Q 01/05

Which three whole calendar months make up meteorological summer in the Northern Hemisphere?

A) May, June and July

B) June, July and August

C) July, August and September

D) April, May and June

Answer · why

B) June, July and August

June, July and August make up meteorological summer because whole months keep the records tidy; astronomical summer, from the solstice to the equinox,...

Q 02/05

In Australia and New Zealand, on what date does summer officially begin?

A) 21 December

B) 1 November

C) 1 December

D) 1 January

Answer · why

C) 1 December

Australians spend Christmas Day at the beach for the same reason: their summer runs 1 December to the end of February.

Q 03/05

The Northern Hemisphere summer solstice, the longest day of the year, usually falls on which two June dates?

A) The 24th or 25th

B) The 30th or 1st

C) The 14th or 15th

D) The 20th or 21st

Answer · why

D) The 20th or 21st

The 20th or 21st catches it almost every year, because the calendar and the tropical year do not match exactly; the solstice can land on the 22nd only...

Q 04/05

In the Julian calendar of the Roman Empire, on what date did the summer solstice fall?

A) 21 June

B) 15 July

C) 1 June

D) 24 June

Answer · why

D) 24 June

The Romans reckoned the summer solstice on 24 June (Pliny gives VIII Kal. Iul.), which is why European Midsummer and St John's Day festivals cluster o...

Q 05/05

The 'dog days' of summer are named after the heliacal rising of which star?

A) Vega

B) Sirius

C) Arcturus

D) Antares

Answer · why

B) Sirius

Sirius, the Dog Star in Canis Major, rises with the Sun in late July; the Romans blamed it for the heat and lethargy of the season and called the peri...