun revolves around it once in 24 hours.

Let's take into account that the Sun is motionless and the Earth rotates:

Assume that tonight at midnight the speed of light becomes infinite. Light from the Sun will still arrive at Earth from the same direction (we can neglect the fact that the effect of light aberration will disappear, it is too small). So our place of observation will take the same time to be carried by Earth rotation up to the sunrise terminator, and the sun will ise at 6:00 as predicted (well,neglecting refraction)."

Q6) Generally, the most important property of a telescope is the ............ of its objective.

• Focal length.
• Diameter.
• Magnification.
• Rigidity.

Answer: It is the diameter.

Q7) What is the maximum positive declination the Moon may reach (in degrees) ?

Answer: The Moon always travels in the sky near the Ecliptic. The maximum distance between the Ecliptic and the Equator is about 23.5 degrees, and as the Moon has an inclination about the Ecliptic of about 5 degrees, so if the Moon reached its highest northern inclination about the Ecliptic when it is at the maximum distance from the Equator, it will be 28.5 degrees away of the Equator.

Q8) All the major meteor showers are caused by debris left from comets, but there is a major annual meteor shower which is caused by debris left from an asteroid ! Mention the name of both; the shower and the asteroid ?

Answer: It is the Geminids Meteor Shower, which is cased by the Asteroid 3200 Phaethon.

Q9) Name the planets in order of distance from the Sun in 1998 ?

Answer: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto, Neptune. There is an overlap between the orbits of Neptune and Pluto, which makes Pluto the nearer for 20 years. This is the case now, where Neptune is the farthest planets from 1979-1999.

Q10) By few lines, what is the Ashen Light ?

Answer: The planet Venus exhibits phases. The dark side of Venus, especially when in the crescent phase, glows dimly. This light is called the Ashen Light.

Q11) Why does the Moon usually remain visible during a total lunar eclipse ?

Answer: The glow of the Moon is due to the Sun's light refracted onto it by the edges of the Earth's atmosphere.

Mr. Aous Abdo Sky & Telescope Magazine	Mr. Hani Al-Dalee' Astronomy Magazine
Mr. Ahmad Al-Niamat The astronomical program Redshift 3	Mr. Andres Valencia The Observer's Handbook 1999
Mr. Ibrahim Odwan Meteor Trail Journal of AMS	Ms. Dua' Riyal Membership in the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP)
Mr. Niruj Mohan The astronomical program Guide 7.0