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Quiz about The Shining
Quiz about The Shining

The Shining Trivia Quiz


This quiz is not about Stephen King's book, it's about some of the bright objects in the sky that mankind has observed and sometimes been a little scared of for millennia. Let's see how many you know.

A multiple-choice quiz by CmdrK. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
CmdrK
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
358,839
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
1727
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 73 (5/10), patrickk (7/10), Guest 93 (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. What nickname is given to the planet Venus? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. An "angry" planet resides in our solar system, named after the Roman god of war. Which of these names is it? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Crosby, Stills and Nash sang about an asterism (part of a constellation) that is seen primarily in the southern hemisphere but can be spied from the northern tropical latitudes. Can you name it?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Do you remember the movie "Beetlejuice"? That's the pronunciation of the star Betelgeuse, part of which constellation that is also known as "the hunter"?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What is the name of Earth's moon?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. One of the smallest constellations contains Vega, the fifth brightest star in the sky. Can you name the constellation, whose namesake you could hold in your lap?
Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. During winter months in either hemisphere you can see flashing, snaking lights near the poles. What is the term for this phenomenon?
Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. There is a constellation that has the same name as the nearest spiral galaxy to our own and a space ship from a TV series of a few years ago. Do you know its name? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In the northern sky there is a constellation named for a winged horse of Greek myth. Which of these possibilities could it be?
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. If you wanted to be the big dog in the sky you would definitely be which constellation?
Hint





Most Recent Scores
Mar 25 2024 : Guest 73: 5/10
Mar 07 2024 : patrickk: 7/10
Feb 23 2024 : Guest 93: 8/10
Feb 15 2024 : Guest 212: 10/10
Feb 03 2024 : PurpleComet: 10/10
Jan 30 2024 : bakeryfarm: 9/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What nickname is given to the planet Venus?

Answer: Both

Venus, the brightest object in the sky after our sun, is called the Morning Star when it follows Earth in its orbit. Every 584 days it overtakes the Earth and is then called the Evening Star because of its position in relation to our own. It is bright enough to be seen at midday if you know where to look.
2. An "angry" planet resides in our solar system, named after the Roman god of war. Which of these names is it?

Answer: Mars

Treated with apprehension by the ancients, Mars is also known as the "Red Planet". Iron oxide on its surface gives it the red tint. It seems to glow redder at certain times of the year, causing ancient peoples to wonder if it was angry with them.
3. Crosby, Stills and Nash sang about an asterism (part of a constellation) that is seen primarily in the southern hemisphere but can be spied from the northern tropical latitudes. Can you name it?

Answer: Southern Cross

The Southern Cross is an asterism, a pattern of stars, in the constellation Crux (latin for cross). It is featured on the flags of Australia, New Zealand and other southern hemisphere nations.
4. Do you remember the movie "Beetlejuice"? That's the pronunciation of the star Betelgeuse, part of which constellation that is also known as "the hunter"?

Answer: Orion

Named by the Greeks, Orion the hunter, the heavily-armed subject of myth and awe, is one of the brightest constellations. It dominates the northern winter sky. We can easily recognize Orion's shoulders, legs, belt and bow; the Orion Nebula is visible in his sword. Not so easy to see anymore because of atmospheric pollution are his head and quiver of arrows.
5. What is the name of Earth's moon?

Answer: the moon

Earth's natural satellite seems to be the Rodney Dangerfield of moons in our solar system; it gets so little respect that it doesn't even have a name. It is known as "the moon". Throughout history it has sometimes been called Luna, a Roman goddess who was their theological personification of the moon. The moon has often had a sinister reputation: creepy things are said to come out when the moon is full, and wolves and coyotes howl at it. Actually, so do beagles, but I'm trying to set a mood here.
6. One of the smallest constellations contains Vega, the fifth brightest star in the sky. Can you name the constellation, whose namesake you could hold in your lap?

Answer: Lyra

Lyra, the lyre, has only six stars. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the astronomer Ptolemy in the second century. It can be difficult to see because of haze and atmospheric pollution but is visible in the northern hemisphere from spring through autumn. In the southern hemisphere it is low in its northern sky during the winter.
7. During winter months in either hemisphere you can see flashing, snaking lights near the poles. What is the term for this phenomenon?

Answer: aurora

The auroras, borealis in the northern hemisphere and australis in the south, are caused by the collision of charged particles and atoms in Earth's thermosphere. Aurora is the Latin word for sunrise. It's not unusual for the auroras to light up the sky. Because Earth's magnetic field controls both auroras, they mimic each other almost simultaneously. They are also known as the northern lights and southern lights, respectively.
8. There is a constellation that has the same name as the nearest spiral galaxy to our own and a space ship from a TV series of a few years ago. Do you know its name?

Answer: Andromeda

The constellation Andromeda is another of the 48 constellations catalogued by Ptolemy. It was named for Andromeda, the daughter of Cassiopeia, a figure in Greek mythology. The constellation is easiest to see in the northern hemisphere on autumn evenings. In the southern hemisphere it can only be seen north of 40-degrees south latitude. The brightest star in Andromeda is Alpha Andromedae which is actually a binary star, meaning two stars that closely orbit each other.
9. In the northern sky there is a constellation named for a winged horse of Greek myth. Which of these possibilities could it be?

Answer: Pegasus

The Greeks said that Pegasus was a winged horse that sprang from the blood of Medusa when Perseus cut off her head. Pavo means peacock, Scorpius means scorpion and Volans means flying fish.
10. If you wanted to be the big dog in the sky you would definitely be which constellation?

Answer: Canis Major

Canis Major means greater dog in Latin. It is said to be one of the dogs in the night sky following Orion the hunter. The bright star Sirius, called the dog star, is a part of Canis Major. The other constellations won't get you any bragging rights: Vulpecula means fox, Dorado means goldfish and poor little Musca means fly in Latin.
Source: Author CmdrK

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
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