Halleys Comet
This is the approximate number of years it takes Halley’s Comet to complete one orbit around the Sun.
What is 75 or 76 years?
Despite its name, Voyager 1 actually launched 16 days after its twin, Voyager 2, in this year.
What is 1977?
This was the official mission designation for the Challenger’s final flight in January 1986.
What is STS-51-L?
This is the only star in our solar system.
What is the Sun?
The name of the spiral galaxy that contains our solar system.
What is the Milky Way?
Halley’s Comet is a "periodic" comet, meaning its orbit is predictable; it last appeared in our skies in this year.
What is 1986?
In 1990, Voyager 1 turned its camera back toward Earth to capture this iconic photograph, showing our planet as a tiny speck in a beam of sunlight.
What is the Pale Blue Dot?
Chosen from over 11,000 applicants, this New Hampshire social studies teacher was set to be the first private citizen in space.
Who was Christa McAuliffe?
A massive explosion that occurs at the end of a high-mass star's life cycle.
What is a supernova?
This is the distance light travels in one year, approximately 6 trillion miles.
What is a light-year?
This English astronomer was the first to realize that sightings in 1531, 1607, and 1682 were the same object and predicted its 1758 return.
Who was Edmond Halley?
On board the probe is this 12-inch, gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.
What is the Golden Record?
The disaster was caused by the failure of these rubber seals in the right Solid Rocket Booster, which became brittle due to freezing temperatures.
What are O-rings?
These "nurseries" are vast clouds of gas and dust where new stars are born.
What is a nebula?
These objects are so dense that their gravity prevents even light from escaping.
What are black holes?
This famous American author was born during the comet's 1835 appearance and predicted he would "go out with it" when it returned in 1910—which he did.
Who was Mark Twain?
In August 2012, Voyager 1 became the first human-made object to cross this boundary, officially entering interstellar space.
What is the heliopause?
This famous physicist and Nobel laureate famously demonstrated the O-ring's lack of resilience by dipping a piece of the material into a glass of ice water during the televised commission hearings.
Who was Richard Feynman?
A rapidly spinning neutron star that emits regular pulses of radio waves.
What is a pulsar?
This mysterious substance is believed to make up about 27% of the universe, yet it cannot be seen directly.
What is dark matter?
When the comet passes through the inner solar system, it leaves behind a trail of debris that causes this annual meteor shower every October.
What are the Orionids?
Voyager 1’s planetary mission ended after a close flyby of this Saturnian moon, chosen for its substantial atmosphere and potential for prebiotic chemistry.
What is Titan?
This presidential commission, named after its chairman and former Secretary of State, was established to investigate the causes of the accident.
What was the Rogers Commission?
The most common type of star found in the Milky Way, known for being small and relatively cool.
What is a red dwarf?
The "point of no return" around a black hole, beyond which nothing can escape.
What is the event horizon?