100 Easy Astronomy Questions (3)

About This Quiz

You’re stardust.

You’re literally made of exploded stars.

100 dead-simple astronomy questions to prove you deserve those atoms—Can You Get 90 %?

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1/40

What was the name of the first successful Mars rover?

[C] Sojourner | Explanation: The Sojourner rover was the first successful rover to land on Mars, as part of NASA’s 1997 Pathfinder mission.

2/40

What twin spacecraft launched in 1977 are now in interstellar space?

[A] Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 | Explanation: The Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, launched in 1977, are now in interstellar space, exploring beyond the solar system.

3/40

What probe famously took a photo called "The Pale Blue Dot"?

[B] Voyager 1 | Explanation: The "Pale Blue Dot" photograph was taken by Voyager 1 in 1990, showing Earth from a distance of about 3.7 billion miles.

4/40

What was the name of the mission that landed the Perseverance rover on Mars?

[D] Mars 2020 | Explanation: Mars 2020 was the mission that successfully landed the Perseverance rover on Mars in February 2021 to search for signs of past life.

5/40

What spacecraft studied Saturn and its moons for over a decade?

[A] Cassini | Explanation: The Cassini spacecraft orbited Saturn for 13 years, providing invaluable data on the planet and its moons before its mission ended in 2017.

6/40

What NASA mission brought back samples from an asteroid in 2023?

[D] OSIRIS-REx | Explanation: The OSIRIS-REx mission successfully returned samples from the asteroid Bennu in 2023 to study its composition.

7/40

What mission landed on the surface of a comet for the first time?

[A] Rosetta (Philae lander) | Explanation: The Rosetta mission, with its Philae lander, made history in 2014 by landing on the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

8/40

What country launched the Chang’e missions to the Moon?

[D] China | Explanation: The Chang’e missions are a series of Chinese lunar exploration missions, named after the Chinese Moon goddess.

9/40

What telescope replaced Hubble as NASA’s flagship space observatory?

[A] James Webb Space Telescope | Explanation: The James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, is the successor to Hubble, designed to observe distant galaxies and stars in infrared light.

10/40

What company launched the first private spacecraft to dock with the ISS?

[D] SpaceX | Explanation: SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft was the first privately-owned spacecraft to successfully dock with the International Space Station (ISS) in 2012.

11/40

What unit is commonly used to measure distances between stars?

[C] Parsecs | Explanation: A parsec is a unit of distance used in astronomy, equivalent to about 3.26 light-years, often used to measure distances between stars.

12/40

How fast does light travel in a vacuum (in km/s?

[B] 300,000 km/s | Explanation: Light travels at approximately 300,000 kilometers per second in a vacuum, the fastest known speed in the universe.

13/40

How long does it take light from the Sun to reach Earth?

[B] About 8 minutes and 20 seconds | Explanation: Light from the Sun takes approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds to travel to Earth, covering a distance of about 150 million kilometers (93 million miles).

14/40

What is the average distance from Earth to the Sun?

[C] 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) | Explanation: The average distance from Earth to the Sun is approximately 93 million miles, known as 1 Astronomical Unit.

15/40

What is the term for the apparent shift in a star’s position due to Earth’s movement?

[A] Parallax | Explanation: Parallax is the apparent shift in the position of a star when viewed from two different points in Earth's orbit, used to measure stellar distances.

16/40

What is the unit AU short for?

[D] Astronomical Unit | Explanation: AU stands for Astronomical Unit, a unit of distance equivalent to the average distance between the Earth and the Sun.

17/40

How many Earth days does it take the Moon to orbit Earth?

[C] About 27.3 days | Explanation: The Moon takes approximately 27.3 days to complete one orbit around Earth, which is known as a sidereal month.

18/40

What is a parsec roughly equal to in light-years?

[B] 3.26 light-years | Explanation: A parsec is roughly equivalent to 3.26 light-years, commonly used in astronomy for measuring vast distances.

19/40

What scale is used to classify the brightness of stars?

[D] Magnitude scale | Explanation: The magnitude scale is used to measure the brightness of stars, with lower numbers indicating brighter stars.

20/40

What does redshift in a star’s light indicate?

[A] That the object is moving away from us | Explanation: Redshift occurs when the wavelength of light from a star or galaxy is stretched, indicating that the object is moving away from Earth.

21/40

Who proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system?

[C] Nicolaus Copernicus | Explanation: Nicolaus Copernicus proposed the heliocentric model, suggesting that the Sun, not Earth, was at the center of the solar system.

22/40

Which ancient civilization built Stonehenge to align with astronomical events?

[C] The ancient Britons | Explanation: Stonehenge was constructed by the ancient Britons around 3000 to 2000 BCE and is thought to have been used for ceremonial purposes, aligning with the solstices and other celestial events.

23/40

Who was the first person to use a telescope to study the stars?

[D] Galileo Galilei | Explanation: Galileo Galilei was the first to use a telescope for astronomical observations, making groundbreaking discoveries about the Moon, Jupiter's moons, and more.

24/40

Which scientist developed the laws of planetary motion?

[B] Johannes Kepler | Explanation: Johannes Kepler formulated the laws of planetary motion, which describe the elliptical orbits of planets around the Sun.

25/40

What did ancient cultures often believe comets were?

[C] Omens or signs of bad luck | Explanation: Many ancient cultures believed that comets were omens or signs of disaster, often linked to bad events like wars or deaths.

26/40

What star guided the wise men in the biblical Nativity story?

[C] The Star of Bethlehem | Explanation: The Star of Bethlehem is the star described in the Nativity story in the Bible that guided the wise men to the birthplace of Jesus.

27/40

What is the name of the Greek god associated with the Sun?

[D] Apollo | Explanation: Apollo is the Greek god associated with the Sun, often depicted driving a chariot across the sky.

28/40

What did the Mayans use to predict eclipses and solstices?

[A] Astronomical calendar system | Explanation: The ancient Mayans had a sophisticated calendar system that accurately predicted eclipses, solstices, and other astronomical events.

29/40

What famous 17th-century book did Galileo write defending heliocentrism?

[C] Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems | Explanation: Galileo’s “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems” defended the heliocentric model, challenging the geocentric view.

30/40

What ancient tool was used to measure the position of stars before telescopes?

[B] Astrolabe | Explanation: The astrolabe was an ancient tool used by astronomers to measure the position of stars and planets in the sky.

31/40

What planet rains diamonds, according to scientists?

[A] Neptune and Uranus | Explanation: Scientists believe that the high pressure inside Neptune and Uranus may cause diamonds to form and fall like rain in their atmospheres.

32/40

Which moon in our solar system has active volcanoes?

[B] Io | Explanation: Io, one of Jupiter’s moons, is the most volcanically active body in the solar system, with hundreds of active volcanoes.

33/40

What planet has a day longer than its year?

[D] Venus | Explanation: Venus has a day that lasts longer than its year; it takes about 243 Earth days to rotate once on its axis, while its orbit around the Sun takes only 225 Earth days.

34/40

What’s the largest volcano in the solar system?

[C] Olympus Mons | Explanation: Olympus Mons on Mars is the largest volcano in the solar system, standing about 13.6 miles.

35/40

What is the coldest known place in the universe?

[A] The Boomerang Nebula | Explanation: The Boomerang Nebula, located about 5,000 light-years away, is the coldest known place in the universe, with temperatures near -458°F (-272°C.)

36/40

What happens to metal in space when two pieces touch?

[B] They fuse together (cold welding) | Explanation: In the vacuum of space, metals can fuse together through a process called cold welding, where the atoms bond without heat.

37/40

Can sound travel in space?

[C] No, because space is a vacuum | Explanation: Sound cannot travel in space because there is no medium such as air for the sound waves to travel through.

38/40

Which planet has the highest mountain in the solar system?

[A] Mars | Explanation: Mars is home to Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano and mountain in the solar system, standing about 13.6 miles (22 kilometers high.)

39/40

How long is one day on Jupiter?

[D] 10 Earth hours | Explanation: A day on Jupiter, the shortest day of any planet in the solar system, lasts only about 10 Earth hours due to its fast rotation.

40/40

What’s the first human-made object in interstellar space?

[D] Voyager 1 | Explanation: Voyager 1, launched in 1977, is the only human-made object to have left the solar system and is now in interstellar space.