Astronomy Quiz

What is the Sun primarily made of?

• Nitrogen and helium gases

• Carbon and oxygen gases

• Oxygen and nitrogen gases

• Hydrogen and helium gases

What causes the streak of light known as a shooting star?

• Absorption of light by the atmosphere

• Collision with another asteroid

• Reflection of sunlight on the Moon

• Friction as particles push through the air

What is the name of the largest known asteroid in the asteroid belt?

• Ceres

• Vesta

• Pallas

• Hygiea

Which planet in our Solar System has a tilt of nearly 90 degrees, causing it to lie on its side?

• Uranus

• Jupiter

• Neptune

• Saturn

What is the name of the moon that is the furthest place from Earth where a spacecraft has landed?

• Ganymede

• Io

• Europa

• Titan

What is the name of the moon that is thought to have liquid water under its icy surface?

• Titan

• Callisto

• Ganymede

• Europa

What is the name of the comet that returns every 76 years and was named after Edmund Halley?

• Comet ISON

• Comet Encke

• Comet Bennett

• Comet Halley

What is the name of the spacecraft that landed on the Moon in 1969, allowing Neil Armstrong to become the first person to set foot on the Moon?

• Voyager 2

• New Horizons

• Apollo 13

• Apollo 11

Who was the first astronomer to classify the heavens systematically?

• Sir John Herschel

• Nicholas-Louis de la Caille

• Annie Jump Cannon

• Henrietta Swan Leavitt

What is the main focus of research at the South African Astronomical Observatory?

• Observing the Moon's surface

• Investigating the centre of the Milky Way

• Exploring distant galaxies

• Studying the life cycle of stars