ExpertAstronomy
Expert Astronomy Quiz: White Dwarfs, Hawking Radiation, Cosmology
Expert astronomy quiz: a white dwarf's mass limit, black hole radiation predicted in 1974, standard-candle supernovae and a rival theory to the Big Bang.
Astronomy quizzes
Planets, stars, universe
The Astronomy theme looks up at the sky: the Sun and the eight planets of the solar system, their moons, asteroids and comets, then stars, constellations, galaxies and the Milky Way. It also covers black holes, the Big Bang, the expansion of the universe, and historical landmarks such as Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Hubble and the Apollo missions.
Every astronomy quiz is free: five levels from very easy to expert, and for each answer an explanation that puts the fact in context. You learn to recognize the phases of the Moon, understand eclipses and seasons, or get a feel for distances measured in light-years.
Quizzes
HardAstronomy
Hard Astronomy Quiz: Expanding Universe, Black Holes, Big Bang
A hard astronomy quiz on accelerating expansion, galaxies moving apart in 1929, black holes, the 1965 radiation and gravitational waves. 10 questions.
MediumAstronomy
Astronomy Quiz: Heliocentrism and Galaxies (Intermediate)
Intermediate astronomy quiz: the 16th-century heliocentric model, the region beyond Neptune, collapsed stars, a galactic collision and planetary laws.
EasyAstronomy
Astronomy Quiz: Moon Landing, Pluto and Auroras (Easy)
Easy astronomy quiz on the first Moon walk in 1969, Earth's rocky neighbor, Pluto's status since 2006, Jupiter's moons and polar auroras. 10 questions.
Very easyAstronomy
Astronomy Quiz: Sun, Moon and Planets (Very Easy)
Very easy astronomy quiz: the star at the heart of our solar system, the planet nearest to it, the Moon and tides, constellations and ringed planets. Free.
Related themes
Frequently asked questions about Astronomy
What are the eight planets of the solar system?
In order from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The first four are rocky, the next two are gas giants and the last two are ice giants. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union in 2006.
What is a light-year?
It is a unit of distance, not of time: the distance light travels in a vacuum in one year, about 9.46 trillion kilometers. The nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, is a little over four light-years away.
How does a solar eclipse happen?
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes exactly between the Earth and the Sun at new moon, casting its shadow on part of the Earth: the eclipse is total inside that shadow and partial around it. It does not happen every new moon, because the Moon's orbit is tilted.