Don't Look Up! Trivia Quiz

Answer: No

Solar projection is a popular way for amateur astronomers to study the Sun without direct eye contact. This involves focusing the Sun's light onto a piece of paper or cardboard in order to study its surface. It is a good way to try and get a good view of the sun during an eclipse.

However, this method still has some risks to it. Not knowing how to set up the solar projection method properly or using improper equipment could lead to telescope damage and/or personal injury.

Answer: Calcium-K

A hydrogen-alpha (H-alpha) filter allows astronomers to view the surface of the Sun in great detail. H-alpha light is emitted when electrons within hydrogen atoms in the Sun's chromosphere recede to their original orbits, releasing energy as they do so. This energy allows the Sun to be observed under a reddish hue.

Calcium-K filters uses a specific spectral line of calcium, which when placed on a telescope allows the Sun to be viewed under a violet hue. However, calcium-K filters are a bit more challenging to use. Many people are unable to use the filter using their eyes alone and may need special imaging cameras to be able to effectively use them.

Answer: Sunspot

Sunspots are dark patches found across the surface of the Sun. They are caused by an intense magnetic field which cause the gases surrounding the sunspot to lower in temperature, giving observers the illusion of darkness compared to the rest of the Sun. Some sunspots can grow to larger in size than the planet Earth.

The Sunspot Solar Observatory was built in 1947 and is located within the Sacramento Mountains in southern New Mexico, about an hour drive from Alamogordo. It is affiliated with New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. The unincorporated community surrounding the facility was also given the name Sunspot after a controversial election was held. One of the facility's most well known pieces of equipment is the Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope which was completed in 1969.

Answer: Big Bear

Big Bear Solar Observatory is located adjacent to Big Bear Lake, which is approximately 40 miles to the east of the city of San Bernardino, California. Despite being located in California, the observatory is operated by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

The Big Bear Solar Observatory was built in 1969. One of the most prominent pieces of equipment at Big Bear is the Goode Solar Telescope, which was completed in 2009. Per Wikipedia, the Goode Solar Telescope is "capable of observing the Sun in visible to near-infrared wavelengths." Big Bear also has a hydrogen-alpha telescope located in a small building at the facility named the Ash Dome.

Answer: West Germany

The Helios solar probes were constructed via a joint effort between NASA and the German Aerospace Center (aka DLR), which was founded in Cologne, West Germany in 1969. Helios-A was launched first on December 10, 1974 and its twin, Helios-B, was later launched on January 15, 1976. Both spacecraft were constructed in West Germany and were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida using a Titan IIIE rocket.

The Helios probes had a special conical design which provided their solar arrays limited exposure to the sun in order to protect the spacecrafts' instruments from intense heat. Helios-B gained notoriety for making the closest fly-by of the Sun of any spacecraft at the time. However, this may have had a detrimental effect on the spacecraft as Helios-B was the first of the twin probes to be deactivated on December 23, 1979. Helios-A was eventually deactivated on February 18, 1985 and both now derelict spacecraft remain in Solar orbit to this day.

Answer: Skylab

Skylab was the first American space station. It was launched via a Saturn V rocket on May 14, 1973. Three teams of astronauts later visited the station using the Apollo command module, with the final mission (Skylab 4) concluding on February 8, 1974. Skylab would eventually be destroyed in July 11, 1979, after its orbit decayed while waiting for the development of the space shuttle.

One of the key instruments on Skylab was the Apollo Telescope Mount, which was primarily used as a solar telescope. The Apollo Telescope Mount had the ability to observe the Sun in x-ray, ultraviolet and visible light using hydrogen-alpha telescopes.

Answer: SOHO

SOHO stands for Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. It was constructed via joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). The spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 2, 1995 using an Atlas II rocket. SOHO was positioned at the Earth-Sun L1 Lagrange point, located about 1.5 million km inward of Earth's orbit, which makes it easier to maintain the spacecraft's orbit around the Sun. One of SOHO's main specialties is the study of solar weather.

SOHO was initially supposed to be operational for only two years, however its mission was extended and is now scheduled to conclude by the end of 2025. SOHO shares its name with a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. The name is an acronym that stands for South of Houston St.

Answer: 2006

The STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) probes were both launched on October 26, 2006 using a Delta II rocket, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The probes were designed by the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Once launched, the twin spacecraft took several months to reach their intended orbits around the Sun. STEREO-A was placed into an orbit inside of Earth's orbit, while STEREO-B was placed into an orbit outside of Earth's orbit.

Both spacecraft featured identical instruments such as ultraviolet imagers, coronagraphs and heliospheric imagers. These instruments allowed the spacecraft to study complex solar phenomenon such as coronal mass injections. Sadly, contact with STEREO-B was lost and attempts to revive the spacecraft ceased October 17, 2018. However, STEREO-A still remains operational as of June 2023.

Answer: Daniel K. Inouye

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope is part of the Haleakala Observatory, which is located atop of a volcano of the same name on the island of Maui, Hawaii. The telescope stands at over 10,000 ft (3,000 m) in elevation, which helps give it an unobstructed view of the Sun.

Originally known as simply the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, it was renamed in honor of Daniel K. Inouye (1924-2012), who was elected eight times as United States Senator representing Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. In addition to the telescope, Hawaii's main international airport in Honolulu was also named in honor of Senator Inouye.

Answer: Parker Solar Probe

The Parker Solar Probe was launched on August 12, 2018, using a Delta IV heavy rocket, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The probe was constructed via a collaboration between NASA and the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. The Parker Solar Probe has already taken the title for closest approach to the Sun coming within 5.3 million miles (8.5 million km) of our parent star and is expected to get even closer as its mission progresses.

The probe shares its name with Peter Parker, better known as the superhero Spider-Man in the Marvel Comics universe. However, the probe was actually named after American astrophysicist Eugene Parker (1927-2022), who was the first scientist to coin the term "solar wind" in 1957.