ASTRONOMY QUIZ 1. We are SWARM - where can you find 'The Beehive' ? 2. Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences - its name derived from Ancient Greek 'Astronomia'.Which Greek determined how to measure the diameter of the Earth in the 3rd Century BC? 3. The Ancient Egyptians required a system to tell them when the Nile would flood each year and they used the rising of Sothis (Sirius) with the Sun as an indication. Much has been made about Sirius and the ancient and isolated Dogon Tribe but what is the more common name for Sirius and in which constellation is it? 4. Astronomy has been used by country folk for generations who planted according to seasons often charted by the Moon and its phases. Put these Moons in order of when you are likely to see them in a year :- Hunters ; Hay ; Wolf ; Egg ; Harvest ; Milk ; Blue 5. On the Moon what is the Terminator ? 6. What is the nearest star and approximately how far away is it? 7. Which orange giant K class star became famous when its light was used to open the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago as that light had left the star about the time of the previous Chicago Fair in 1893? 8. What are the following ? Red Giant ; White Dwarf ; Blue Supergiant ; Supernova ; Black Hole 9. The telescope meant new things could be seen in the night sky.Who used the first telescope ? 10. Craters have been found from collisions with meteorites and are called Impact Craters.Where are the following impact craters to be found:- Chicxulub ; Congreve ; Aram Chaos ; Pwyll 11. Impact craters aren't the only geological features visible through telescopes. Volcanoes can be seen too. Where are the following volcanoes to be found:- Gula Mons ; Tvashtar ; Olympus Mons ; Mauna Loa 12. What's the main difference between Refractor telescopes ; Reflectors and Catadioptrics? 13. Telescopes help us see further and further into space. Light year is a measurement in Astronomy. Proxima Centauri is 4.22 light years from Earth. What is a light year ? What is a Gigalight year? 14. Stars,planets and moons aren't the only things to look at in the night sky. Colourful nebulae can be seen such as round the star cluster, the Seven Sisters. What is a nebula and what is the other name for the 'Seven Sisters' ? 15. Meteorites are space material burning up usually in our atmosphere to provide a 'shooting star' effect and occasionally falling to Earth. Certain times of year meteor showers are visible in the night sky and they are called after the constellations where they can be seen. When can the following meteor showers be seen:- Perseid ; Lyrid ; Leonid ; Orionid 16. Comet McNaught gave astronomers a great show in January and astronomers love to find new ones to name. Which new green comet was only discovered last month and is set to put in an appearance mid April? 17. What is Redshift ? 18. What is a 'barycentre' ? 19. Where will you find the following:- Kirkwood Gaps ; Cassini Divisions ; Van Allen Belts 20. What is the name of the gravity anomaly found in 1986 in the direction of the Hydra and Centaurus Constellations causing deviations in galaxies including the Milky Way pulling them towards it? 21. Which famous pop group had a lead singer with the name of a planet and a guitarist who co-wrote 'Bang: The Complete History Of The Universe'? |