Sort these Astronomical Bodies Quiz

Answer: Dwarf Planets

Ceres, discovered in 1801, is a dwarf planet within the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. For a short while it was designated as a planet, until a significant number of other similar astronomical objects were found in the same region.

Answer: Dwarf Planets

Eris is a dwarf planet, which was discovered in 2005. It is about the same size and mass as Pluto and resides in an area beyond Neptune. When Pluto was still considered a planet, strong consideration was given for naming Eris the tenth planet. However, the presence of other comparable bodies was one of the reasons Pluto and Eris are now viewed as dwarf planets.

Answer: Dwarf Planets

Makemake, named for the creation god of the Rapa Nui people of Raster Island, is a dwarf planet that was discovered in 2005. It resides in the Kuiper Belt beyond the orbit of Neptune and is about two-thirds the size of Pluto.

Answer: Dwarf Planets

Haumea, named after the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth, is a dwarf planet residing in an orbit beyond Neptune. It is about one-third the size of Pluto and is believed to be surrounded by a ring system.

Answer: Comets

Shoemaker-Levy 9 is a comet discovered in 1993 by Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker and David Levy. Comets have been named after the discovers, and the "9" in this comet's name indicates it was the ninth comet discovered by the team.

At the time of its discovery, the comet had been captured by Jupiter and was orbiting the planet rather than the sun. Eventually the comet broke apart due to the gravitational pull of Jupiter and crashed into the planet in 1994. Analysis of the collision provided new information about the composition of both Jupiter and the comet itself.

Answer: Comets

Kohoutek is a comet, which was discovered in 1973 by Lubos Kohoutek. Early predictions were that it would be the one of the brightest comets of the 20th century. However, it turned out to be dimmer than predicted and was visible for a relatively short period, failing to meet the optimistic hype it had received.

Answer: Comets

Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp, two amateur astronomers, discovered the comet in 1995. It proved to be one of the brightest comets in recent time and was visible for 18 months. It was one of the widely viewed and analyzed comets in history, even becoming an Internet favorite.

Answer: Comets

Encke is a comet which orbits the sun every 3 to 4 years. It was discovered in 1786 by Pierre Mechain; and Johann Encke determined its orbit period in 1819. Encke's comet and Halley's comet are two rarities, in that they are named for the person who calculated their orbits and not the discoverer.

The orbit can be perturbed by the inner planets, It is believed the Encke may be the source of the Taurid meteor showers.

Answer: Galaxies

The Milky Way is the galaxy which includes our solar system. The galaxy is estimated to include 100 billion to 200 billion stars and may extend over 200 million light years. The name "Milky Way" is a translation of the Greek and Roman names, derived from the galaxy's appearance to the human eye.

Answer: Galaxies

The Sombrero Galaxy is located in the night sky in the direction of the Virgo constellation. It is estimated to be 31 million light years from the Milky Way Galaxy. It was discovered in 1781 by Pierre Mechain and in 1783 independently by William Herschel, Studies in the 1990s demonstrated that the galaxy contains an extremely massive black hole.

Answer: Galaxies

The Cartwheel Galaxy is located in the direction of the Sculptor Constellation in the southern skies. It was discovered in 1941 by Fritz Zwicky. Its complicated structure is thought to be the result of a collision with a smaller galaxy passing through it. A supernova within the galaxy was observed in 2021.

Answer: Galaxies

The Large Magellanic Cloud Galaxy is a dwarf galaxy, which is considered a "satellite galaxy" of the Milky Way, It is the fourth largest galaxy within the Local Group, which contains the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. It was known to early astronomers with a view of the southern sky, but writings by Amerigo Vespucci and Ferdinand Magellan brought it to the attention of Europeans.

Answer: Constellations

Boötes is a constellation in the northern sky, which was long known in the ancient world. Its name derives from the Greek word for plowman or herdsman. Like all constellations, it is a set of unrelated stars and other objects that is visible in a portion of the sky; and humans visualized a shape or figure to the collection of stars.

It contains a large number of stars visible to the human eye, including the fourth brightest star Arcturus.

Answer: Constellations

The Draco constellation is in the far northern sky, and one of its stars, Thuban, was once the north pole star. The name of the constellation derives from the Latin word for "dragon". Draco contains many binary and variable stars, along with several galaxies.

Answer: Constellations

The Ophiuchus constellation appears near the equator and is best viewed in the summer. The name derives from the Greek word for "serpent bearer". The constellation contains Barnard's Star, one of the closest stars to earth at about six light years distance.

The constellation is one of 13, which cross the earth's elliptical plane; and some have suggested it as a possible sign of the zodiac. However, experts in astrology dispute that contention.

Answer: Constellations

The Cassiopeia constellation is visible in the northern skies. It was named for the mother of Andromeda in Greek mythology. It contains some of the brightest stars in the skies, and astronomers have determined that at least fourteen of its stars have exoplanets. A supernova occurred within the constellation in 1572.