FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Mars the Fire Star
Quiz about Mars the Fire Star

Mars, the Fire Star Trivia Quiz


A quiz on the rocky planet Mars. Fire Star is the Japanese name of Mars.

A multiple-choice quiz by jonthomas. Estimated time: 5 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Science Trivia
  6. »
  7. Our Solar System
  8. »
  9. Mars

Author
jonthomas
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
353,885
Updated
Oct 01 23
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
318
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. For centuries, the concept of water on Mars has been speculated upon. In the twentieth century, it was established that water exists in what form on Mars? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Valles Marineris is a canyon that looks like a deep gash on Mars's surface. About how long is Valles Marineris? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which of these statements is TRUE about Olympus Mons? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Mars has two small moons called Phobos and Deimos. What is true about these moons? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Over the passage of time, Mars's orbit has been getting more eccentric, meaning less circular. Why is this? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. What well known surface feature is located directly between the Bamberg Crater and the Arandas Crater? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Mars has at least four known trojan asteroids, meaning asteroids that share an orbit with an object's satellites. Which of these is not the name of a Mars trojan? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Many important objects in the Solar System have an astronomical symbol, used to identify it. For example, the Sun's symbol is a circle with a dot in it. What is Mars's symbol? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In the 19th century, Giovanni Schiaparelli observed Mars using an 8.7 inch telescope, noticing surface features for the first time. What lead people into believing he had found life? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. On August 6, 2012, the Curiosity Rover touched down on Mars near what mountain? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Mar 26 2024 : angostura: 10/10
Jan 30 2024 : comark2000: 10/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. For centuries, the concept of water on Mars has been speculated upon. In the twentieth century, it was established that water exists in what form on Mars?

Answer: Mixed into its frozen poles

When the ice caps of Mars were discovered, the immediate conclusion was that they were made of carbon dioxide. However, this is not entirely true. The ice caps are about 85% carbon dioxide, 14% water, and the remaining percent is of trace substances. There is also a very small amount of ionized water in Mars's thin atmosphere. Continuing space exploration may yet find those elusive signs of life.
2. Valles Marineris is a canyon that looks like a deep gash on Mars's surface. About how long is Valles Marineris?

Answer: Slightly longer than the continental United States

At 4,000 kilometers long, Valles Marineris is one of the longest known trenches in the entire Solar System. It is divided into eleven regions. It is named after Mariner 9, the space probe that discovered the canyon, and is Latin for Mariner Valleys.
3. Which of these statements is TRUE about Olympus Mons?

Answer: It is the tallest known mountain on Mars

For many years, Olympus Mons (meaning Mount Olympus in Latin) was known as the Solar System's tallest mountain .This is less certain now since discovery of Rheasilvia Mons on the asteroid Vesta, which is very similar in height. It is certainly the tallest mountain on Mars, though.

It is an inactive shield volcano and its estimated height is over two and a half times that of Everest.
4. Mars has two small moons called Phobos and Deimos. What is true about these moons?

Answer: Phobos will one day crash into Mars and Deimos will be flung out of Martian orbit

Phobos and Deimos have irregular orbits, suggesting that they were captured from the asteroid belt due to Mars's proximity. Due to this unorthodox way of attaining natural satellites, their orbits are not as stable as other moons of the Solar System. In millions of years, Phobos is expected to crash into Mars and might afterwards form a ring around the red planet. Deimos, the farther moon, is thought to have a slightly unstable hold on its orbit, and with the slightest orbital decay would be flung out of Mars's orbit.
5. Over the passage of time, Mars's orbit has been getting more eccentric, meaning less circular. Why is this?

Answer: Other planets disrupt its orbit

The most signifigant factor in changing Mars's orbit is Jupiter, which has a gravity 2.5 times stronger than Earth. Another factor is Earth itself. A third object to affect Mars's orbit is Ceres, in the asteroid belt. Mars has an eccentricity of 0.09, which may not sound like much, but 1.35 million years ago, a relatively short time considering the age of Mars, its eccentricity was 0.002.

It will continue increasing in eccentricity at least over the next 25,000 years.
6. What well known surface feature is located directly between the Bamberg Crater and the Arandas Crater?

Answer: The "face" on Mars

In an image taken by the Viking 1 probe in 1976, there was a noticeable hill that greatly resembled a human face in the region of Cydonia. It lead to speculation that it may have been sculpted by a long dead civilization, but it later turned out to be the position of shadows; no actual indentations made the shape of a face.
7. Mars has at least four known trojan asteroids, meaning asteroids that share an orbit with an object's satellites. Which of these is not the name of a Mars trojan?

Answer: Cruithne

Cruithne is an asteroid sometimes referred to as Earth's second moon, due to a similar distance form the Sun, nowhere near Mars. It is thought that Mars may have dozens of more trojans waiting to be uncovered, but they would be small due to Mars's relatively low mass compared to the larger objects of the Solar System.
8. Many important objects in the Solar System have an astronomical symbol, used to identify it. For example, the Sun's symbol is a circle with a dot in it. What is Mars's symbol?

Answer: The same as the symbol for the male gender

Looking like a circle with an arrow pointing up and to the right, the astronomical symbol of Mars represents the spear and shield of Ares, Mars's Greek counterpart.
9. In the 19th century, Giovanni Schiaparelli observed Mars using an 8.7 inch telescope, noticing surface features for the first time. What lead people into believing he had found life?

Answer: A mistranslation of Italian words

Schiaparelli had observed faint lines on Mars, calling them canali, which is Italian for "channels" or "grooves". However, this was misconstrued as meaning "canals", implying that they were man (Or rather, Martian) made. In the end, it turned out that what Schiaparelli had seen were mere optical illusions, making the whole point moot, anyway.
10. On August 6, 2012, the Curiosity Rover touched down on Mars near what mountain?

Answer: Aeolis Mons

Aeolis Mons was nicknamed Mount Sharp, in honor of geologist Robert Sharp. Coincidentally, there is also a crater named after Sharp located close to the mountain.
Source: Author jonthomas

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
3/29/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us