Question 2 of 21

Samples taken by the Cassini spacecraft in 2011 suggest that Saturn's moon Enceladus may have an underground ______.

... Icy spray collected by the Cassini craft indicates the possibility of an underground, saltwater ocean.

Question 3 of 21

The amateur astronomer who found Neptune's moon Triton paid for his telescopes using profits from what type of business?

... William Lassell reaped huge profits in the brewing business, which he used to purchase cosmological equipment. He identified the moon a mere 17 days after the planet Neptune had itself been discovered.

Question 4 of 21

Which of the following planets has no moons?

... Neither Venus nor Mercury has any moons. Mars has two, and Uranus and Neptune both have a large number of moons.

Question 5 of 21

The two moons of Mars were given Greek names meaning ________.

... Mars (named after the Roman god of war) has two satellites: Phobos (fear) and Deimos (panic).

Question 6 of 21

Who gives a moon its formal name?

... Since 1919, the International Astronomical Union has had the responsibility for naming moons. The specific committee that oversees this function is the "Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature."

Question 7 of 21

Phoebe, one of Saturn's moons, was the first moon to be discovered ____.

... In 1898, American astronomer William Pickering discovered Phoebe using only photographs.

Question 8 of 21

Miranda, one of Uranus's moons, is considered unique in the solar system because of its ________.

... Miranda has a unique surface, which includes three coronae, a collection of ridges and valleys that are distinctly separate from the rest of the surface. Miranda's surface has been compared to patchwork.

Question 9 of 21

In 2010, scientists believed they found evidence of an ice ___________ on Saturn's moon Titan.

... The Cassini probe sent photographs of what is thought to be a cryovolcano, which may have spouted water, ice and ammonia.

Question 10 of 21

What is a "blue moon?"

... A blue moon refers to the second full moon within the same calendar month. This is very unusual, since the period between full moons is a bit more than 29 days, and months average just over 30 days.

Question 11 of 21

A flag from what university has visited the moon?

... In 1969, astronaut Charles Conrad, a Princeton graduate, carried a flag from his school on his moon walk.

Question 12 of 21

A satellite of which planet is the coldest celestial body in our solar system?

... Neptune's moon Triton is the coldest body in our solar system. Its surface is -235 C (-391 F).

Question 13 of 21

Who discovered Jupiter's largest moons?

... Galileo discovered Jupiter's four largest moons. Not coincidentally, they are referred to as the Galilean moons.

Question 14 of 21

Which planet has a moon closest to it?

... One of Mars's two moons, Phobos, is closer than any other moon to its planet. It's less than 3,700 miles from Mars. (Our moon is 240,000 miles away.)

Question 15 of 21

Who called Neil Armstrong when he was on the moon, saying, "For one priceless moment in the whole history of man all the people on this earth are truly one"?

... President Richard Nixon talked to Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969. The astronaut told the president it was an honor to represent "men of peaceable nations, men with a vision for the future."

Question 16 of 21

Which planet has the most moons?

... Jupiter has the most moons; more than 60 have been counted so far.

Question 17 of 21

Most moons are named after mythological characters, but Uranus's moons are named for _________.

... Uranus's moons are named after characters from works of William Shakespeare (e.g., Juliet, Puck) and Alexander Pope (e.g., Umbriel, Belinda).

Question 18 of 21

Which of the following is NOT a kind of ice found on Uranus's moons?

... Uranus's five moons are made of rock and ammonia, methane and water ices.

Question 19 of 21

Jupiter's closest moon, Io, is interesting because it is covered with _________.

... Io is full of volcanoes, some of which were filmed by the Voyager spacecraft while erupting.

Question 20 of 21

What is happening to the orbit of the moon around Earth?

... The orbit of the moon is increasing, so the moon it slowly moving away from the Earth, at a rate of almost four centimeters (1.5 inches) each year. This is due to the gravitational pull between the two bodies.

Question 21 of 21

The "moon illusion" refers to the _______.

... The "moon illusion" means that the moon looks unusually large when compared to objects, such as trees, in the foreground.

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