Sorting Astronomical Bodies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Constellation

Named for a mythical queen of Ethiopia, Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern skies. The main five stars within the constellation form a shape similar to the letter W, making it easy to identify. These stars within the constellation are classed as an asterism, with Schedar and Caph being the two brightest of them - the two are close in brilliance, with Caph outshining Schedar sometimes.

Cassiopeia is one of the constellations discovered by Ptolemy who is credited with identifying forty-eight constellations. There are now eighty-eight recognised constellations, but Ptolemy couldn't have seen them all as he lived only in Egypt.

Answer: Constellation

Boötes is one of the largest constellations and is located in the northern sky. Its name derives from Greek and literally means ox-driver, usually described as herdsman or ploughman. Among its stars is Arcturus, the brightest star seen in the northern part of the sky and third brightest overall. The name means 'guardian of the bear' due to the position of Boötes in relation to Ursa Major, the great bear.

Boötes is also said to have two hunting dogs, located in the constellation Canes Venatici. The constellation also contains an asterism known as the kite.

Answer: Constellation

This northern sky constellation is named for a mythical Greek princess, the daughter of Cassiopeia. It contains the Andromeda galaxy near its edge - this galaxy is the closest to our own Milky Way galaxy. Andromeda is visible in the northern hemisphere between August and February while those in the southern hemisphere can see it more briefly, from October until December.

Among the stars of Andromeda are Alpheratz, which forms Andromeda's head, Almach, her foot, and Mirach, one of her hips.

Answer: Constellation

Located in the southern hemisphere, Centaurus is named for the half man half horse creatures of Greek mythology. It was another of the constellations identified by Ptolemy, but records show that it was known to an earlier Greek astronomer named Eudoxus.

The star system called Alpha Centauri includes Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun. The Alpha and Beta stars of Centaurus are 'pointer' stars which show where the constellation Crux is located. Centaurus cannot be seen from the northern hemisphere.

Answer: Asterism

Asterisms are groups of stars within a constellation which form a distinctive pattern, which is a good description of the three stars which are said to form the belt of Orion, the hunter, in the constellation named for him. The stars are named Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka and are also called the Three Kings or Three Sisters. There are numerous other names for the asterism in different cultures.

The constellation of Orion is found on the celestial equator with its better known stars being Rigel and Betelgeuse, forming the left foot and right shoulder respectively of the huntsman for whom the constellation is named.

Answer: Asterism

Known as the Big Dipper in the USA and the Plough in the UK, this asterism is located in the constellation Ursa Major. It is defined by seven stars, which form the tail and rear end of the great bear for which the constellation is named.

The stars of the Plough, which is one of the easiest shapes to find in the sky even for non astronomers, can be useful in locating other stars. The curved handle indicates Arcturus while, even more well known, Polaris can be found by drawing an imaginary line towards it from two of the Plough's stars, Polaris is in the Little Dipper.

Answer: Asterism

This is an asterism found in the constellation of Sagittarius, and visible in the sky particularly during the summer in the northern hemisphere. Joining the stars creates a shape which strongly resembles a teapot being tilted to pour out a drink complete with handle, lid and spout. At times, it can even appear that steam is coming from the spout - this is actually the Milky Way, which can only be seen in good conditions.

Sagittarius also has a smaller asterism called the teaspoon, which is even harder to locate. The constellation is said to resemble an archer, which is its common name in astrology.

Answer: Asterism

As the name makes obvious, this asterism is a triangle which is easily visible during the summer months in the northern hemisphere. The three corners of the triangle consist of three of the brightest stars in the sky, Vega, Deneb and Altair.

The stars are part of three different constellations, with Vega being in the constellation of Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus and Altair in Aquila. In English, the constellations are the lyre or harp, swan and eagle respectively. Vega can be seen virtually overhead in the UK during the summer, Deneb is the faintest of the three, due to its distance from Earth, while Altair is the brightest star of Aquila.

Answer: Star

Canopus is found in the constellation Carina and is the second brightest star in the night sky - only Sirius is brighter. The constellation is located in the southern part of the sky, below the celestial equator. The name means 'keel' in the original Greek and the constellation was originally part of the constellation Argo, the ship in which Jason and his companions sailed in mythology.

Canopus has about ten times the mass of the sun and is an F class giant, one of the rarer categories of star.

Answer: Star

Aldebaran is the bright star which forms the eye of the bull in the constellation of Taurus. The name of Aldebaran means 'the follower' in Arabic and the star is a red giant. When looking at Aldebaran from Earth, it appears to be part of the cluster of stars called the Hyades, but appearances can be misleading as the Hyades are much further away than Aldebaran.

The constellation of Taurus is also known for the asterism called the Seven Sisters or Pleiades and for containing the Crab Nebula, Messier I.

Answer: Star

The brightest star in the constellation of Leo, Regulus has a name meaning 'little king'. It is part of an asterism known as the Sickle of Leo which looks like a question mark in reverse and is said to form the mane of the lion - Regulus is the star at the bottom.

In the northern hemisphere, Leo is easily seen in the spring, during April and May in particular. Another bright star in the constellation is Denebola, forming the lion's tail.

Answer: Star

Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. It is a binary star, but the stars which form it are so close together than they cannot be seen as separate even through a telescope.

The name is derived from a Latin phrase, 'spica virginis', which means the 'virgin's ear of corn'. Spica is one of the twenty-seven stars depicted on the flag of Brazil, shown above the white band which crosses the flag to reflect its location in the northern hemisphere. Spica is one of the stars used for navigation.