identifying stars, etc

bikergirl (Margaret) · #1 12-05-2010, 03:53 PM

Hi,
I don't know anything about astronomy, really and I'm hoping someone can help me. I'm doing a series of online puzzles and the latest one says:
At 3:30 sharp First at location 4Lo iIn Then at location UoRMQ You will find a giant that is not afraid of fire.

I've worked out that the information given refers to celestial coordinates, and that the body at those coordinates will fit the giant..description. But that's where I'm stuck, as I can't find a site where I can find a name from the coordinates. Can anyone suggest one please?

BTW, it's not cheating, 'cos the guy who makes the puzzles says it's OK to get help anywhere.
Tx

supernova1965 (Warren) · #2 12-05-2010, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikergirl

Hi,
I don't know anything about astronomy, really and I'm hoping someone can help me. I'm doing a series of online puzzles and the latest one says:
At 3:30 sharp First at location 4Lo iIn Then at location UoRMQ You will find a giant that is not afraid of fire.

I've worked out that the information given refers to celestial coordinates, and that the body at those coordinates will fit the giant..description. But that's where I'm stuck, as I can't find a site where I can find a name from the coordinates. Can anyone suggest one please?

BTW, it's not cheating, 'cos the guy who makes the puzzles says it's OK to get help anywhere.
Tx

Hi bikergirl if you download and install Stellarium it is free I am sure that it will help you out a lot.

erick (Eric) · #3 12-05-2010, 04:06 PM

OK Margaret, give us the coordinates. They should be in the form of a "Right Ascension" or "RA" and a "Declination" or "Dec". RA will be in "hr min sec" and Dec will be in "deg min sec".

But tell us what you have even if it doesn't seem to fit these.

bikergirl (Margaret) · #4 12-05-2010, 05:07 PM

@erick: All I have is this At 3:30 sharp First at location 4Lo iIn Then at location UoRMQ. I found out somewhere that RMQ can be to do with astronomy, and about the time thing. I think the 3:30 sharp is the RA, and the "sharp" means 0 secs. I don't know how the other stuff fits in.

@supernova1965: Thanks, I'll download that tomorrow. Have to wait for my off-peak download, 'cos I'm in the sticks and we only get real low download limits.

Blue Skies (Jacquie) · #5 13-05-2010, 12:12 AM

The only 'giant' in the sky I know of is Orion the Hunter, but he starts at around 4h 40m RA, so that doesn't fit the 3.30 part. Along 3h30m you have Eridanus the River, the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) and Perseus, and Perseus is never referred to as a giant, so perhaps the clue doesn't refer to the stars at all.

astro744 · #6 13-05-2010, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Skies

The only 'giant' in the sky I know of is Orion the Hunter, but he starts at around 4h 40m RA, so that doesn't fit the 3.30 part. Along 3h30m you have Eridanus the River, the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) and Perseus, and Perseus is never referred to as a giant, so perhaps the clue doesn't refer to the stars at all.

Or the clues refer to astrological and not astronomical charts and are way out due to precession of the Earths axis of rotation over the last 2000 years. I don't know much about astrology but I do know that something is wrong with it when an astrologer says that a given planet is in one constellation and you as an astronomer know very well it is in another.

If the clues are astrological then, the co-ordinates need to take into account for precession which in 2000 years is about a 30deg shift (one full Zodiac constellation).

big_dav_2001 (Davin) · #7 13-05-2010, 06:35 PM

Hi Margaret,

Ive been thinking about your puzzle for a while, im not sure that it refers to anything to do with astronomy... Perhaps "3:30 sharp" refers to the right-angled shape that clock hands form at 3:30 with the hands pointing to the two locations??...(Although im not sure what the locations mean though....yet...

....some sort of code perhaps???)... And maybe the "giant who is not afraid of fire" is in reference to a mythological creature, as opposed to something atsronomical/astrological???

Could you possibly post a link to the site with the puzzles??... I'd like to give some a go...

Davin

bikergirl (Margaret) · #8 15-05-2010, 10:47 AM

Hi all,
Had to go away to Sydney for a couple of days, so only just saw your replies. I'm starting to think I'm completely on the wrong track with the astronomy thing. The puzzle writer has given a little clue, which refers to earlier puzzles, so I'll have a look at that. Thanks very much everybody.

big_dav_2001, Here's the link to the puzzle site. They're not easy, but they're fun.

http://www.aenigma-puzzles.net/welcome.html

GrahamL · #9 16-05-2010, 12:16 PM

Hi margret

what makes you think astronomy with the clues ?

330 could be a referance to a book tittle in the library
maybe an ecenomic giant is what your chaseing not a mythical one ?

that_guy (Tony) · #10 16-05-2010, 11:45 PM

perhaps a gas giant? Jupiter? or even the sun?

Dennis79 (Keith) · #11 18-05-2010, 04:49 PM

Have you typed the question exactly as it was written? There is a word that has been spelt "iIn" which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, especially when it is preceded by Lo and followed by then (eg ... Lo iIn then...).

bikergirl (Margaret) · #12 18-05-2010, 09:05 PM

It is typed correctly, but I've found out that the clue is nothing to do with astronomy. I don't have the answer yet, but I know I'm on the right track now. I can't explain it without referring to how an earlier puzzle worked. Thanks so much everyone for trying to help me, and sorry for wasting your time