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Quiz about Our Solar System and Galaxy by the Numbers

Our Solar System and Galaxy by the Numbers Quiz

Perhaps the best way to grasp the immensity of our home solar system and galaxy is to portray it in human terms.

A multiple-choice quiz by waldo256. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
waldo256

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
217,589

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
1441

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. If they built a bridge between the Earth and the Sun, how many years would it take to drive one way at 55 miles per hour? Hint

19.3

193

1,930

19,300

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. An Apollo spacecraft takes six days to travel to the moon and back (approx. 500,000 miles). How long would it take that same spacecraft to reach the star nearest our Sun? Hint

85,000 years

850,000 years

8,500 years

850 years

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. How many times larger is the Sun's diameter than the Earth's? Hint

10.9

109

1,090

10,900

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. It takes sunlight just over eight minutes to reach the Earth. How long, on average, does it take sunlight to reach Pluto? Hint

34.8 minutes

348 minutes

3,480 minutes

34,800 minutes

5. You're boarding a Boeing 747 from Uranus Interplanetary Airport bound for Neptune. Traveling at the jet's maximum speed of 600 miles per hour, how long will the average flight between the two neighboring planets be? Hint

190 years

1.9 years

1,900 years

19.03 years

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. How does Mars' volcano, Olympus Mons, compare in height to our Mt. Everest? Hint

Mt. Everest is three times higher than Olympus Mons.

Mt. Everest is at least 10 times higher than Olympus Mons.

Both peaks are fairly similar in height.

Olympus Mons is almost three times higher than Mt. Everest.

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. If a future spaceman collects a sample chunk of a neutron star the size of a pinhead, how much will that sample weigh? Hint

about 1,000,000 tons

about one ton

about one pound

about 100 tons

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. How many times has the Milky Way galaxy revolved since our Sun started shining? Hint

20,000

20,000,000

2,000

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Halley's Comet was in the Earth's sky when author Mark Twain was born and it reappeared when he died. So, how long is the orbital period of Halley's Comet? Hint

36 years

76 years

56 years

96 years

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. The highest noontime surface temperature recorded on Earth was 136 degrees Fahrenheit. What was the highest recorded noontime surface temperature on Mercury? Hint

80600 degrees Fahrenheit

86 degrees Fahrenheit

806 degrees Fahrenheit

8060 degrees Fahrenheit

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. If they built a bridge between the Earth and the Sun, how many years would it take to drive one way at 55 miles per hour?

Answer: 193

The distance from the Earth to the Sun (92,750,679.4 miles) is roughly equivalent to just over 18,000 round trips between New York and San Francisco.

2. An Apollo spacecraft takes six days to travel to the moon and back (approx. 500,000 miles). How long would it take that same spacecraft to reach the star nearest our Sun?

Answer: 850,000 years

The closest star to our own solar system, Proxima Centauri, is 4.3 light years distant - 25.28 trillion miles away.

3. How many times larger is the Sun's diameter than the Earth's?

Answer: 109

If the Sun was represented by a two-foot diameter beach ball, the Earth would be the size of a pea.

4. It takes sunlight just over eight minutes to reach the Earth. How long, on average, does it take sunlight to reach Pluto?

Answer: 348 minutes

When you're over 3.7 billion miles away, you just have to be patient.

Answer: 1,900 years

Although Uranus and Neptune are commonly called "twin planets," they're distant twins, even when aligned, a full billion miles apart or 288,267 times the distance between the cities of New York and London.

6. How does Mars' volcano, Olympus Mons, compare in height to our Mt. Everest?

Answer: Olympus Mons is almost three times higher than Mt. Everest.

If Sir Edmund Hillary had climbed Olympus Mons at the same speed he climbed Mt. Everest, it would have taken him 130 days to reach the peak.

7. If a future spaceman collects a sample chunk of a neutron star the size of a pinhead, how much will that sample weigh?

Answer: about 1,000,000 tons

Neutron stars are the very, very compressed cores of giant stars which were destroyed in supernova explosions.

8. How many times has the Milky Way galaxy revolved since our Sun started shining?

Answer: 20

The Milky Way has made less than 100th of a revolution since the appearance of the first humanoids on Earth. A full revolution takes 230 million years.

9. Halley's Comet was in the Earth's sky when author Mark Twain was born and it reappeared when he died. So, how long is the orbital period of Halley's Comet?

Answer: 76 years

Throughout his life, Mark Twain's favorite prognostication was, "I came in with Halley's Comet and I'm going out with Halley's Comet." He was right.

10. The highest noontime surface temperature recorded on Earth was 136 degrees Fahrenheit. What was the highest recorded noontime surface temperature on Mercury?

Answer: 806 degrees Fahrenheit

But at night the average surface temperature on Mercury dips to -292 degrees Fahrenheit.

Source: Author waldo256

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