Astronomy: "We All Shine On" Trivia Quiz

As John Lennon said in 1970 in "Instant Karma", "Like the moon and the stars and the sun / Well we all shine on". This is an introductory astronomy quiz by the Kangaroos and Convicts Racing Team.

A multiple-choice quizbyClaudiaCat. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
ClaudiaCat

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
362,859

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
2562

Last 3 plays: teachdpo (9/10), Guest 47 (1/10), Guest 174 (9/10).

This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as aor as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.

1.The sun is the centre of the solar system and is responsible, ultimately, for all life within the solar system. How does the sun create energy? Hint

Fusion of helium into hydrogen, releasing hydrogen ions

Fission of helium, followed by fusion of hydrogen nuclei

Fission of helium to make hydrogen

Fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium

NEXT>

2.Because of Mars and Earth having similar rotational tilt angles, Mars has seasons not dissimilar to Earth's. What is the surface temperature range on Mars? Hint

-110C to 0C

0C to 14C

-140C to 35C

-140C to -70C

NEXT>

3.Mercury is the smallest planet of eight in the solar system but is the tenth largest body in the solar system. How can this be? Hint

Two moons, Ganymede and Titan, are larger

In 2011, scientists discovered two new planets orbiting beyond the dwarf planet Pluto

The (Earth's) moon and Ganymede are both larger

木星的伽利略卫星都比芝加哥商业交易所ury

NEXT>

4.In lunar astronomy, what are 'maria'? Hint

Large, dark areas on the moon's surface

Small natural satellites that revolve around the moon

Volcanoes

Little green men that eat cheese

NEXT>

5.Mars has two moons, both small (between 10-25 km in diameter). They are named after characters in Greek mythology. What are their (related) names? Hint

Hades and Persephone

Phobos and Deimos

Mercutio and Tybalt

Rhodes and Crete

NEXT>

6.Saturn is known for its rings, but what is their average thickness? Hint

150 kilometres

5000 kilometres

20 metres

30,000 kilometres

NEXT>

7.Ganymede, one of 63 known moons orbiting Jupiter, is the largest moon in the solar system. With an approximate radius of 2630km how does this compare with the radius of Earth? Hint

About 40% of Earth's radius

105% of Earth's radius

Less than 10% of Earth's radius

21% of Earth's radius

8.Uranus has several features in common with the other gas giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune). Which one of the following characteristics is *NOT* the same for Uranus as the other three? Hint

A ring system

Magnetosphere

Numerous moons

Roman name

NEXT>

9.How does the planet Neptune appear, to the naked eye? Hint

Cannot be seen

Dull and flickering

A brilliant white

A pale pink

NEXT>

10.What do Ceres and Pluto have in common? Hint

Both were discovered by Copernicus

Both are part of binary systems

Both are classified as dwarf planets

Both have a high content of methane in their atmospheres

(Optional)Create aFreeFunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The sun is the centre of the solar system and is responsible, ultimately, for all life within the solar system. How does the sun create energy?

Answer:Fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium

The sun, at 1 392 685 km in diameter and 1.99x10E27 metric tonnes, is almost 110 times the size of Earth and 330 000 times as heavy as Earth. Through fusion of hydrogen nuclei, 6 200 000 tonnes of hydrogen are fused per second in its core. The sun contains around 74-75% hydrogen and 23-24% helium but just over 2% in weight is attributed to oxygen, carbon, iron and neon.

2. Because of Mars and Earth having similar rotational tilt angles, Mars has seasons not dissimilar to Earth's. What is the surface temperature range on Mars?

Answer:-140C to 35C

The seasons are twice as long as Earth seasons simply because the orbit of Mars is about twice the size of that of Earth. Mars has a wide temperature variance for several reasons: its thin atmosphere means heat from the sun is difficult to store, it has low (compared with Earth) atmospheric pressure, its distance from the sun means it receives only approximately 40% of the amount of sunlight that Earth does, and there is low thermal heat retention in the Martian soil and rock at the surface.

3. Mercury is the smallest planet of eight in the solar system but is the tenth largest body in the solar system. How can this be?

Answer:Two moons, Ganymede and Titan, are larger

Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, has a radius of approximately 2630km. Titan, the second biggest moon, belongs to Saturn and has a radius of 2580km. Both these moons have radii 1.4 times the radius of (Earth's) Moon and 0.4 times Earth's radius. Mercury's radius is 2440km.

Mercury has an orbital period (year) of 88 Earth days. It rotates on its axis once every two of its years. Therefore one Mercury day equals two of its years. Weird.

4. In lunar astronomy, what are 'maria'?

Answer:Large, dark areas on the moon's surface

'Maria' is the plural of 'mare', meaning 'sea'. Ancient astronomers thought that the dark areas of the moon were seas of water; however, they are actually large flat areas of rock and sand. When man landed on the moon in 1969, they touched down on Mare Tranquillitatis, better known as the Sea of Tranquility.

5. Mars has two moons, both small (between 10-25 km in diameter). They are named after characters in Greek mythology. What are their (related) names?

Answer:Phobos and Deimos

Phobos (Fear) and Deimos (Terror) were the sons of Ares, the God of War; Mars was his Roman equivalent. Phobos and Deimos are therefore the sons of Mars (Geddit!)

6. Saturn is known for its rings, but what is their average thickness?

Answer:20 metres

The rings mainly consist of small ice particles, and their circumference extends more than 4 million kilometres around the planet. The first person to identify them as rings was Galileo, in 1610.

7. Ganymede, one of 63 known moons orbiting Jupiter, is the largest moon in the solar system. With an approximate radius of 2630km how does this compare with the radius of Earth?

Answer:About 40% of Earth's radius

Ganymede is one of four Galilean moons of Jupiter. These four moons of Jupiter were discovered by Galileo in 1610. The three inner moons, Ganymede, Europa and Io, all have an effect on each other's orbit. (The fourth is Callisto.) All four are named after lovers of Zeus.

8. Uranus has several features in common with the other gas giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune). Which one of the following characteristics is *NOT* the same for Uranus as the other three?

Answer:Roman name

Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun, is the third biggest planet in the solar system. Little is known about its surface characteristics as it has a dense, complex atmosphere made up of hydrogen, helium, methane, ammonia and water ice.

Ouranos was the Greek god representing the sky, and Uranus is the Latinised equivalent of Ouranos. (The equivalent Roman god is Caelus.)

9. How does the planet Neptune appear, to the naked eye?

Answer:Cannot be seen

Even through a telescope, Neptune is hard to see. Voyager 2 had a close encounter with the planet and a couple of its moons in 1989.

10. What do Ceres and Pluto have in common?

Answer:Both are classified as dwarf planets

The IAU ( International Astronomical Union) defines a dwarf planet as "... a celestial body that
(a) is in orbit around the Sun,
(b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape,
(c)没有清除周围的邻居啊rbit, and
(d) is not a satellite."

Ceres, one of the largest objects in the Asteroid Belt, was promoted to dwarf planet, and Pluto was downgraded to the same designation in 2006.

Source: AuthorClaudiaCat

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editorCellarDoorbefore going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Most Recent Scores

Jan 05 2023 : teachdpo:9/10
Dec 30 2022 : Guest 47: 1/10
Dec 27 2022 : Guest 174:9/10
Dec 23 2022 : malclave: 7/10
Dec 13 2022 : yeats1: 7/10
Dec 06 2022 : rdeg2000:9/10
Dec 06 2022 : MidnightBlue: 4/10
Dec 06 2022 : miranda101: 6/10
Dec 06 2022 : Jdeanflpa: 7/10

Score Distribution