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Astronomy Quiz

Can you guess these facts about the cosmos?
Some questions from user Kestrana
Quiz by
Quizmaster
Featured Quiz
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Last updated: March 14, 2020
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First submittedMay 29, 2015
Times taken82,014
Average score65.0%
Rating4.90
Quiz and answer stats >>
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Hint
Answer
The name of our galaxy
Milky Way
Shape of our galaxy
Barred spiral
Nearest major galaxy to ours
Andromeda
In 2006, it was demoted to
dwarf planet status
Pluto
Space telescope launched in 1990
Hubble
Place with such high gravity that not
even light can escape
Black hole
Explosion of a large star
Supernova
Cosmic expansion that happened
13.8 billion years ago
The Big Bang
Interstellar dust cloud that can
give birth to stars
Nebula
Brightest star in the night sky
Sirius
Hint
Answer
Comet that passes nearby
every 76 years
Halley's Comet
Name for a "shooting star" that has
entered the atmosphere
Meteor
Element that makes Mars appear red
Iron
Massive storm on Jupiter
Great Red Spot
What can be found between the orbits of
Mars and Jupiter
Asteroid Belt
Part of the moon where Apollo 11 landed
Sea of Tranquility
299,792,458 meters per second
Speed of light
Nearest star system to the sun
Alpha Centauri
Densest type of star
Neutron star
Person who first described the elliptical
orbits of the planets
Johannes Kepler
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82 Comments
TheWombat
+11
Level 72
Aug 19, 2015
Could 'Dog Star' work for Sirius?
kalbahamut
+46
Level 79
Aug 19, 2015
I missed the brightest star question? Are you sirius??
Jackey52
+8
Level 62
Sep 2, 2015
* shakes head....*
lucd13
+1
Level 70
Aug 21, 2017
Love this!
ElectricFlame22
+4
Level 25
Feb 19, 2020
go back to reddit with those puns
kalbahamut
+1
Level 79
Aug 1, 2022
I spent a few months on Reddit last year before getting sick of it. I noticed a ton of toxicity, but very few puns. Which forums were you going to?
andresas16
+9
Level 19
Aug 8, 2022
girlsgonewild
abracadabrant
+2
Level 54
Dec 2, 2022
puns are universal
KiloNova
+2
Level 61
Apr 22, 2023
no!!!! i missed two :(

space is my thing

J1407B has a ring system 200 times larges than saturns...

Gliese 667C rains glass...

55 Cancri E is basically a diamond...

Wasp 12 B is being evaporated...

Alpha Centauri B is the nearest...

did I go too far?

Haaolto
+4
Level 59
Aug 19, 2015
Milkyway is a barred spiral galaxy, not a spiral galaxy
dkuva
+31
Level 54
Aug 19, 2015
It's not a spiral galaxy? A barred spiral sounds like a type of spiral to me!
roleybob
+3
Level 73
Aug 22, 2017
Stephen Fry told me that we can't tell whether our galaxy is a spiral galaxy or not.

He does tend to bend the truth to try to trick Alan though.

McKenzieFam
+6
Level 68
Apr 12, 2020
That's true. We can't see what our galaxy really looks like because we're IN our galaxy.
OliviaPG
+4
Level 72
Apr 23, 2020
It's inaccurate to say we can't figure out the shape of our galaxy. Of course we can't see it from the outside but by knowing the distances and positions of stars we can map it out.
DocEckleburg
+1
Level 68
Jul 11, 2025
There are an estimated 400 billion stars in the galaxy, of which we have so far catalogued and mapped less than 2 billion, so less than 0.5%. We can use this to model out a likely shape based on the shapes of other galaxies but with such a small data set it is no more than a best guess really.

I think Stephen Fry and Roleybob have a point on this one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_catalogues

roleybob
+3
Level 73
Apr 29, 2020
^ We may have mapped it accurately by now as I was going on an episode from QI from several years ago.

I'm still not completely convinced that we do know though - it's a bit like saying that you can tell the shape of a forest that you are standing in by knowing the distance and direction to each tree. It's true, but it's a very slow process collecting the data

CoralPopa
+1
Level 45
Nov 20, 2025
nerd alert
prs17
+1
Level 73
Aug 19, 2015
"Super nova" is a large nova. Nova should also work.
mahble
+15
Level 79
Jun 28, 2017
Nova is actually a different type of event - the gradual accretion of material onto a white dwarf, for example, can cause a nuclear firestorm - a nova - where all the excess material burns off, and this can happen many times in a recurrent nova system where the white dwarf has a red giant companion it can siphon material off of. There are also type 1A supernovae, which is when in the same sort of system the white dwarf draws of enough mass from its companion to tip itself over the Chandrasekhar limit, or 1.4 solar masses. At this point it collapses further to become a neutron star, releasing a huge amount of energy in the process. For the supernova that most people know, that is a type 2 supernova - death of a high-mass star caused by the fusion of iron in the star's core.
IsleAuHaulte
+2
Level 92
Dec 8, 2019
What's new?
ferdy86
+1
Level 77
Aug 21, 2015
Seriously, a little leeway on the spelling of Kepler. I put an extra "p" and it wasn't close enough.
Charliezard
+5
Level 67
Nov 21, 2021
idk, it's a pretty phonetic name.
Kestrana
+2
Level 59
Aug 23, 2015
Thanks for the shoutout! Finally a quiz I can get 100% on :D
lightbulb75
+1
Level 18
Aug 26, 2015
One of d BEST QUIZZES EVER!i needed more time 2 put Kepler....any way d best quiz I ever played is this.its really appreciable quizmaster.i really enjoyed
Charliezard
+7
Level 67
Nov 21, 2021
d grammar her is. not Good
lightbulb75
+1
Level 18
Aug 26, 2015
I also have a quiz it's good,try it even though it's not better than urs...
YamatoFans
+1
Level 73
Jan 25, 2016
Loved it. Thanks so much. Love all the space quizzes!
CaptainHumanLogic
+3
Level 39
Feb 6, 2016
This is a great quiz but I wish it was a little harder, it was too easy for me!
burntfrost
+1
Level 47
Nov 20, 2016
"Explosion of a star" is "nova." It's only a supernova for stars of a certain size.

Also you could accept "c" for the speed of light. :)

pokemon376
+4
Level 50
Dec 22, 2016
Nope, Nova is when there is a sudden runaway fusion reaction of hydrogen on a White Dwarf, appearing only in Binary Star Systems. Supernova is the actual explosion of a star, which only happens to Red Giants.
mahble
+1
Level 79
Jun 28, 2017
There are also type 1a supernovae - collapse of a white dwarf to a neutron star
blinky
+4
Level 57
Feb 20, 2017
I thought it was Rudyard Kepler. No?
Carry
+4
Level 63
Mar 9, 2017
I don't think there's a Rudyard Kepler. Maybe you meant Rudyard Kipling? He was a writer though.
IsleAuHaulte
+2
Level 92
Dec 8, 2019
Yeah. If.
ander217
+3
Level 73
Apr 24, 2020
I appreciate your humor, blinky, even if no one else does.
Ryan6
+1
Level 48
Mar 7, 2017
A supernova is only when a massive star explodes; there are different types of novas for different types of stars and explosions
TheNotoriousA
+1
Level 31
Aug 21, 2017
No, nova is a term referring to a phenomenon in a binary star system. It's complicated, but basically one of the stars will become a red giant, leaving behind a white dwarf "core" that is pulled into its orbit. The remaining star will start to shed hydrogen which will eventually fall out of its gravitational pull and onto the dwarf. This will cause the appearance of a "new star." Eventually the dwarf will be pulled into the other star and the nova will end.

Been into astrophysics since I was 8.

mahble
+2
Level 79
Jun 28, 2017
The nearest star is Proxima Centauri, but it is bound to the Alpha Centauri system as well. That's where that comes from.
TheNotoriousA
+2
Level 31
Aug 21, 2017
Pulsar for neutron star? I'm aware that they're not synonyms, but most pulsars (though some are white dwarfs) are neutron stars.
jmellor13
+1
Level 68
Aug 23, 2017
I tried every color preceding "dwarf" and couldn't get it. I'm sure the answer is right, as I am not expert in astronomy, but I am proud to at least see a comment confirming that I did not completely invent that dwarves are among the densest stars.
Sifhraven
+2
Level 76
Jan 4, 2019
I do not want to stereotype, but dwarves are often dense..
ketchupkawawa
+1
Level 50
Aug 23, 2017
Accept "Alpha Canis Majoris" and "Alpha CMa" for Sirius?
Malbaby
+8
Level 70
Dec 21, 2017
You are expecting us to believe that you are so knowledgeable, yet you did not try Sirius first ........ you can't be Sirius.
IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 92
Dec 8, 2019
Then you might just as well ask to accept HR2491, HD48915 and HIP32349. Or you could just type Sirius because you know that's it's name.
ketchupkawawa
+1
Level 50
Nov 24, 2020
I’m back here three years later… to be fair I’m not sure if the IAU had actually made “Sirius” the official name of the star at the time. No star naming was ever “official” until 2015 I believe.
ketchupkawawa
+1
Level 50
Nov 24, 2020
Reply because edit isn’t working on mobile: I just checked, Sirius was “officially named” in 2016. So yes, there wouldn’t be any reason to say anything other than that
wolfcat95
+1
Level 66
Jul 31, 2022
There would not have been any reason to name anything other than that in 2015 either, except to a pedant.
cornflakesfu
+9
Level 89
Apr 7, 2018
Too Milky Way-centric.
Sifhraven
+1
Level 76
Jan 4, 2019
heliocentric? (or geocentric)
NINJAQKk
+3
Level 70
Apr 23, 2020
This is discriminating against people who don't live in the Milky Way.
CaptainUnderpant
+2
Level 81
Aug 14, 2023
Ford Prefect dislikes this quiz
SIMULATION
+1
Level 60
Oct 18, 2019
And I kept writing "Giant" red spot..:")
NINJAQKk
+1
Level 70
Apr 23, 2020
I kept trying the sun for the brightest star in the night sky. 🤦
TheToes
+1
Level 42
Apr 23, 2020
Should accept 'Proxima Centauri' . On average Proxima Centauri is 0.124 light years closer to us.
ketchupkawawa
+1
Level 50
Nov 24, 2020
It says “star-system”
JackintheBox
+1
Level 82
Apr 23, 2020
Arghhh, I tried 'Giant Red' Spot instead of 'Great'.
ander217
+1
Level 73
Apr 24, 2020
I did the same thing. Double arghhh.
JackintheBox
+1
Level 82
Apr 23, 2020
I kept trying 'Sun' for brightest star in the night sky. The Sun is so much brighter than any other star from Earth!
Jacktheguy
+2
Level 93
Apr 23, 2020
You can't really see the sun at night, though. A simple Google search lead me straight to Sirius.
RobNobody
+2
Level 80
Jan 3, 2022
How often do you see the Sun in the night sky?
jf15
+3
Level 63
Apr 23, 2020
Please accept c for the speed of light.
AiJiyao
+2
Level 66
Apr 23, 2020
Good quiz!

Could inflation be accepted for the cosmic expansion one? Of course Big Bang is an acceptable answer but the huge expansion you see when you look at a timeline of the universe in today's models and which you were probsbly referring to) is actually the inflation. It occurred 10^-30s after the Big Bang which is t=0.

And I kind of second the suggestion to accept c for speed of light though it's a boring 1-letter answer, as it is a fundamental constant which would exist even in a world without light, and actually everything (light, the Earth, your dog...) move at that speed in spacetime. The question is, when u set a reference frame, how much is converted into time movement and how much goes to space movement. But speed of light (in vacuum) is correct too.

These are just suggestions. I like this quiz as it is now too.

PanSerbia7
+1
Level 23
Apr 24, 2020
Quizmaster, please change the name ''Iron'' in question of surface of Mars, because it's not iron, but rust. Sorry for bad english, because i'm Polish.
ander217
+4
Level 73
Apr 24, 2020
Your English is much better than my Polish, which is nonexistent, so no need to apologize.
PanSerbia7
+1
Level 23
May 1, 2020
Ok. Where is button of edit!?
KingBlobfish
+2
Level 57
Dec 12, 2020
It says "element" specifically. Rust is correct, but rust is caused by the oxidation of iron.
dunkinggandalf2
+3
Level 72
Dec 16, 2020
That probably means we should also accept oxygen as an answer...
Netherbrine102
+1
Level 28
Apr 5, 2022
I thought it was called "The sea of Tranquilities"
Tykingcrystal
+1
Level 52
Jul 31, 2022
It's surprising that more people guessed "Sea of Tranquility" than what I'd previously thought'd be more common, Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.
JMM
+2
Level 60
Jul 31, 2022
Hubble might not be the most famous telescope for much longer.
MrPi2002
+1
Level 77
Jul 31, 2022
Agree. At least, the quiz should update so JWST/James Webb is accepted.
Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Jul 31, 2022
Updated the question.
kiwiquizzer
+1
Level 68
Jul 31, 2022
Great quiz thanks!
ferrisbuehler16
+1
Level 74
Oct 2, 2024
***Cosmic expansion that theoretically happened 13.8 billion years ago***....it is a theory...
MovieQuizGuy
+1
Level 64
Dec 6, 2024
The book "Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang" by Paul Steinhardt and Neil Turok really helped me understand the flaws in the big bang theory and look at a serious alternative theory, the cyclic model. It's a great read.
megaloceros
+1
Level 71
Jan 10, 2025
"Interstellar dust cloud that can give birth to stars"

Can just any answer with nebula in it be accepted? Because, I remember it being a «stellar nebula» and that didn't work :(

Kygryzstan
+1
Level 37
Mar 17, 2025
28 seconds
dunkinggandalf2
+1
Level 72
Jul 6, 2025
Shouldn't the Big Bang question say "cosmic expansion that *started* 13.8 billion years ago"? It's still going on!
Broccolix
+1
Level 75
Jul 6, 2025
M31 should be accepted for the Andromeda galaxy
KingXXI21
+1
Level 75
Jul 6, 2025
Please accept "neutron" for the densest star category. It seems odd to me that only "neutron star" works and just neutron doesn't judging by the fact that the units were already defined in the question.
BautyArg
+1
Level 52
Jul 6, 2025
Hey, could "calmness sea" be used instead "tranquility sea"?
Woland
+1
Level 50
Apr 15, 2026
Surprised sea of tranquility is guessed more than Kepler!
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