Megan Moran

Planets and space quiz

Ready for liftoff? This planet quiz tours the solar system from the inner rocky worlds to its icy outer edge, then heads out to the stars, famous missions and pioneering astronauts. It's a space quiz and solar system quiz in one, with 20 questions for curious kids and grown-up stargazers alike.

A free quiz from Megan Moran, author of The Mega Science Quiz Book.

Paper-cut illustration of a telescope on a hilltop under a starry night sky with galaxies
Pick an answer to start20 to go

  1. Question 1 of 20PlanetsEasy

    Which planet is closest to the Sun?

  2. Question 2 of 20Stars and skyEasy

    What is a 'shooting star' really?

  3. Question 3 of 20MoonsMedium

    What is the largest moon in the solar system?

  4. Question 4 of 20PlanetsMedium

    Olympus Mons, one of the tallest volcanoes in the solar system, is on which planet?

  5. Question 5 of 20PlanetsEasy

    Which planet is famous for the most spectacular ring system in the solar system?

  6. Question 6 of 20PlanetsHard

    In 1781, which astronomer discovered Uranus from his garden in Bath, England?

  7. Question 7 of 20MissionsMedium

    What was the name of the first artificial satellite, launched in October 1957?

  8. Question 8 of 20PlanetsMedium

    On which planet does one spin on its axis take longer than one trip around the Sun?

  9. Question 9 of 20MoonsEasy

    Roughly how long does the Moon take to travel once around Earth?

  10. Question 10 of 20MoonsHard

    Which icy moon of Saturn sprays jets of water ice into space from cracks near its south pole?

  11. Question 11 of 20MissionsMedium

    In which year was the Hubble Space Telescope launched?

  12. Question 12 of 20AstronautsMedium

    In February 1962, who became the first American to orbit Earth?

  13. Question 13 of 20AstronautsHard

    Who made the first-ever spacewalk, in March 1965?

  14. Question 14 of 20PlanetsEasy

    Which world, discovered in 1930, was reclassified from a planet to a dwarf planet in 2006?

  15. Question 15 of 20Stars and skyMedium

    Apart from the Sun, what is the brightest star in the night sky?

  16. Question 16 of 20MissionsHard

    In 2014, the European lander Philae made the first-ever soft landing on what kind of object?

  17. Question 17 of 20PlanetsMedium

    The Great Red Spot is a giant, long-lasting storm on which planet?

  18. Question 18 of 20PlanetsEasy

    Which planet is farthest from the Sun?

  19. Question 19 of 20MissionsHard

    In 2012, which spacecraft became the first human-made object to reach interstellar space?

  20. Question 20 of 20MissionsMedium

    Roughly how long does the International Space Station take to orbit Earth once?

Answer all 20 to see your score.

Want more? The Mega Science Quiz Book has over 800 questions like these, ready for your next quiz night.

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Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
  1. Which planet is closest to the Sun? MercuryIt zips around the Sun quickly too: one year there lasts just 88 Earth days.
  2. What is a 'shooting star' really? A space rock burning up in Earth's atmosphereIf a piece survives the fiery trip through the atmosphere and lands on the ground, it is called a meteorite.
  3. What is the largest moon in the solar system? GanymedeIt is the only moon known to have its own magnetic field, a feature usually found in planets.
  4. Olympus Mons, one of the tallest volcanoes in the solar system, is on which planet? MarsIt stands about 2.5 times as tall as Mount Everest stands above sea level.
  5. Which planet is famous for the most spectacular ring system in the solar system? SaturnThe rings are made of billions of chunks of ice and rock, from tiny grains to pieces as big as a house.
  6. In 1781, which astronomer discovered Uranus from his garden in Bath, England? William HerschelHe wanted to call the new planet Georgium Sidus, the 'Georgian Star', in honor of King George III.
  7. What was the name of the first artificial satellite, launched in October 1957? Sputnik 1The polished metal sphere was about 23 inches across and broadcast radio pulses for 22 days before its batteries died.
  8. On which planet does one spin on its axis take longer than one trip around the Sun? VenusIt also spins backward compared with most planets, so there the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east.
  9. Roughly how long does the Moon take to travel once around Earth? About a monthWe always see the same side of the Moon because it spins on its axis at the same rate it orbits.
  10. Which icy moon of Saturn sprays jets of water ice into space from cracks near its south pole? EnceladusNASA's Cassini spacecraft flew through these plumes and detected salts, silica and organic molecules.
  11. In which year was the Hubble Space Telescope launched? 1990It is named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, whose observations helped confirm that the universe is expanding.
  12. In February 1962, who became the first American to orbit Earth? John GlennIn 1998, at age 77, he flew again on a space shuttle and became the oldest person to go to space at that time.
  13. Who made the first-ever spacewalk, in March 1965? Alexei LeonovHis spacesuit ballooned so much in the vacuum that he had to let air out of it to squeeze back inside.
  14. Which world, discovered in 1930, was reclassified from a planet to a dwarf planet in 2006? PlutoIts name was suggested by Venetia Burney, an 11-year-old English schoolgirl.
  15. Apart from the Sun, what is the brightest star in the night sky? SiriusIt is nicknamed the Dog Star because it sits in the constellation Canis Major, the Great Dog.
  16. In 2014, the European lander Philae made the first-ever soft landing on what kind of object? A cometIts harpoons failed to fire, so the lander bounced twice before coming to rest in an awkward spot.
  17. The Great Red Spot is a giant, long-lasting storm on which planet? JupiterAstronomers have watched it continuously since the late 1800s, and it has been slowly shrinking for decades.
  18. Which planet is farthest from the Sun? NeptuneIt was the first planet located through mathematical predictions rather than by simply scanning the sky.
  19. In 2012, which spacecraft became the first human-made object to reach interstellar space? Voyager 1It carries a gold-plated copper record of sounds and images from Earth, in case anyone ever finds it.
  20. Roughly how long does the International Space Station take to orbit Earth once? About 90 minutesIts first long-term crew moved aboard in November 2000, and it circles Earth at about 17,500 mph.

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