Astronomy Quiz Blog

50 years of Human Spaceflight

2011-09-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

Quick facts about Pluto

2011-08-31T02:52:00.000-07:00

Pluto is a dwarf planet. It has many differences compared to the planets of our solar system. This infographic can help you learn those facts in an easy way.

Also try this online quiz on Pluto after you finish reading this.

Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

Now try the Pluto Quiz

7 Ways to Organize a Better Astronomy Picture Quiz

2011-08-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

Using pictures in a quiz competition can add colour and excitement to your astronomy quiz. On the other hand poorly planned picture quizzes can become a nightmare to the organizers. These simple steps will guide you to plan and execute a better picture quiz.

What is this Messier object?

1. Build a Large Image Bank

Piling up a decent collection of photos and pictures is the place to start your astronomy picture quiz. This is hardly a difficult talk given that astronomy is full of breathtaking images. Before you embark on your hunt for pictures, have a clear idea about the content and format of the quiz. It is a waste of time to collect pictures of space exploration for a quiz on the history of astronomy.

There are plenty of online resources that can be used to build up your image bank. Here are a few,

2. Organize Your Image Collection

What are the objects in this picture?

Once you have a large collection of pictures, it is useful to keep things in order by categorizing and labeling them. You can even combine this with image collection to save time. Put pictures in different folders for easy identification. Remember to name the pictures correctly. For instance, if a Messier object also has a given name, include that in the file name. Always double check, since there can be mislabeling of photos. It can save you from an embarrassment on the quiz day.

3. Select Good Pictures and Modify

Shortlist a few good photos before you start making questions. If you plan to project the images on a screen, then select ones with a higher resolution and size. Smaller images can be a better choice if they are being printed on a question paper.

You will have to customize the pictures to suit your questions. If you want to point to only one aspect of the picture, an arrow can be inserted. Don't be afraid to crop pictures to suit your quiz. Try to bring some harmony into the pictures by converting them to equal or similar size and format.

4. Formulate Good Questions

What type of a galaxy is this?

It is easy to run away with the idea of asking 'what is this object?' type of questions. While there is nothing wrong in asking competitors to identify objects, try to bring in some subject matter. Frame your questions in a way so to discourage mere guessing. Also it is a more scientific approach to astronomy quizzes. Use the picture as a starting point for your question. This method also gives you the chance to make different questions for the same picture.

5. Decide on Presentation

You must have already decided on a format for the quiz. Make changes fit the pictures into your format. If you are projecting the pictures, then prepared a PowerPoint presentation. Always leave a blank or question number slide between pictures, to avoid accidental display of the next question. You can choose to type the question on the slide or to ask it when the picture is displayed.

If you are printing them on a question paper, try to have pictures with good contrast, so they don't appear hazy on the print.

6. Do a Test Run

What is a Quasar?

Whatever the format, test your quiz prior to the competition. If you can get the opinion of independent observers, their feedback will be very useful. Check for all factual and spelling errors. Make sure that the equipment is working fine. Always have a backup copy on a CD/flash-drive.

Print your paper and check for clarity of the pictures. Can someone do it within the allocated time frame? Can the questions be understood clearly?

7. Remember to Collect Feedback

One thing that can help you improve your quizzes is the feedback you get from the competitors. When you spend a lot of time preparing quizzes, it is difficult to assess the difficulty and clarity of the questions. If you have added new features or changed the format, then it is important to check whether it had worked. No one can tell you better about the quiz than the participants.

It takes time an energy to build a good astronomy quiz. If you are interested, read more about making questions for astronomy quizzes

Who discovered Neptune?

2011-03-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

Most discoveries are straightforward. We can clearly say who discovered it and when. But there are exceptions, where it is not sure who discovered it first. And the discovery of Neptune is one of them.

Following the discovery of Uranus, astronomers realized that Uranus had been plotted in star charts almost a century before it had been discovered by William Herschel. But when these data was analysed it was evident that something was tugging Uranus while it orbited around the sun.

Berlin Observatory

One astronomer who use the data to calculate the position of this unseen planet was English astronomer John C Adams. He calculated the orbit and position of this planet by October 1845. But his calculations and predictions were not taken seriously.

French astronomer Urbain Jean Leverrier also made calculations of his own and predicted the position of the eighth planet, almost an year later in September 1846. Based on his predictions, Johann Galle of Berlin Observatory discovered Neptune on the same day. The position was only 2° away from John C Adams's predicted position.

So the credit of discovering Neptune goes to three astronomers, John C Adams, Urbain Jean Leverrier and Johann Galle.

But to make things more complicated, Galileo's notes have recorded Neptune close to Jupiter on two occasions. But during that period Nepture had begun its retrograde motion, so it would have been difficult to detect any noticeable movement against the background stars. Although Galileo was the first person to observe Neptune, he failed to identify it as a planet.

To test your knowledge on discovery and other aspects of Neptune, take the Neptune Quiz

Or learn more about the planet with Neptune (True Books)

Download Astronomy Quiz for Free!

2011-02-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

AstronomyQuiz.info website has made pdf versions of their quizzes to be downloaded. The quizzes are arranged according to topics, indicating the number of questions and level of difficulty.
This will enable you to practice the quizzes offline and use it as a quick reference. These quizzes can be used to practice for astronomy quiz competitions, to aid teaching/ learning astronomy. All the quizzes can be downloaded free of charge and no need to log in or disclose your personal information.
You can now download pdf versions of your favourite astronomy quizzes at www.astronomyquiz.info/downloads.html

A Quick Guide to Asteroid Groups

2011-02-19T04:23:00.000-08:00

Two centuries ago, Sicilian monk Guiseppe Piazzi discovered the first asteroid. It was named Ceres after the Roman goddess of harvest. Soon many more joined this group of asteroids, which lie between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Collectively these asteroids are known as the asteroid belt.

Not all asteroids in the solar system lie in the asteroid belt. Some are clustered together and have different orbits. It is easy to confuse these groups. Following is a concise guide to the different groups.

Amor objects: Asteroids that cross the orbit of Mars but does not reach Earth’s orbit

Apollo objects: Apollo objects cross the Earth’s orbit, thus Apollo-Amor objects have the potential to collide with an inner planet. Apollo objects are not the same as Near Earth Objects (NEOs). NEOs include asteroids, comets, meteroids which are in orbits closer to the Earth.

Trojan asteroids: Two groups of asteroids share the orbit with Jupiter 60°ahead and behind the planet. These points are the Langrangian points where the gravities of Sun and Jupiter combine to trap smaller objects into orbit.

Hirayama families: Japanese astronomer Kiyotsugu Hirayama discovered that some asteroids share similar orbits with same eccentricity and inclination. This suggested that they originated from a single body, which fragmented into smaller asteroids. Modern observations have confirmed this theory since asteroids of one family have similar spectroscopic characteristics.

Now try the Asteroid quiz at www.astronomyquiz.info/asteroid-quiz.html

Questions on Mercury's Orbit and Rotation

2011-02-16T22:45:00.000-08:00

relationship between mercury's orbit and rotation

Mercury’s orbit and rotation is different from other planets that it’s an interesting topic for questions. Whether you make or participate in a quiz, it pays to have a clear view of facts.

Orbital period = 88 Earth days.
Rotation period = 58 Earth days
Mercury siderial day = 115 Earth days
Mercury solar day = 176 Earth days (two Mercury years)
It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits. (mercury rotation=2/3 orbital period)

For many years astronomers believed that the the roation period and orbital period was equal due to tidal locking with the sun. The reason for this was, whenever it was easier to observe the planet, it showed the same side. Radio telescopes have detected higher temperatures on the darkside, suggesting that the planet rotates slowly. This has been supported by data from Mariner 10

For more facts visit Quick Reviews at www.astronomyquiz.info/mercury-quick-review.html

To test your knowledge on Mercury visit www.astronomyquiz.info/mercury-quiz.html

Difficulties in using the magnitude scale in Observational Astronomy

2011-02-16T15:02:00.000-08:00

Q: Why is it difficult to understand the magnitude scale system?

Stars drawn to magnitude in a star chart

A: It works backwards with brighter objects having smaller and negative values. Also each magnitude difference gives a brightness difference of 2.5. For instance, a star with a magnitude of 4 is 2.5 times brighter than a star with magnitude 5. And when there is a difference of 5 magnitudes, the brightness difference is about 100 times (2.5 X 2.5 X 2.5 X 2.5 X 2.5 = 97.7)

There is advantage of using the system. It compresses the scale so a wide range of brightnesses can be represented by a close range of numbers.

In a quiz, you can be asked of the magnitude values of well known objects. Though planets’ magnitudes change depending on the position and distance, it’s useful to remember their average values.

Sun -26.7

Moon -12.6 (full moon)

Venus -4.7 (brightest)

Mars -2.9 (Brightest)

Jupiter -2.8

Mercury -1.9 (Brightest)

Saturn 0.7

Uranus 5.5

Sirius -1.4

Canopus -0.7

Polaris 1.9

New layout for the Astronomy Quiz Website

2011-02-12T04:31:00.000-08:00

I have made some serious changes to my website www.astronomyquiz.info so it's easier to navigate. It now includes questions in three difficulty levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced. This was included to cover varying range of knowledge in our users. The website provides online mcq based quizzes on astronomy. You don't need to log on or make an account to use it. Everything in the website is provided absolutely free!

Screen shot of the new layout

Hope that many people will enjoy the quizzes and share the joy of learning astronomy.

I would be grad to hear from you regarding improvements which I can consider in future.

Variable star Quiz

2010-07-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

The brightness of a star can change with time. When observing from earth, the flickering of stars is due to minor turbulence in the earth's atmosphere. But when measured more accurately, many stars show a degree of variability in their brightness. There are many different types of variable stars.
The two main types of variable stars are,
1. Intrinsic variable stars
2. Extrinsic variable stars.
Intrinsic variable stars change their brightness due to changes in the properties of that star, while the mechanism of an extrinsic variable star involves an object outside the star.

If you are confident about your knowledge in variable stars, try this Variable star Quiz.

Organizing a Quiz 4: Participants

2010-07-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

So you have organized a quiz, and ready to have the participants. Like in any other quiz, it's important to invite them early, with time to get ready. This will help the quiz, since prepared teams will make an interesting competition. It will also improve the number of teams turning up for the event.

Send a letter with clear instructions detailing the format, time, venue of the quiz and any special details which you might think helpful. Include contact details in case they need further clarifications.

It is important to help them quiz teams perform their best in the quiz. Do guide them on the day of the quiz and assign few persons to attend to the quiz teams.

Scale of the planets

2010-07-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

This is an animation done to help understand the scale of the solar system. We often have misguided ideas about the true sizes of the planets. People often tend to think that they are more or less the same size. Hope the animation is educational.

Binocular Basics

2010-07-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

While telescope are a the popular choice, binoculars are more suited if you are a beginner. Also their comparatively wider viewing angles make them better tools to view deep sky objects. It is important to know how to select a binocular and what all the numbers mean. When you say a binocular of 10 x 50, it means a binocular has aperture of 50mm and a magnification of 10 and a exit pupil of 5. To learn the binocular basics, read this article, binocular basics

Organizing a Quiz 3: Making questions

2010-07-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Questions are without a doubt the most important component in a quiz. They can mean the difference between a good and a bad quiz. Good questions doesn't always have to be difficult questions. But they are too easy, then everyone will get them right, creating problems to the organizers.

How do you make good questions? Unfortunately there are no proven way. Since the audience, competitors and the levels of quizzes varies remarkably, it is difficult to give a standard method suitable for all types of quizzes. Let us check the different types of questions first,
Multiple choice questions
This type of questions better known as MCQs is widely used in school and university examinations. MCQs can be used when preparing a table quiz. They can also be used in a stage quiz, with questions displayed on a screen. It comprises of a stem question, followed by a set of answers, of which one would be the correct answer. The number of choices/answers may vary depending on the question paper. Usually there are 4 or 5 choices. But there can be more or less choices to alter the difficulty.

When making a MCQ, you need to frame your questions properly. You need to ask it in a non-ambiguous way. For e.g.

What is the brightest planet in the solar system?

This is not a good question, since the brightest planet can vary depending on your position in the solar system. A better way to frame the question would be,

What is the brightest planet visible in the night sky?

The brightest planet visible to us is Venus. Also remember not to ask areas of controversy. Astronomy is full of theories and alternative hypothesizes, it's easy to choose one and make a question. Try to make the question to be in line with the best evidence and what is accepted by the scientific community.

Essay questions
These type of questions require more lengthy answers. They are good for table quiz and for questions requiring and explanation of a concept. But there can be problems when correcting the answers. So a good marking scheme would be vital, when using essay questions in a quiz. Frame your questions clearly, and if possible allocate a space for the answer. This will limit unnecessary information in the answer and allow the participant to better form their answer. Also indicate whether they need to support their answer with diagrams.
e.g.

Explain the retrograde motion of planet Mars. (Can use a diagram)

Retrograde motion is the apparent backward motion of Mars as seen against the background of stars. This happens when the Earth overtakes Mars in it's orbit. Since the orbital period of mars is twice that of the Earth, this phenomenon occurs once in two years. Since during this time, Mars is closer to the Earth, it also appears brighter in the night sky.

for a more graphical explanation of retrograde motion watch this video retrograde motion

Mercury Quiz

2010-07-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

The mercury Quiz at the AstronomyQuiz.info website is a multiple choice quiz and is ideal if you are getting ready for a quiz. The questions are based on different topics related to the planet. The structure, magnetic field, surface features, planetary motion, observations and space missions are all covered in this quiz. It can be used as a trigger to learn about mercury. Do the quiz first and then read about the planet, so you will be more focused to the important facts about the planet.
Take the quiz now! Mercury Quiz

Vote for your favourite planet

2010-07-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

We all have our favourites. So which planet is closest to your heart in our solar system? Is it the mighty Jupiter which is larger than all other planets put together. Or is it Mars, the red planet with so much mystery. Saturn with it's graceful rings maybe your choice. Or you might prefer your own world, the planet earth.

Update!

The Poll is now closed. But you are free to try some Quizzes on Planets. Choose your favourite planet and start the quiz

Good Luck!

Milky Way Quiz

2010-07-13T04:31:00.000-07:00

Milky Way galaxy is our home. The galaxy we know most about. If you think you know enough about it, then try this quiz. It's in multiple choice format and with just three choices to choose from, you can get lucky with your answers. At the end of the quiz, you can calculate your score. Don't forget to leave feedback!
Take the quiz

Orbital motions of the inner planets

2010-07-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

This is an animation i created in flash to show the orbital motions of the inner planets. The orbital speeds are according to proportion. The diameters have been exaggerated to improve clarity. Hope you enjoy it. More animations can be found, with sinhala text at my youtube. www.youtube.com/user/astronomyquiz

Organizing a Quiz 2: Deciding on the Format

2010-07-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

There are several types of quizzes. The table quiz seems to be the most popular among schools. Each one of the formats have their advantages and drawbacks.

Table Quizzes comprise of many teams sitting together with each team occupying 'a table'. They will answer a common set of questions. Since all will answer the same questions, there is no disparity between easy and difficult questions. Everyone will get an equal opportunity. It is easy on the organizers of the quiz, since less
questions are needed. It is not easy making questions for a quiz. So this can be a great relief. But this type of a quiz is not very interesting to watch. Doesn't have the trill and suspense usually associated with a quiz.

Stage Quizzes are more appealing to the audiences with two or three quiz teams answering questions asked by the presenter. But this type of quizzes take more resources on the part of the organizers. Questions need to be balanced according to difficulty. Microphones and other ancillary equipment should be checked for defects. Malfunctioning microphones can be a nightmare in a quiz like this. Additional questions should be at your disposal in case the teams end up in a tie, to have more rounds.

Mixed format Quizzes have the best of both worlds. So you can have the first stage as a table quiz and select few teams to enter the stage quiz rounds.

Whichever format you choose, decide on it early and make the necessary arrangements. Organizing a quiz is quite cumbersome and you often do not get praise for your hard work.

Organizing a Quiz 1: Finding a Name

2010-07-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

While there are many astronomy quizzes, only few will stand out. One simple difference lies in the name itself. When you have a lot of generic 'astronomy quizzes' it's difficult to identify your one against the many others.
When I was involved in designing the astronomy quiz in Anandian Astronomical Association, we wanted to differ from others. There were quite a few astronomy quizzes but we got permission to get the Sir Arthur C Clarke's name, simply because we thought differently. Many would have thought it might get rejected, but no one has tried.

So if you are planning an astronomy quiz, and hope to continue it for years to come. Think of a nice name. It need not be a person's name. Be creative! Experiment with words and once you found a good one, stick with it.

Space exploration: getting the facts right

2010-07-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

Questions on space explorations are nothing less than general knowledge type questions. You need to remember the facts to answer most of the questions. But a general understanding of astronomy can narrow down your options, which itself can lead you to the answer. Familiarize yourself with different space missions in different times of the year. Some are more significant than the others. Some missions failed which some made breakthroughs in science.

If you think you have mastered enough about space missions, then try this,
Space Exploration Quiz

Questions on the solar system

2010-07-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

Solar system and planets will be featured in any astronomy quiz competition. So it is important to know them well. You will appreciate that if you know something about the formation and evolution of the individual planets, then most questions are easy. Questions on names, like the surface features, can only be memorized. Also try to find out who comes top in the lists. For instance the largest volcano, hottest planet, brightest planet etc.

Follow these links of you want to practice planet quizzes

'Show and tell' type of questions

2010-07-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

In a quiz competition you might be asked to identify certain images related to astronomy. Telescopes are a tempting for anyone making a quiz. So try to identify the most famous telescopes and why they are significant. Sometimes you get a easily identifiable image, with a question you are not very familiar.
For instance, you might be shown this picture on the right >>>>

which is the Hubble Space Telescope and ask the question 'which planet has not been observed by this space telescope?'

If you want to practice more questions, visit www.astronomyquiz.info/name-the-telescope.html