Interstellar
There are many theories about the birth of our solar system. Which theory involves a passing star pulling dust and debris from the forming sun?
A) Nebular Hypothesis
B) Protoplanet Hypothesis
C) Tidal Theory
Tidal Theory
The Tidal Theory (or Chamberlain-Moulton Theory) suggests that a passing star pulled dust and debris from the forming Sun, leaving a string of debris that eventually formed the planets.
What year boasted the first woman in space?
A) 1973
B) 1963
C) 1983
1963
In 1963 Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova was selected from more than four hundred applicants and five finalists to pilot Vostok 6. She completed 48 orbits of the Earth in her three days in space.
What does space smell like?
A) Hot Metal
B) Diesel Fumes
C) Barbecue
All of the above
The final frontier smells a lot like a Nascar race - a bouquet of hot metal, diesel fumes and barbecue.
How many Earths could fit inside the sun?
A) 1,000
B) 1,000,000
C) 10,000
1,000,000
About a million duplicates of Earth could comfortably fit inside the sun.
Every second, the sun releases energy equivalent to how many nuclear bombs?
A) 100 Billion
B) 10 Billion
C) 1 Billion
100 Billion
A one megaton nuclear bomb -- the equivalent of a million tons of TNT -- detonates with an energy of about 4 x 10^22 ergs. That means the amount of energy emitted by the Sun (4x10^33 / 4 x 10^22) equals 100 billion one-megaton nuclear bombs exploding every second.
The planets make up what percentage of the mass in our solar system?
A) 1.35%
B) 0.135%
C) 13.5%
0.135%
The planets make up only 0.135% of the mass in our solar system. The Sun dominates, accounting for 99.86% of the entire solar system's mass. Other factors include satellites (0.00004%) and comets (0.00003%).
What is the term for the condition when three celestial bodies are arranged in a straight line?
A) Syzygy
B) Parallax
C) Triple Transit
Syzygy
Syzygy is the condition when three celestial bodies are arranged in a straight line--as, for example, when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned during solar and lunar eclipses.
How old is the Universe?
A) 13.7 Billion Years
B) 137 Billion Years
C) 6,000 Years
13.7 Billion Years
Measurements made by NASA's WMAP spacecraft have shown that the universe is 13.7 billion years old, plus or minus about 130,000 years.
How far from Earth is the closest star other than the sun?
A) 4.24 Light Years
B) 424 Light Years
C) 0.424 Light Years
4.24 Light Years
Faint Proxima Centauri claims the honor of being our nearest stellar neighbor at only 4.24 light years away.
There are no _____ stars.
A) Blue
B) Red
C) Green
Green
Stars emit a spectrum of colors, including green, but the human eye-brain connection mixes the colors together in a manner that produces: from lower to higher temperatures, red, orange, yellow, white and blue. So as far as the human eye can tell, there are no green stars.
What are the only two planets in our solar system without moons?
A) Mercury & Venus
B) Venus & Mars
C) Neptune & Pluto
Mercury & Venus
Mercury & Venus are the only planets in our solar system without moons. Saturn has the most moons, with more than sixty.
What manned U.S. space program eventually put 12 men on the Moon?
A) Apollo
B) Gemini
C) Voyager
Apollo
The first Apollo mission to circle the Moon was Apollo 8, and the first to land was Apollo 11. Apollo 13 never landed because of an accident en route that required the spacecraft to return to Earth after swinging around the far side of the Moon. The last Apollo mission to land on the Moon was Apollo 17.
Which planet has a hexagonal-shaped storm?
A) Jupiter
B) Venus
C) Saturn
Saturn
Saturn's northern hemisphere has a raging six-sided storm nicknamed "the hexagon." Why exactly it's that shape is a mystery. But what is known is that this hexagon, which shares several features in common with hurricanes, has been there for at least decades -- if not hundreds of years.
Which planet radiates more heat than it gets from the sun?
A) Jupiter
B) Saturn
C) Neptune
All of the above
Jupiter radiates about 1.6 times as much heat, in the form of infrared energy, as it receives from the sun, whereas Saturn and Neptune radiate 2.3 and 2.6 times the heat they get from the sun. This indicates that all three planets have some internal source of energy.
What color is Saturn?
A) Yellow
B) Blue
C) Red
Yellow
Saturn has a pale yellow hue due to ammonia crystals in its upper atmosphere.
What is the name of Pluto's largest moon?
A) Phobus
B) Pandora
C) Charon
Charon
Discovered by James Christy in 1978, Charon has a diameter of 1,172 kilometers (728 miles) and is just under half the size of Pluto. Due to this very small difference in size, some scientists consider Pluto and Charon to be a double (dwarf) planet.
From 1978 to 1999, which planet was farthest from the Sun?
A) Pluto
B) Uranus
C) Neptune
Neptune
Because of Pluto's irregular orbit, Neptune was actually the farthest planet from the Sun between 1978 and 1999.
Which planet has the largest ocean?
A) Earth
B) Jupiter
C) Uranus
Jupiter
Computer models show that not only is Jupiter's ocean (made of liquid hydrogen) the largest in the solar system, but that it is about 25,000 miles (40,000 km) deep -- roughly as deep as the Earth is around!
How hot is the sun's core?
A) 2.7 Million Degrees
B) 2.7 Billion Degrees
C) 27 Million Degrees
27 Million Degrees Fahrenheit
At the core of the sun, gravitational attraction produces immense pressure and temperature, which can reach more than 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 million degrees Celsius).
Which of the following was discovered in 2002?
A) Nereid
B) Varuna
C) Quaoar
Quaoar
Roughly half the size of Pluto, Quaoar is classified as a "Kuiper Belt object".
The three main parts of a comet are the nucleus, the tail, and the _____?
A) Radiant
B) Coma
C) Zenith
Coma
The coma consists of gases and dust around the nucleus.
What color is the sunset on Mars?
A) Yellow
B) Green
C) Blue
Blue
Dust in the Martian atmosphere has fine particles that permit blue light to penetrate the atmosphere more efficiently than longer-wavelength colors.
How long does each season last on Neptune?
A) 20 Years
B) 40 Years
C) 60 Years
40 Years
Neptune has four seasons, just like Earth. But unlike Earth, each season on Neptune lasts more than 40 years!
How long is a day on Jupiter?
A) 90 Hours, 55 Minutes
B) 900 Hours, 55 Minutes
C) 9 Hours, 55 Minutes
9 Hours, 55 Minutes
Jupiter has the shortest day of all the planets. It turns on its axis once every 9 hours and 55 minutes.
What accounts for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe?
A) Quantum Matter
B) Dark Matter
C) Antimatter
Dark Matter
The majority of dark matter is thought to be non-baryonic in nature, possibly being composed of some as-yet undiscovered subatomic particles.