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Astronomy Quiz: Facts About our Solar System | 10 Questions

This quiz contains some lesser-known facts related to our solar system. I have tried to make this as interesting as possible. I have provided some hints for those who are newbies in astronomy.

A multiple-choice quiz by lordsom. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
lordsom

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
253,852

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
2832

Last 3 plays: H53 (6/10), spaismunky (10/10), Gumby1967 (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What is the name given to the string of light beads that appear on the horizon just before a solar eclipse? Hint

Blinding beads

Corona beads

Baily's beads

Diamond Ring beads

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which German born British discoverer of a planet coined the name "Asteroids"?
Hint

Johannes Kepler

Raymond Arthur Lyttleton

William Herschel

Gustav Holst

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Question 3 of 10

3. In the solar system, what are Perseids, Orionids, Draconids, and Geminids? Hint

Asteroid showers

Trojan showers

Meteorite showers

Meteor showers

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Question 4 of 10

4. Aphrodite Terra and Ishtar Terra are the two major landmasses on which planet?

Hint

Mercury

Venus

Mars

Earth

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Question 5 of 10

5. Other than the earth, which is the only solar system object to have a predominantly NITROGEN atmosphere?

Hint

Ganymede

Triton

Titan

Europa

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Question 6 of 10

6. If the sunspots are the darker areas, then what are the brighter areas on the sun's surface called? Hint

Solar flare

Solar granules

Solar faculae

Solar spicule

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Question 7 of 10

7. In the solar system, what are classified into Groups, Stones, Irons, and Stony Irons? Hint

Asteroids

Plutons

Trojans

Meteorites

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Question 8 of 10

8. In spectral analysis what type of star is the sun?

Hint

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Question 9 of 10

9. The space probe Vega 1, Vega 2, Sakigake, Planet A and Giotto were all launched to study which celestial object? Hint

Venus

Mercury

Halley's comet

Comet Shoemaker-Levy

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Question 10 of 10

10. Comet tails are of two types.

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is the name given to the string of light beads that appear on the horizon just before a solar eclipse?

Answer: Baily's beads

Francis Baily (1836), an English astronomer, observed this phenomena. An arc (a part of a circle's circumference) of bright light which looks like beads are seen during a total solar eclipse as the last narrow crescent of the Sun begins to disappear. They surround the edge of the moon. These lights are called Baily's beads.

2. Which German born British discoverer of a planet coined the name "Asteroids"?

Answer: William Herschel

He coined the word "asteroid", meaning star-like (from the Greek asteroeides, aster "star" + eidos "form, shape") in 1802.

3. In the solar system, what are Perseids, Orionids, Draconids, and Geminids?

Answer: Meteor showers

A meteor shower is an astronomical event wherein many meteors are seen within a short interval of time. They are very small in size and are mostly space debris. They are trapped by the gravitational pull of the earth and enter the atmosphere at a tremendous velocity. Due to the atmospheric friction, they generate heat and light.

They get incinerated by the heat generated and disappear quickly with a streak of light.

4. Aphrodite Terra and Ishtar Terra are the two major landmasses on which planet?

Answer: Venus

Ishtar Terra is a high plateau region on the planet Venus (near its north pole). It is named after the Akkadian goddess Ishtar.

Aphrodite Terra is located near the equator of Venus. Its size is similar to the continent of Africa. It's much rougher than Ishtar Terra.

5. Other than the earth, which is the only solar system object to have a predominantly NITROGEN atmosphere?

Answer: Titan

Titan is the only moon/natural-satellite in our solar system to have a dense atmosphere. Earth's atmosphere contains about 78% nitrogen. The atmosphere of Titan is about 98.3% nitrogen. Since earth is larger, Titan is the second body of the solar system to possess a dense nitrogenous atmosphere.

6. If the sunspots are the darker areas, then what are the brighter areas on the sun's surface called?

Answer: Solar faculae

A facula implies a "bright spot". It's a lesser used termfor a solar surface phenomena. It's also used for naming certain surface features of planets and moons/natural satellites.

7. In the solar system, what are classified into Groups, Stones, Irons, and Stony Irons?

Answer: Meteorites

Meteorites are the most widely studied objects among the other celestial bodies, since a part of them is left intact on the earth which can be studied in great detail.
They were classified very early and the above is thus a primitive classification.

8. In spectral analysis what type of star is the sun?

Answer: G2

The modern grouping for spectral classification of stars is O, B, A, F, G, K, M, L and T respectively. These indicate the elemental signatures as well as the temperatures of the respective stars.
To mark sharper boundary temperatures, the number appendage was done.
The classes O, B, A indicate blue supergiant and giant stars.
Our sun has a surface temperature of 5800 K and is a yellow star.
Accordingly it's classified as a G2 star.

9. The space probe Vega 1, Vega 2, Sakigake, Planet A and Giotto were all launched to study which celestial object?

Answer: Halley's comet

According to Wikipedia

"The Giotto space probe, launched by the European Space Agency, made a close pass of the comet's nucleus. Other probes included the Soviet Union/France joint projects Vega 1 and Vega 2, and two Japanese probes, Suisei and Sakigake. The probes were unofficially known as the Halley Armada."

10. Comet tails are of two types.

Answer: True

One type is the ionized gas or plasma tail.
The other type is a dust tail.

Source: Author lordsom

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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