Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: Which constellation contains the Big Dipper?

Virgo
Leo
Perseus
Ursa Major

The correct answer is Ursa Major

So why is this answer correct? : Arguably the most recognizable group of stars in the night sky, the Big Dipper is part of the third-largest constellation in the sky, Ursa Major. The seven stars that form the Big Dipper are Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Alioth, Megrez, Mizar, and Alkaid. The brightest of these is Alioth, which is 102 times brighter than the sun. Also called the Great Bear, Ursa Major contains the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101), Bode’s Galaxy, the Cigar Galaxy, and the Owl Nebula.

Trivia: What happens when a planet loops back in its trajectory across the sky?

Scintillation
Retrograde
Backstroke
Apastron

The correct answer is Retrograde

So why is this answer correct? : When tracing the motion of the planets across the sky from Earth, some of the planets will occasionally loop back in their trajectory. This retrograde motion baffled early astronomers for centuries, but today we know the motion is caused by Earth’s position in the solar system surpassing the other planets in their orbits around the sun.

Trivia: What is the largest constellation in the night sky?

Crux
Hydra
Scorpius
Aries

The correct answer is Hydra

So why is this answer correct? : Shaped like the mythological snake that it was named after, Hydra is the largest constellation in the night sky. It can be seen anywhere around the world located between 54 degrees north and 83 degrees south. Hydra was first recorded by Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century CE and belongs to the Hercules family of constellations. Some notable celestial bodies within the constellation include the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, the Hydra Cluster of galaxies, the Porpoise Galaxy, and the Ghost of Jupiter nebula.

Trivia: What is it called when a large star explodes?

Ephemeris
Nebula
Supernova
Zenith

The correct answer is Supernova

So why is this answer correct? : Supernovas are the cataclysmic explosions of massive stars. The explosions are so big, they can emit more energy in a few seconds than our sun can radiate in its entire lifetime. In our Milky Way galaxy, which includes over 200 billion stars, supernovas occur around every 50 years but are seldom visible to the naked eye.

Trivia: Which famous asterism is the North Star part of?

Big Dipper
Orion’s Belt
Northern Cross
Little Dipper

The correct answer is Little Dipper

So why is this answer correct? : While it isn’t the brightest star in the sky, the North Star is still famous thanks to its true north location directly above the North Pole. Also known as Polaris, the star has been used as a guide for centuries. The North Star is located at the end of the Little Dipper’s handle in the constellation Ursa Minor. The Little Dipper is an asterism, which is a star pattern within a constellation.

Trivia: What meteor shower occurs each August?

Lyrids
Ursids
Perseid
Geminid

The correct answer is Perseid

So why is this answer correct? : Around mid-August each year, the Earth passes through a stream of debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle. During this period, these fragments of debris light up the sky in the Perseid meteor shower — widely considered Earth’s best meteor shower.

Trivia: What are space rocks that land on Earth called?

Meteorites
Meteors
Asteroid
Comet

The correct answer is Meteorites

So why is this answer correct? : A meteoroid is a relatively small space rock traveling through space. If that meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere and burns up, it then becomes a meteor. If the space rock enters Earth’s atmosphere and lands on the surface, it becomes a meteorite. An asteroid is a rocky object that orbits the sun and is usually sized between a meteoroid and a planet, and a comet is an object made of mostly ice and dust that sometimes orbits the sun.

Trivia: What type of moon denotes something that rarely happens?

Blood moon
Worm moon
Harvest moon
Blue moon

The correct answer is Blue moon

So why is this answer correct? : The phrase “once in a blue moon” refers to something that happens very rarely. There are two technical definitions of a blue moon: A seasonal blue moon is the third full moon in a season with four full moons, while a monthly blue moon is the second full moon within a calendar month. Monthly blue moons are indeed rare: The last monthly blue moon occurred on August 22, 2021, and the next one won’t happen until August 19, 2024.

Trivia: In what two months do the equinoxes occur?

March and September
June and December
April and October
May and August

The correct answer is March and September

So why is this answer correct? : The equinoxes occur twice a year — once in the spring and once in the fall. Due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis, it is only on these two days of the year that all parts of the Earth have equal lengths of night and day. Conversely, solstices occur in June and December, and mark the longest and shortest days of the year.

Trivia: What is a distinctive pattern of stars called?

Constellation
Apparition
Horoscope
Collimation

The correct answer is Constellation

So why is this answer correct? : Constellations are groups of stars that, to the observers on Earth, create a recognizable pattern or picture. The most well-known constellations, such as Orion and Scorpio, come from the ancient Greeks, but cultures around the world have also created constellations, many carrying ceremonial or religious significance. Modern scientists have designated boundaries that divide the whole of the night sky into 88 official constellation boundaries, which each contain all the stars within a given section of sky.