The Cosmic Perspective Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sulfuric volcanoes

Io is famous for its highly volcanic surface. When viewed at a distance the volcanoes on Io's surface make it look like a giant pizza. It is a result of tidal forces acting on Io from Jupiter and the three other Galilean moons (Europa, Ganymede and Callisto). These tidal forces squish Io like a sponge creating its volcanism.

Answer: Countless ice, rock and dust particles

If we were to look at Saturn from Earth, we would observe the planet's rings circling the planet as if they were a flat disk. The rings, however, are created by ice, rock and dust particles surrounding the planet, possibly formed from natural satellite collisions. The light from the sun reflects off these particles which we see from the Earth as a ring system.

Answer: Ceres

The discovery of Eris and other Kuiper Belt objects led to the downgrading of Pluto as a full size planet. However, with the new classification another object actually got an upgrade. Ceres lies in the asteroid belt and was discovered 1801. It was classified as an asteroid, but its size allowed it to later be categorized by the IAU (International Astronomical Union) as a dwarf planet.

Answer: It is a binary star system

A binary star system is when two stars that are gravitationally locked orbit around a common center of mass between them. The two stars are designated Alpha Centauri A (which is slightly larger than the Sun) and Alpha Centauri B (which is slightly smaller than the Sun). Imagine looking up in the sky and seeing two Suns. It would be weird, wouldn't it?

Answer: Clouds of ice and dust being blown away

Comets are small objects comprised of ice, gas and dust. As the comet gets closer to the Sun, the ice particles are melted and then blown away by the solar wind. Seen from Earth, this is what gives a comet its tail. Some well known comets include Halley's Comet and Hale-Bopp.

Answer: It is considered a terrestrial planet

51 Pegasi b is considered to be a Hot Jupiter, a gas giant that lies very close to its parent star. It is believed to be larger in size, yet only half as massive than Jupiter. With more and more extrasolar planets being discovered, more Hot Jupiters and other oddball worlds are being found. 51 Pegasi b orbits its parent star in four days compared to Mercury's 88 days.

Its distance to its star would heat up its surface to over 1000 degrees C.

Answer: Dark Matter

Many scientists now believe that Dark Matter does exist and comprises of more than 80% of the matter of the entire universe. More data from the Hubble Space Telescope has allowed astronomers to further study this phenomenon.

Answer: Remains of a supernova

The Crab Nebula, as seen from Earth, is a large patch of bluish-white light with matter expanding at its edges. The Crab Nebula is believed to be the remains of a star that went supernova ages ago. This is highly probable due to the existence of a neutron star discovered at the core of the nebula. A neutron star is what remains of a star's core after a supernova explosion.

Answer: In one of its outer bands

The Sun lies in one of the outer bands of the Milky Way known as the Orion-Cygnus Arm. At the center of the Milky Way is believed to be a massive black hole which causes the rest of the galaxy to orbit around it.

Answer: Your body would be stretched and sucked into it

A black hole is believed to be formed by the death of a super-massive star. Once the star's fuel is expelled, it collapses into an object so dense that nothing, including light, can escape its intense gravity. The event horizon is the point of the black hole's maximum range. Once you cross it, there is no escape. You and your ship would then be stretched like an atomic noodle and drawn into the singularity.