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Solar System Exploration Trivia Quiz

Learn interesting facts as you take your "extreme temperature-proof" spaceship through the Solar System.

A multiple-choice quiz by ellstrich. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
ellstrich

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
341,108

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
644

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Your spaceship has finally arrived! Your first stop is the center of our Solar System, the Sun. There, you want to see a sun spot up close. What IS a sun spot, anyways? Hint

A mound of iron left unmelted floating on the surface of the sun.

An area on the surface of the Sun darker and cooler than the rest.

A perfectly circular area of extraordinary heat located on the top and bottom of the Sun.

A mass of aluminum so big that it has never been sighted, but is theoretically possible.

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Question 2 of 10

2. You land on Mercury. Being such a small planet, Mercury is unable to have a thick atmosphere. Nonetheless, it has an atmosphere. Which of the following gases would be foreign in Mercury's atmosphere? Hint

Oxygen

Super-heated Beryllium

Sodium

Hydrogen

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Question 3 of 10

3. Venus sure is bright... On a clear night you can usually distinguish it from the stars. Hey, you know another bright thing in the sky? The full moon. I wonder which is brighter? Hmmm... You decide. (Remember, negative numbers are brighter) Hint

Moon has apparent magnitude of -4.18, Venus has magnitude of -6.32

Moon has apparent magnitude of almost -13.00, Venus has magnitude of -4.9

Moon has apparent magnitude of .89, Venus has magnitude of -8.235

Moon has apparent magnitude of -6.54, Venus has magnitude of -5.12

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Question 4 of 10

4. I could ask why Mars is the called "The Red Planet," but I won't, too much of a cliche. Instead I'll ask about its moons. The two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, are named after which characters in mythology? Hint

The Roman names for Apollo and Artemis

Two Greek heroes of the Trojan war

Egyptian twin Gods of flood and drought

Two of Ares' sons

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Question 5 of 10

5. Taking off from Mars and continuing to the farthest reaches of the Oort Cloud, where is the next sightseeing location? Hint

Titan

Jupiter

Asteroid Belt

Saturn

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Question 6 of 10

6. Orbiting Jupiter for the first time, you pass over the Great Red Spot. It's a storm, so maybe it rains water? No, it isn't. Hey, speaking of spots and water, which of Earth's oceans is closest in size to the Red Spot? Hint

Indian Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Arctic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

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Question 7 of 10

7. Wow, Saturn's rings sure are beautiful! I wonder how they got there? What's a major theory on how Saturn got its rings? Hint

There has always been a mini-asteroid belt around Saturn.

They are the remnants of a Saturnian moon.

It was formed by bits of rock from a collision of comets.

When a planet exceeds a certain size, rings simply become a part of their outer atmosphere.

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Question 8 of 10

8. Passing over Uranus, it appears like a huge mass of swirling blue. You may see it clearly, yet Uranus was not discovered without a telescope, in spite of being visible to the naked eye. Why was this? Hint

They did not know it was there. The only reason we can see it without the use of a telescope is that we know it's there.

The movement of its moons obscured it.

It has a low apparent magnitude and its distance makes it appear to move very slowly across the sky.

The color blue blended in to the night sky too well.

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Question 9 of 10

9. Though more famous for its huge storms, Jupiter isn't the only planet with large storms. In fact, Neptune has three major storms in its atmosphere. What are their names? Hint

Great Dark Spot, Small Dark Spot, Scooter

Entropica, Titanica, N23

LS2, LS3, RF4

Moe, Larry, Curly

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Question 10 of 10

10. Flying over Pluto brings back the memories of its controversial loss of planet status. However, the former planet's demotion sparked up a new word meaning 'minor planet, planetoid.' What is this word? Hint

Underpluto

Plutoid

Plutonic

Plutoplanet

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Your spaceship has finally arrived! Your first stop is the center of our Solar System, the Sun. There, you want to see a sun spot up close. What IS a sun spot, anyways?

Answer: An area on the surface of the Sun darker and cooler than the rest.

As you pass the Sun, you see a 70,000 kilometer wide sun spot. It may be large, but remembering just how large the Sun is, you stop marveling at the size of the spot and focus on getting to your next destination, Mercury.

Answer: Super-heated Beryllium

Mercury's closeness to the Sun makes it feel small, so you head on out to the next planet, Venus.

Answer: Moon has apparent magnitude of almost -13.00, Venus has magnitude of -4.9

At maximum brightness, the Moon is MUCH brighter than Venus when both are seen from Earth!
You're from Earth, so you decide to skip to Mars.

Answer: Two of Ares' sons

Those two sons always went into battle with their father. Like father, like son(s), I guess.

5. Taking off from Mars and continuing to the farthest reaches of the Oort Cloud, where is the next sightseeing location?

Answer: Asteroid Belt

The Asteroid Belt, being between Mars and Jupiter, is the next stop. There are some planetoids like Pluto in it, maybe I can land on one of those.

Answer: Pacific Ocean

The G.R.S. (Great Red Spot) is MUCH bigger than any of Earth's oceans. Its diameter is closer to Earth's! The Pacific, being the largest ocean, is the only possible answer.

7. Wow, Saturn's rings sure are beautiful! I wonder how they got there? What's a major theory on how Saturn got its rings?

Answer: They are the remnants of a Saturnian moon.

In a way, a ring is like an asteroid belt, but "always" is a strong word; Saturn, like all other ringed planets, did not start with any rings.

Answer: It has a low apparent magnitude and its distance makes it appear to move very slowly across the sky.

Uranus' moons can't be seen without a telescope. The civilization that discovered the closest five planets to Earth almost certainly saw Uranus, they just didn't recognize it as something other than a star.

9. Though more famous for its huge storms, Jupiter isn't the only planet with large storms. In fact, Neptune has three major storms in its atmosphere. What are their names?

Answer: Great Dark Spot, Small Dark Spot, Scooter

Moe, Larry, and Curly are only the names of the Three Stooges. The other six are completely made up.

Answer: Plutoid

Pluto had been the only planet alone in the planet groups. The closest four to the Sun are the rocky planets and the next four are the gaseous giants.

Source: Author ellstrich

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