How much do you really know about space?
Some space facts get repeated so often they're common knowledge — others are surprisingly easy to get wrong even for people who like astronomy. This trivia quiz covers both kinds.
Did you know?
- A day on Venus is longer than its year — it takes Venus longer to rotate once than to orbit the Sun.
- Footprints left by Apollo astronauts on the Moon are expected to last millions of years, since there's no wind or water to erode them.
- Neutron stars are so dense that a teaspoon of their material would weigh about as much as a mountain on Earth.
The facts behind the questions
A few of these questions hide a common misconception, which is exactly what makes them interesting rather than just a memory test.
Saturn isn't the only ringed planet
Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune all have ring systems too — they're just much fainter and harder to see from Earth.
"Nearest star" depends on how you count
Proxima Centauri is part of a three-star system along with Alpha Centauri A and B, and edges out its companions by a small margin.
Why Jupiter spins so fast despite its size
Jupiter's rapid rotation is a result of the same processes that formed it — conservation of angular momentum means a large, spinning cloud of gas speeds up as it condenses into a planet.