Paint a Picture In the Sky Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Big Dipper

A pattern of stars recognisable in the night sky, but not an official constellation is referred to as an asterism. All the incorrect answer options are all asterisms occurring in the night sky. The Great Diamond comprises stars from the constellations Leo, Virgo, Canes Venatici and Boötes. Job's Coffin is made up of four stars in the Delphinus constellation.

The Keystone is an asterism making up the torso of the constellation Hercules.

Answer: Centaurus

Centaurus, not to be confused with the Zodiac constellation Sagittarius, is a large constellation found in the southern sky. It was originally listed by Ptolemy, a 2nd century astronomer. Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to Earth,as well as Beta Centauri the second brightest star is found in this constellation.

The brightest globular cluster visible from Earth, Omega Centauri, is contained here too.

Answer: Eighty-eight

The astronomer, Ptolemy, originally listed forty-eight constellations in the second century. The original constellations were discovered in the northern sky. As the southern hemisphere was explored, more constellations were proposed. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union adopted the list of eighty-eight constellations used today. Noted astronomers involved with constellation discovery and proposals were Petrus Plancius, Johannes Hevelius and Lacaille.

Answer: Serpens

Ophiuchus lies between Serpens, Aquila and Hercules. It is best seen in the summer in the Northern hemisphere, lying across from Orion in the night sky. Ophiuchus translates to "serpent bearer" from the original Greek. This constellation literally divides the constellation Serpens into two parts, although it is still counted as one whole constellation.

Answer: Polaris

Ursa Minor, also known as the Little Bear, is found in the northern sky. While all constellations can be seen in the night sky from both hemispheres depending on the season and time of year, Ursa Minor contains the star Polaris, also known as the North Star. Polaris cannot be seen from the Southern hemisphere at all.

Answer: Ringtail Galaxies

William Herschel discovered these galaxies, also known as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, in 1785. As a result of the collision, two tails of stars, gas and dust are ejected which resemble the antennae of an insect. Due to these two long tails, they have also been nicknamed the Ringtail Galaxies. It has been suggested that our Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy will undergo a similar fate.

Answer: Canis Major

Sirius is actually a binary star system consisting of the brighter star Sirius A and a dimmer white dwarf companion star Sirius B. Sirius is also referred to as the Dog Star. It forms part of the constellation Canis Major. Canis Major (greater dog) and Canis Minor (lesser dog) are often represented as following Orion through the night sky.

Answer: Boötes

The Quadrantids occur annually in January. Two other meteor showers are equally as predictable, the Geminids in December and the Perseids in August. The Quadrantids originate from a point within the constellation Boötes which lies close to the handle of the Big Dipper and radiate outwards.

Answer: Crab Nebula

Supernova remnants are the remains of a star that exploded in a supernova. A pulsar is a rotating neutron star which releases a beam of electromagnetic radiation. The Crab Nebula was first observed in 1840 by William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse. Due to his drawing of the nebula resembling a crab, the nebula was so named.

Answer: Bird of Paradise

The Apus constellation, found in the southern sky, was named for the bird not the flower. The Greek word Apus, means "without feet". It was once believed that the Bird-of-Paradise had no feet. Petrus Plancius, a Dutch astronomer, included Apus on a celestial globe in 1598.

The bird-of-paradise bird is commonly found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea as well as Australia. The bird-of-paradise flower is better known as a strelitzia and is native to South Africa.