All Fermi answers
Fermi #66 · Question 1

How many full moons have there been since Cleopatra died?

Explore the official answer and the simple reasoning behind this Fermi estimate.

1QUESTION 1 OF 3

Answer & explanation

The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.

Answer & explanation

Official answer

25,400

full moons

How to estimate it

Fermi’s official “Napkin math”

Start with how long ago Cleopatra lived. She knew Julius Caesar, so call it about 2,000 years. How many full moons in a year? About one a month, so 12.

Since Cleopatra
~2,000 yrs
Full moons a year
× 12
2,000 × 12
≈ 24,000

Rounded assumptions may give a slightly different estimate. The official answer above is the game’s reference value.

Source calculation & reference
Cleopatra dies (Britannica)
Aug 10 or 12, 30 BC
Days to Sept 15, 2026
≈ 750,600
Synodic month (NASA)
÷ 29.53 days
750,600 ÷ 29.53
≈ 25,400

Reference cited by Fermi: Encyclopaedia Britannica for the date of death · NASA for the 29.53-day synodic month

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