The Sun Trivia

1. A solar eclipse occurs when what celestial object passes between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow in the Earth?

From Quiz Oh, When Darkness Comes

Answer: Moon

While Mercury and Venus can, and do, pass between the Earth and the Sun, their distance is such that we see it as a dark spot moving across the Sun, which is called a transit. The Moon is close enough to the Earth for its apparent size in the sky to be almost exactly the same as that of the Sun - the Sun is much larger, but also much farther away. So when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, a significant shadow is formed on the surface of the Earth. This blocking of the Sun's light is called an eclipse.

From Quiz Fun With the Sun

Answer: 4.5 billion years

There are various ways that scientists can use to determine the age of the sun. One way is to determine the age of the Earth. It is believed that the Earth and the sun formed at the same time. Using trace amounts of radioactive isotopes found in the Earth's crust, as well as meteorites, scientists can calculate the half-lives of the radioactive elements, and analyze how much remains, and determine a fairly accurate age estimate. Another way to estimate the age of the sun is to measure the rate at which it is converting mass to energy, and then look at the elements that make up the sun. Most scientists believe the sun and the solar system were formed about 4.5 to 4.6 billion years ago.

From Quiz Solar Eclipse - Facts and Myths

Answer: New moon

In every type of solar eclipse, it is our neighbouring satellite that moves between us and the sun during the lunar phase known as new or dark moon. It is called dark moon because the sun shines on the side of the moon turned towards it, while the side facing the earth is unlit and therefore 'dark'.

From Quiz The Sun Take 1

Answer: Solar eclipse

From Quiz The Harsh Light of Day

Answer: White

The Earth's atmosphere scatters the light which is why we see the Sun as yellow. Of the several sources I could find on the net, nearly all of them state that the Sun appears white when viewed from space, with one source saying that the Sun is a 'peach pinkish' colour (relative to the D65 white point). According to this source, most people see D65 as having a hint of blue so concedes that the Sun may actually be white. Just to make things more confusing, our Sun is classed as a yellow dwarf.

From Quiz Solar Eclipse - Facts and Myths

Answer: Annular

Four types of eclipses are recognised. Annulus is the term for the bright ring around the moon when it does not obscure the entire solar disk, hence an annular eclipse. A partial eclipse is when only a part of the sun is obscured by a circular 'chip' or bite. Total eclipse is when the entire sun is hidden from us by the moon, while a hybrid is a rare cross between a total and an annular eclipse.

From Quiz Sol

Answer: A circle with a dot

The symbol is also called "The eye of Horus". It symbolizes the blending of male and female forces.

From Quiz The Sun Take 2

Answer: 4.5 billion years

The study of chondrules shows our solar system to be about 4.5 billion years old.

From Quiz Don't Look Up!

Answer: Sunspot

Sunspots are dark patches found across the surface of the Sun. They are caused by an intense magnetic field which cause the gases surrounding the sunspot to lower in temperature, giving observers the illusion of darkness compared to the rest of the Sun. Some sunspots can grow to larger in size than the planet Earth. The Sunspot Solar Observatory was built in 1947 and is located within the Sacramento Mountains in southern New Mexico, about an hour drive from Alamogordo. It is affiliated with New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. The unincorporated community surrounding the facility was also given the name Sunspot after a controversial election was held. One of the facility's most well known pieces of equipment is the Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope which was completed in 1969.

From Quiz The Harsh Light of Day

Answer: Milky Way

The Sun is orbiting the Milky Way approximately 24,000-26,000 light years (Wikipedia) from the galactic centre. When 'standing' at the galactic north pole, the Sun orbits clockwise, taking 225-250 million years to do so. The sun is currently within the inner rim of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. The Orion Arm is also referred to as the 'Local Arm', 'Local Spur' or the 'Orion Spur'.

From Quiz Sol

Answer: 4.000.000 tons

Nuclear reaction: 4H -> He + energy. 4 Hydrogen atoms weigh: 4.03176. One helium atom weighs: 4.002602. So ~0.7% mass is made into energy. Sol's output can be measured to: 3.86 e33 erg/sec. Einstein said: "E=M*c*c". So since the speed of light (c) is ~2.99 e10 cm/sec, we have that M=4.289 e12 g/sec or 4.280.000 tons/sec. So actually it's 4.280.000 tons.

From Quiz The Harsh Light of Day

Answer: Differential rotation

Even though the actual rotation of the Sun occurs every 25.6 days (at the equator) and 33.5 days (at the poles), for us here on Earth it appears to rotate every 28 days. The difference in equatorial rotation and polar rotation is known as 'differential rotation' and is caused by the massive difference in temperature of the Sun from the core to the outer.

From Quiz Solar Eclipse - Facts and Myths

Answer: Second Contact

Total eclipses are divided into four phases. During First Contact the moon's shadow moves across the sun's disk. In Second Contact, Bailey's Beads appear. The phenomenon is the result of the moon's cratered surface, allowing through uneven beads of light in the ring around the moon. During Totality the sun's disk is obscured, while in Third Contact, the lunar shadow moves across to reveal more and more of the sun until the eclipse ends.

From Quiz Sol

Answer: By both convection and radiation

The first 80% of the way is mainly done by radiation. After that, it's mainly done by convection.

From Quiz The Sun Take 1

Answer: Granulation

From Quiz Don't Look Up!

Answer: West Germany

The Helios solar probes were constructed via a joint effort between NASA and the German Aerospace Center (aka DLR), which was founded in Cologne, West Germany in 1969. Helios-A was launched first on December 10, 1974 and its twin, Helios-B, was later launched on January 15, 1976. Both spacecraft were constructed in West Germany and were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida using a Titan IIIE rocket. The Helios probes had a special conical design which provided their solar arrays limited exposure to the sun in order to protect the spacecrafts' instruments from intense heat. Helios-B gained notoriety for making the closest fly-by of the Sun of any spacecraft at the time. However, this may have had a detrimental effect on the spacecraft as Helios-B was the first of the twin probes to be deactivated on December 23, 1979. Helios-A was eventually deactivated on February 18, 1985 and both now derelict spacecraft remain in Solar orbit to this day.

From Quiz Oh, When Darkness Comes

Answer: 18 months

If the Moon and the Earth travelled in circular orbits, and they moved in the same plane, then there would be a total solar eclipse every month, whenever there is a New Moon. (This is assuming that this hypothetical situation has the Moon at the right distance for totality.) However, their orbits are elliptical and inclined to each other, leading to the eclipse seasons that occur roughly each six months, with one or two eclipses in each season. However, many of these will be partial or annular eclipses. On average, there will be a total solar eclipse once every 18 months. However, these eclipses are not all seen at the same spot. If you had to guess how long you need to wait to see another eclipse at the same spot where you just saw one, the answer would be somewhere between 350 and 420 years, depending on where you are. The number 75 was thrown in as the familiar (to astronomy students) time for the return of Haley's Comet.

From Quiz Sol

Answer: 11 years

The number of sunspots follow the normal cycle of Sol's activity. After 250 years of counting, we're able to measure it to about 11 years. The cycle is due to the continuing disruption and restoration of Sol's magnetic field. After the 11 years, the magnetic field has been turned around, so actually it is a 22-year long cycle.

From Quiz The Sun Take 1

Answer: Facula

Faculae usually occur near sunspots.

From Quiz The Sun Take 2

Answer: 4.8

The Sun's magnitude at a distance of 32.6 light years (ten parsecs) is a plus 4.8. On Earth a sixth magnitude star is about the faintest most people can see with the unaided (no binos or telescope) eye. The Sun's apparent magnitude (from the Earth) is -26.5.

From Quiz The Harsh Light of Day

Answer: Solar atmosphere

Solar atmosphere is also known as the Corona or Coronal Loop. This part of the Sun can be seen with the naked eye during a solar eclipse and can also be seen with certain types of telescopes at any other time (as long as the telescope has a 'view' of the Sun). During a solar eclipse, the solar atmosphere is the 'white fuzzy bit' seen around the edge of the moon.

From Quiz Solar Eclipse - Facts and Myths

Answer: Perihelion

When the earth is closest to the sun, its position is called perihelion. Because of the comparative size of the sun and the moon, the moon's orbit around the earth as well as the position of the earth in its orbit around the sun play a part in any type of eclipse. The penumbra is the moon's outer shadow that falls on the earth and helps create partial eclipses. Photosphere is a term for the sun's disk, while ecliptic is the orbit of the earth around the sun.

From Quiz Sol

Answer: Prominences

Plages are bright spots on the surface. They are regions with higher temperature and only appear in the photosphere. Flares are big outbursts of fire, but they don't get any higher than the chromosphere. CMEs, or Coronal Mass Ejections, are clouds of gas sent out from the corona. They are a satellite's worst nightmare.

From Quiz The Sun Take 1

Answer: Hydrogen-alpha filter

A hydrogen alpha filter lets through just one wavelength of light, which allows the prominences and flares to be seen.

From Quiz Don't Look Up!

Answer: SOHO

SOHO stands for Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. It was constructed via joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). The spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 2, 1995 using an Atlas II rocket. SOHO was positioned at the Earth-Sun L1 Lagrange point, located about 1.5 million km inward of Earth's orbit, which makes it easier to maintain the spacecraft's orbit around the Sun. One of SOHO's main specialties is the study of solar weather. SOHO was initially supposed to be operational for only two years, however its mission was extended and is now scheduled to conclude by the end of 2025. SOHO shares its name with a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. The name is an acronym that stands for South of Houston St.

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Last Updated Jan 17 2026 5:50 AM

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