Friday, August 6

The Solar System Quiz - at last!

Look, you can see Hurricane Katrina!

IMPORTANT:
This is based on the 'new' 8-planet solar system (which excludes Pluto).

  1. Name the planets in order from closest to the sun to farthest.
  2. Which planet is the smallest?
  3. Which is the largest?
  4. Which has the most moons?
  5. Which two have no known moons?
  6. How many planets have rings?
  7. How many have a solid, rocky surface?
  8. Which planet rotates the fastest (has the shortest day)?
  9. The slowest (its day is actually longer than its year)?
  10. Which orbits the sun in the least amount of time?
  11. Which takes the longest to circle the sun?
  12. Earth's axis is tilted 23° from vertical (which gives us our seasons). Which planet has the most extremely tilted axis?
  13. Which planet has the largest moon for its size? (i.e., as a proportion of its own size.)
  14. Which planet has the largest moon, period? (Extra point for getting the moon's name.)
  15. Which moon is the only one known to have an atmosphere?
  16. Which is the only body besides earth known to have lakes (in a liquid state) on its surface? (Extra point: What are these lakes made from?)
  17. What planet is the brightest from Earth's vantage point?
  18. Which planet would float in a bathtub full of water, if one big enough could be made?
  19. Which is the hottest planet at its surface?
  20. Which planet's moons may have subsurface liquid water oceans?
  21. Which is the most volcanic body in the solar system?
  22. What is the largest object in the solar system?
  23. Which is the closest planet to the earth (in terms of distance)?
  24. Which bodies in the solar system have man-made craft landed on? (Name as many as you can, I'll be generous).
  25. What is the largest storm in the solar system and where is it?
  26. Which is the only planet in the solar system whose name does NOT derive from Greek/Roman mythology?
  27. Which planet besides Earth certainly had liquid water on its surface in the past?
  28. How many worlds in the solar system are known for sure to harbor life?
  29. Which two planets does the Asteroid Belt lie between?
  30. Which planet has both the largest known volcano and most extensive canyon system in the solar system?


Nerdy bonus questions (each worth two points)
  1. What does 'albedo' mean? Which planet has the highest albedo?
  2. What is the densest planet in the solar system?
  3. Pluto is a dwarf planet which resides, along with hundreds or even thousands of other small, icy worlds in a part of the solar system called the _____ Belt.
  4. Comets occasionally visit us in the inner solar system. Where do most of them come from? (Hint: it's a very faraway spherical shell that's home to literally millions of these 'dirty snowballs'.) The _____ Cloud.
  5. Which is the nearest star to us?
  6. About how long ago did the solar system form?
  7. How about the universe?
  8. Which of Saturn's moons looks uncannily like the Death Star from Star Wars?
  9. What year did humans first set foot on the moon?
  10. What year did humans LAST set foot on the moon (so far)?

Wooo! That was a long one. And that was about 1/4 of my original questions - I just decided enough was enough. :)

There are 50 possible points (1 for each of the main 30 questions and 2 each for the bonus questions). Just do your best and don't worry. The fun thing is reading the answers later and learning!

Leave your answers in the comments area, don't cheat, good luck, etc.


15 comments:

Hans said...

good i'm first - warning, no one should look at my answers - you'll look as dumb as me.

1. m,v, e, mars,S, j, u, n
2. Mercury
3. Jupiter
4. Saturn
5. merc and venus
6. 3
7. 4
8. Merc
9. Jupe
10. Merc.
11. Ur
12. Sat
13, Earth
14. Jupe
15. Earth's
16. Saturn - (mercury)
17. Venus
18. Nep
19. merc
20. Jupe's
21. Earth
22. asteroid belt
23. mars
24. our moon, mars, space stations
25. solar flares, sun
26. Earth
27. mars
28. 2
29. saturn and jupiter
30. mars

albedo- no clue
densest - jupiter
pluto in outer belt
comets from Ice cloud
nearest star - our sun
solar system formed - 4.5 billion years or more
Universe formation - god only knows
Saturn's Death star moon
human's on moon - 1962
last time: 1967
Whew!

Metamatician said...

Woo, the first contestant! Thanks for jumping right in.

1. Half point (got S&J switched)
2. Correct!
3. Correct!
4. Incorrect (Jupiter has 63)
5. Correct!
6. Half point (actually it's 4)
7. Correct!
8. Incorrect (Jupiter's day is 10 hours)
9. Incorrect (Mercury's day is 176 Earth days)
10. Correct!

11. Incorrect (Neptune is the slowpoke)
12. Incorrect (Ur. is almost lying on its side)
13. Correct!
14. Correct!
15. Incorrect (Saturn's moon Titan)
16. Incorrect (Titan again - methane)
17. Correct!
18. Incorrect (Saturn is less dense than water)
19. Incorrect (Venus, because of greenhouse effect)
20. Correct!

21. Incorrect (Jupiter's moon Io)
22. I'll give you the point! (The sun is the most massive, but "largest" could mean an area, too - clever :))
23. Incorrect (Venus... Mars is a bit further)
24. Half a point (You missed Mercury, Venus, Titan, asteroids, comets)
25. I'll give you the point! (Was thinking Great Red Spot, but solar flares are electrical storms, and much more powerful.)
26. Correct!
27. Correct!
28. Incorrect (Only Earth for CERTAIN)
29. Incorrect (Mars and Jupiter)
30. Correct!

B1. Incorrect
B2. Incorrect
B3. Incorrect
B4. Incorrect
B5. Correct!
B6. Correct!
B7. Incorrect (13.4 billion years ago)
B8. Incorrect
B9. Incorrect (1969)
B0. Incorrect (1972)

Total points = 19.5 Not bad!

Thanks again. I'll publish all the answers when everyone is finished as well as show a cool scale model of the solar system.

Unknown said...

1. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (and Pluto was there at the end until a few years ago)

2.Mercury

3. Jupiter

4. Erm, Jupiter or Saturn......I'll go with the first.

5. Eek, Mercury and Venus?

6. Hmm, 2?

7. 3

8. Jupiter

9. Mercury

10. Mercury

11. Neptune

12. Venus?

13. Earth?

14. OK, so, my brain is automatically saying Jupiter's Ganymede, though then it came up with Saturn's Titan, which, from the name would suggest that's is't a huge MF. Hmmm..... OK, I'm sticking with my first reaction, I think argh, yes, no, yes.... Yes.

15. Absolutely no idea, to not leave an empty space: Titan - I can't think of any others and I know it's not ours.

16. Argh again, no idea. But you said "body", so, it's probably not a planet.

17. Venus

18. Venus

19. Venus

20. Jupiter?

21. Gah, it's a body again, bah... Titan.

22.The Sun

23. Venus

24. Erm, ok, as a guess Venus, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Titan.

25. The red "eye" on Jupiter?

26. Earth

27. Mars

28. 1 - Earth

29. Mars and Jupiter

30. Mars?

Now the harder part, I'm really having to drag the recesses of my memory from when I was a ten-year-old avidly reading up on the Solar System.

1. Absolutely no idea, rate of spin? Erm, Mercury.

2. Agh, The Earth?

3. No idea. Though I'll probably say "ah, yes" when you tell me.

4. Eek.

5. The sun

6. 6 billion years

7. Bloody hell, I don't know. Erm, we'll double that, 12 billion years.

8. Hee hee. Titan? I'm going to have to go and Google this now. Good question!

9. 1969

10. At a guess...1974

Metamatician said...

01. Correct!
02. Correct!
03. Correct!
04. Correct!
05. Correct!
06. Incorrect (All 4 gas giants have rings)
07. Incorrect (All 4 inner planets do)
08. Correct!
09. Correct!
10. Correct!

11. Correct!
12. Incorrect (Uranus is almost on its side)
13. Correct!
14. Correct! + Bonus point!
15. Correct!
16. Incorrect (Titan has liquid methane seas)
17. Correct!
18. Incorrect (Only Saturn is less dense than water)
19. Correct!
20. Correct!

21. Incorrect (It is a moon though - Jupiter's Io)
22. Correct!
23. Correct!
24. Half-point (Jupiter - no; Comets and Asteroids - yes)
25. Correct! (The Great Red Spot, to be precise)
26. Correct!
27. Correct!
28. Correct!
29. Correct!
30. Correct!

B1. Incorrect (it's the reflectiveness of its surface)
B2. Incorrect (Mercury - huge metal core for its size)
B3. Incorrect (The Kuiper Belt)
B4. Incorrect (The Oort Cloud)
B5. Correct!
B6. Incorrect (4.5 Billion; half point if it was 4-5)
B7. Half point (13.4 Billion; half point for 12-15)
B8. Incorrect (Mimas)
B9. Correct!
B0. Incorrect (But close! 1972)

Total Points = 29.5 Well Done!

Mandula said...

Please make a duplicate result for me, because I would like to try to name the planets/moons in the questions, where you ask only "How many" - so in the first version I will answer only a number, and in the second version I will guess the names too. :) Okay? Can I do it? :)

All righty then. Here I go.

1. Name the planets in order from closest to the sun to farthest.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus (I promise I will not make dirty jokes from his name), Neptun, Pluto, Rupert/Nero (in some books, mostly roleplaying games'). Ohh, exclude Pluto and the others. :DDD

2. Which planet is the smallest?

Mercury

3. Which is the largest?

Jupiter


4. Which has the most moons?

Okay, let it be the Jupiter. 16 moons. I hink.

5. Which two have no known moons?

Mars, Venus

6. How many planets have rings?

2/Uranus, Saturn

7. How many have a solid, rocky surface?

4/Mercury, Venus, Mars, Earth

8. Which planet rotates the fastest (has the shortest day)?

If not the Pluto... mmm... Neptun, why not.

9. The slowest (its day is actually longer than its year)?

Never heard of these phenomena... hmm... let it be... Saturn.

10. Which orbits the sun in the least amount of time?

I would say Mercury, for it is the closest (if I remember well), but the shortest way is not necesserily the fastest. And you are a tricky boy. I say Venus.

11. Which takes the longest to circle the sun?

Pluto, but he is banned from this game, maybe this would be mmmm Neptun (let me be logical this time).

12. Earth's axis is tilted 23° from vertical (which gives us our seasons). Which planet has the most extremely tilted axis?

Uhh. Őőőőő.... Venus.

13. Which planet has the largest moon for its size? (i.e., as a proportion of its own size.)

You mean compared to the mother planet's size? I know Jupiter has big ones but Juppy is the biggest boy in town sooooo... Mercury.

14. Which planet has the largest moon, period? (Extra point for getting the moon's name.)

Jupiter, I say, to be consequent, and the moon's name iiiiiis... Io or Titan. Okay okay, im not cheating. Hhhhh Io.

15. Which moon is the only one known to have an atmosphere?

Okay this must to be the Titan.

16. Which is the only body besides earth known to have lakes (in a liquid state) on its surface? (Extra point: What are these lakes made from?)

The material should be liquid methane I think, and the planet is... or the moon because you are tricky... let it be one of the Uranus' moons. (I think he's got two, so let this one be the smaller). (No I dont remember the name...)

17. What planet is the brightest from Earth's vantage point?

Easypie, the Venus, AKA the Evening-star.

18. Which planet would float in a bathtub full of water, if one big enough could be made?

Hahha, Saturn, because his belt would keep him on the top of the water. :DDD Seriously (si-ri-us-ly), you probably mean the smallest density, which must be lower than water's 1 g/cm3. I have to think I have to search among the gas giants... probably without solid core (if any of them is like this)... since Jupiter has an Earth-sized diamond core (Space-Odyssey), and I have no idea about the others, let it be Neptun.

19. Which is the hottest planet at its surface?

Mercury, sunny side up. I suppose.

20. Which planet's moons may have subsurface liquid water oceans?

Őőőőő.... Jupiter's.

Mandula said...

21. Which is the most volcanic body in the solar system?

Uhh... Earth.

22. What is the largest object in the solar system?

Me, haha. Okay, no. The largest planet is Jupiter, but the tricky boy said "object". So it should be the belt of the Saturn, maybe.

23. Which is the closest planet to the earth (in terms of distance)?

Venus or Mars, Venus or Mars, Venus or Mars... heads. Mars. :D

24. Which bodies in the solar system have man-made craft landed on? (Name as many as you can, I'll be generous).

Moon (our Luna), and Mars for sure, maybe Venus. Very maybe Mercury...

25. What is the largest storm in the solar system and where is it?

Nooooooo idea. Are there storms in the solar ystem? In the vacuum? Wow. Okidoki, i say in the crown of the Sun (I dont know the proper name in english). Solar flare?

26. Which is the only planet in the solar system whose name does NOT derive from Greek/Roman mythology?

Earth, you tricky, tricky boy. :D

27. Which planet besides Earth certainly had liquid water on its surface in the past?

Mars. Told to be.

28. How many worlds in the solar system are known for sure to harbor life?

After terraforming? (Earth) Moon, Venus, Mars, the asteroid belt's bigger rocks, most of the big boys' moons (and the banned Pluto and Rupert/Nero, Im not counting them). Let the number be... 19. O.o

29. Which two planets does the Asteroid Belt lie between?

Neptun and Pluto. Nonono, Pluto is out. Uranus and Neptun then.

30. Which planet has both the largest known volcano and most extensive canyon system in the solar system?

Earth. I didnt even say her name yet, shame on me.

Nerdy bonus questions (each worth two points)

1. What does 'albedo' mean? Which planet has the highest albedo?

I associate this word with... some kind of brightness, but not in a usual way... and if Im right, it should be mistress Venus.

2. What is the densest planet in the solar system?

Öhh, Mars?

3. Pluto is a dwarf planet which resides, along with hundreds or even thousands of other small, icy worlds in a part of the solar system called the _____ Belt.

Asteroid belt?

4. Comets occasionally visit us in the inner solar system. Where do most of them come from? (Hint: it's a very faraway spherical shell that's home to literally millions of these 'dirty snowballs'.) The _____ Cloud.

Horsehead Cloud? (This is the only clod I know). :)

5. Which is the nearest star to us?

Őőőő Alpha Centaury I think. After our Sun of course.

6. About how long ago did the solar system form?

5 billion 310 million 598 thousand and 42 yearz.

7. How about the universe?

Yesterday. (I made it I remember) And it keeps forming over and over again in endless loop, from the big bang to the biggest black hole ever which sucks all matter in time and space, then there goes the big bang again. :)

8. Which of Saturn's moons looks uncannily like the Death Star from Star Wars?

That IS the Death Star, silly boy. I told you I rebuild it as soon as possible.

9. What year did humans first set foot on the moon?

1969... twas Neil Armstrong, younger brother of Luis. :DDDD

10. What year did humans LAST set foot on the moon (so far)?

Mmmm we was there with Bertalan Farkas in... uhh... 1980. Yes. But after it... I really dont know. :(


Geeez that was looong. (yes i know girls always say it to you) :D

Mandula said...

Hell, no!!!! Our astronaut, Bertalan Farkas was not on Moon, only in space... aaarrrhhhh... sorry. :D Checking the other's answers. :)

Metamatician said...

Ok birthday girl, time to roll a d20 and check your space knowledge...

01. Correct!
02. Correct!
03. Correct!
04. Correct! (63, actually!)
05. Incorrect (Mars has 2 tiny moons - Mercury, none)
06. Incorrect (All 4 outer planets do)
07. Correct!
08. Incorrect (Jupiter's day is 9.8 hours)
09. Incorrect (Mercury barely rotates)
10. Incorrect (Merc - shoulda gone with your 1st guess!)

11. Correct! (And very logical)
12. Incorrect (Uranus... lol)
13. Incorrect (Earth - Mercury has no moons)
14. Correct! (But it's Ganymede, not Io)
15. Correct! (Titan is Saturn's moon, btw)
16. Incorrect (It's Titan), but liquid methane is correct, so +1 bonus point.
17. Correct!
18. Incorrect (Shoulda stuck with Saturn!)
19. Incorrect (You would think so, but it's Venus)
20. Correct!

21. Incorrect (Io, a moon of Jupiter)
22. Incorrect (The Sun!!!)
23. Incorrect (D'oh! Throw away that coin)
24. Half-point (Also Titan, asteroids, and comets)
25. Correct! (I'll count solar flares from the sun's corona - Coronal Mass Ejections or CMEs, as well as Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Different kinds of storms, but both good answers)
26. Correct!
27. Correct!
28. I mean NOW... I think you would know the answer, so I'll give it to you.
29. No, silly. Mars and Jupiter.
30. Incorrect (Mars)

B1. Correct! (I'm impressed!)
B2. Incorrect (Mercury)
B3. Incorrect (Kuiper Belt)
B4. Incorrect (Oort Cloud)
B5. Correct! (Proxima Centauri of the Alpha Centauri system, close enough)
B6. Close enough... 4.5 billion years ago. And 3 hours.
B7. Er.... Do you know something I don't?
B8. Aggghhh!!! (It's actually Mimas)
B9. Correct! (and LOL!!!!)
B0. Sorry, 1972, when I was born. I left the moon and never went back.

That was fun :)

Total Score = 22.5 Good Job!

Mandula said...

Hahaha, it was fun for me too, thanx!
:)))

Metamatician said...

Um, let's see. Hans, Raels, and Mandi are done. Pia and Byte have said they're out of this one. I doubt Jovian will play (but I think he would win it if he did).

That leaves Karen, Sara, Andrea, and Giusi. I have a feeling Sara won't give a hoot about planets and Giusi will cop to being too busy. Dunno about Andrea. Karen should want to play, I'll ask her again.

Then I can post the answers and some interesting side facts and photos that will enlighten everyone.

Unknown said...

Sorry, too long for me now... :-((( But interesting!

Metamatician said...

I knew you'd be too busy =P

Metamatician said...

Looks like Raelha is the winner! Congratulations!

Metamatician said...

Here are the answers, if anyone is still interested...

01. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
02. Mercury.
03. Jupiter.
04. Jupiter.
05. Mercury and Venus.
06. Four (outer ones).
07. Four (inner ones).
08. Jupiter.
09. Mercury.
10. Mercury.

11. Neptune.
12. Uranus.
13. Earth.
14. Jupiter - Ganymede.
15. Titan.
16. Titan.
17. Venus.
18. Saturn.
19. Venus.
20. Jupiter's.

21. Io - a moon of Jupiter.
22. The Sun.
23. Venus.
24. The Moon, Earth, Venus, Mars, Titan, asteroids, and comets.
25. Great red spot on Jupiter. Or solar storms - accepted either.
26. Earth.
27. Mars.
28. One - Earth.
29. Mars and Jupiter.
30. Mars.

B1. Reflectiveness. Venus.
B2. Mercury.
B3. Kuiper.
B4. Oort.
B5. The Sun. After that, Proxima Centauri.
B6. 4.5 billion years ago.
B7. 13.7 billion years ago.
B8. Mimas.
B9. 1969.
B0. 1972.

jsbaer said...

Greetings, in searching for a logo I stumbled upon the above stylized sun image. May I ask where you found it or who owns it? Any information regarding it would be greatly appreciated!

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