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Quiz about A Truly Universal Quiz
Quiz about A Truly Universal Quiz

A Truly Universal Quiz!


This quiz will deal with all manner of astronomical topics. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by StetsonHat. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
StetsonHat
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
335,517
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
1410
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Question 1 of 10
1. What prominent northern hemisphere star was the first to have its spectrum photographed? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. An interstellar cloud of gas known as an H-II region is mainly composed of what? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What celestial object is known as the morning star or the evening star depending on when it is seen in the sky?

Answer: (It's bright!)
Question 4 of 10
4. Why is the North America Nebula in Cygnus so named? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Many variable stars brighten periodically and some brighten only once such as a supernova but there is one class of variable stars that spends most of the time more or less at a constant brightness only to dim considerably for weeks or months at a time. What class of variable stars exhibits this behavior? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. What cosmologically profound discovery did Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson make in 1965? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. A galaxy of type SBa appears as an elongated oval with no trace of spiral arms.


Question 8 of 10
8. Which planet of the Solar System is accompanied by two moons named for the Greek gods of fear and terror? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. On what kind of diagram are stars plotted according to their surface temperature and luminosity? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. If a star is of apparent magnitude 4.6 and its absolute magnitude is also 4.6, what do you know for certain about the star? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What prominent northern hemisphere star was the first to have its spectrum photographed?

Answer: Vega

American astronomer Henry Draper photographed Vega's spectrum in 1872. The images he took of Vega and other stars would lay the foundations for his "Henry Draper Catalogue of Stellar Spectra".
2. An interstellar cloud of gas known as an H-II region is mainly composed of what?

Answer: Ionized hydrogen

Ionized hydrogen is also referred to as H-II and these gas clouds are often found in the spiral arms of galaxies. Star formation is common in H-II regions with the Eagle Nebula in the constellation Serpens being a prime example.
3. What celestial object is known as the morning star or the evening star depending on when it is seen in the sky?

Answer: Venus

Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the sun and the moon and can best be seen at dawn before the sun rises or in the twilight after sunset in the evening. The planet is almost the Earth's twin in size but supports an inhospitable carbon dioxide rich atmosphere.
4. Why is the North America Nebula in Cygnus so named?

Answer: Its shape bears a striking resemblance to the North American continent

NGC 7000, the North America Nebula, in the constellation Cygnus indeed does bear a striking resemblance to the shape of the North American continent. Best seen in photographs or low-power wide-field telescopes its features include the east coast, the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Peninsula as well as Mexico.
5. Many variable stars brighten periodically and some brighten only once such as a supernova but there is one class of variable stars that spends most of the time more or less at a constant brightness only to dim considerably for weeks or months at a time. What class of variable stars exhibits this behavior?

Answer: R Coronae Borealis stars

The prototype of this class of variable is R Coronae Borealis, a star that normally shines at the cusp of naked eye visibility (around magnitude 6). Periodically, the star sheds a cloud of carbon dust which dims the light of the star considerably by up to 9 magnitudes rendering the star invisible to all but the most powerful telescopes.

As the carbon cloud dissipates into the interstellar medium the star slowly regains its normal brightness.
6. What cosmologically profound discovery did Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson make in 1965?

Answer: Cosmic microwave background radiation

The cosmic microwave background radiation was discovered quite by accident by Penzias and Wilson. A constant "noise" of radiation that they couldn't account for was found to be emanating with equal intensity from all directions. The radiation is a product of the Big Bang and was predicted to exist as early as 1947.
7. A galaxy of type SBa appears as an elongated oval with no trace of spiral arms.

Answer: False

American astronomer Edwin Hubble classified galaxies according to their shape in 1925 in a system still used today with only minor adjustments. Elliptical galaxies are classified E0-E7 according to their elongation with E0 appearing perfectly circular. Spiral galaxies are classified as Sa, Sb or Sc with Sa galaxies having tightly wound spiral arms and Sc galaxies exhibiting a loosely wound spiral structure. Barred spiral galaxies follow a similar pattern with classifications of SBa, SBb and SBc but also have a central "bar" running across the face of the galaxy.

The galaxy in our question is thus a tightly wound barred spiral galaxy!
8. Which planet of the Solar System is accompanied by two moons named for the Greek gods of fear and terror?

Answer: Mars

Phobos and Deimos are the sons of the Greek god of war Ares and personify fear and terror. It is only fitting that the two moons of Mars (the Roman name for Ares) were named for these two deities. Both moons are likely asteroids captured by Mars' gravitational field and are only 27km (Phobos) and 15km (Deimos) in diameter.
9. On what kind of diagram are stars plotted according to their surface temperature and luminosity?

Answer: Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Russell independently devised a diagram on which stars can be plotted according to their surface temperature and luminosity. The distribution of stars into groups such as giant stars, main sequence stars and white dwarfs is readily evident on an HR Diagram.
10. If a star is of apparent magnitude 4.6 and its absolute magnitude is also 4.6, what do you know for certain about the star?

Answer: Its distance from Earth

A star's apparent magnitude is its brightness as seen from Earth while a star's true luminosity is expressed as the brightness it would have if it would be exactly 10 parsecs (some 32.6 light years) away and this is called the absolute magnitude of a star. In other words, if a star's apparent and absolute magnitudes are the same, the star must be exactly 10 parsecs distant!
Source: Author StetsonHat

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