Space Quiz

Space is big. Really big. How big? Nobody knows, but trust me, it's big. Test your knowledge of space with this quiz.

What causes a solar eclipse?

Venus gets between the sun and the earth.

The moon gets between the sun and the earth.

The earth gets between the moon and the sun.

You forgot to appease the Sun God.

You chose: You chose:

The moon passes between the sun and the Earth, casting a shadow across a swath of our planet. It's not a very big shadow, which is why solar eclipses only happen in some areas. For example, the total solar eclipse in July 2009 traveled from India across Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and China, then went over some islands in the Pacific. For the rest of its path, it was entirely wasted on ocean.

What country was the first to launch a satellite?

The U.S.

The U.S.S.R.

Germany

India

You chose: You chose:

The U.S.S.R. launched Sputnik in 1957, beating the U.S. by four months.

True or false: Scientists have found life on another planet.

True

False

You chose: You chose:

False. They keep looking, though — the universe is so big, and the basic building blocks of life (like amino acids) form so easily, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if there's life out there somewhere. Nobody knows what it would look like, though.

What is a light-year?

The distance light can travel in a year

The amount of time it takes for the Earth to go around the Sun

The distance from the sun to the Earth

The amount of time it takes to travel to Pluto

You chose: You chose:

A light-year is a measure of distance, not time. It's the distance light can travel in a year. Light moves fast, so it can get pretty far in a year – about 63,000 times the distance from Earth to the Sun.

What was unique about a group of meteorites that fell in northern Sudan in October, 2008? (The other answers are true of many meteorites.)

They all came from the same asteroid

They had been tracked in space

They were carrying extraterrestrial minerals

They gave insights into how planets form

You chose: You chose:

They came from an asteroid that had been tracked in space. Scientists are tracking asteroids near Earth so we can get a little advance warning if there's going to be a Deep Impact-style hit. This was the first time an asteroid was actually tracked from space to Earth.

Halley's comet has a really long orbit that takes it out to the edge of the solar system and back. The last time it came close to the sun was in 1986. When will we see it again?

2012

2061

2186

You chose: You chose:

Its next perihelion — its closest approach to the sun — is predicted for July 2061. It stops by every 75 years or so. It should be much easier to see this time than in 1986, because it'll be on the same side of the sun as us.

How do scientists know about dark matter?

They've looked at it with telescopes

They've measured it in the lab

They've calculated that it ought to exist

You chose: You chose:

Dark matter is theoretical. No one has ever seen it. It's an invisible kind of matter that physicists dreamed up to explain why the universe behaves the way it does.

What is a white dwarf?

A star

A race of people in The Lord of the Rings

A planet

You chose: You chose:

A white dwarf is a kind of star that is very dense. Our sun will become one in a few billion years.

Who composed the music for the Star Wars movies?

John Williams

Ludwig van Beethoven

Howard Shore

You chose: You chose:

John Williams. Sing it to yourself. Got the theme stuck in your head now? Enjoy!

Correct

Hm. Are you getting your space knowledge from Star magazine? Try your luck with some of our other Space Quizzes!

Correct

Not bad! You may know your stars, but can you tell the difference between an asteroid, a comet, and a meteorite? Try you luck with more of our tricky Space Quizzes!

Correct

Wow! You are a true star-gazer! Try your luck with some of our other tricky Space Quizzes and see how you do!

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