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Basic Solar System Astronomy Trivia Quiz

How much do you know about our solar system? Test yourself with this quiz which I have adopted from one originally created by user almach.
This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author almach

A multiple-choice quiz by Dizart. Estimated time: 2 mins.

Author
Dizart

Time
2 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
49,049

Updated
May 12 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
880

Last 3 plays: Guest 1 (3/10), Guest 108 (5/10), Laredo7 (2/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Earth has how many natural satellites? Hint

Three

Two

One

None

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Of the eight planets in our Solar System, where does Earth rank in size? Hint

7th

3rd

6th

5th

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Olympus Mons is the largest mountain on what planet? Hint

Mercury

Mars

Venus

Jupiter

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. With Pluto being demoted to dwarf planet status, which planet in our solar system is now the smallest? Hint

Neptune

Mars

Mercury

Venus

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. What type of star is our sun? Hint

Red Giant

Neutron Star

Supergiant

Yellow Dwarf

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Which dwarf planet is named after the creator god from Easter Island's mythology? Hint

Ceres

Makemake

Eris

Haumea

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. The main asteroid belt is between the orbits of which two planets? Hint

Mars and Jupiter

Mercury and Venus

Earth and Mars

Jupiter and Saturn

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Which planet in our solar system has the most volcanoes? Hint

Mars

Jupiter

Earth

Venus

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. The Moon's gravity is what percentage of Earth's? Hint

One hundreth

One half

One twentieth

One sixth

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Which planet in our solar system has moons named after characters from William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope? Hint

Jupiter

Neptune

Uranus

Saturn

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Earth has how many natural satellites?

Answer: One

The Moon, sometimes referred to as Luna, is Earth's only natural satellite. Earth is the only planet in our solar system with exactly one natural satellite - Mercury and Venus have none, Mars has two, and the four large gas giants all have several.

2. Of the eight planets in our Solar System, where does Earth rank in size?

Answer: 5th

The eight planets can be divided into two types - the gas giants of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, all of which are much bigger than Earth; and the terrestrial planets, Earth, Venus, Mars and Mercury. Earth is the largest of these four, making it fifth largest in the solar system altogether.

3. Olympus Mons is the largest mountain on what planet?

Answer: Mars

Olympus Mons is a volcano on Mars. With a height of over 70,000 feet, it is around two and a half times as high as Mount Everest, and its area of around 120,000 square miles is similar to that of the country of Italy.

4. With Pluto being demoted to dwarf planet status, which planet in our solar system is now the smallest?

Answer: Mercury

Mercury, the nearest planet to the sun, has a diameter of just over 3,000 miles, which makes it less than 40% of the size of Earth.

5. What type of star is our sun?

Answer: Yellow Dwarf

The sun is a yellow dwarf, also known as a G-type main sequence star. The yellow moniker is a misnomer as it is actually white, but appears yellow when viewed through Earth's atmosphere.

6. Which dwarf planet is named after the creator god from Easter Island's mythology?

Answer: Makemake

Makemake is the third largest dwarf planet in the solar system, after Pluto and Eris. It was discovered in 2005 and named after the creator god of Rapa Nui mythology.

7. The main asteroid belt is between the orbits of which two planets?

Answer: Mars and Jupiter

The main asteroid belt is located between Mars and Jupiter. The exact number of asteroids is unknown, but is thought to be well in excess of a million. The dwarf planet Ceres is also located within the belt.

8. Which planet in our solar system has the most volcanoes?

Answer: Venus

Venus may have up to 85,000 volcanoes according to data from NASA's Magellan spacecraft. In comparison, Earth has around 1,500 volcanoes.

9. The Moon's gravity is what percentage of Earth's?

Answer: One sixth

The Moon has a surface gravity of 1.62 meters per second squared compared to Earth's 9.8 meters per second squared. If you went to the Moon, this would mean that you weigh only one sixth of what you do back home on Earth.

10. Which planet in our solar system has moons named after characters from William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope?

Answer: Uranus

Uranus had 27 known moons in 2023, and they are named after literary characters rather than characters from mythology, unlike the other planets. The two largest, Titania and Oberon, are both named after characters from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream",

Source: Author Dizart

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor rossian before going online.
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Basic Solar System Astronomy Trivia Quiz

How much do you know about our solar system? Test yourself with this quiz which I have adopted from one originally created by user almach. This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author almach

How much do you know about our solar system? Test yourself with this quiz which I have adopted from one originally created by user almach.
This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author almach