The Drake equation, named after Frank Drake.
N = R* • fp • ne • fl • fi • fc • L
Whereby
N = The number of civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy whose electromagnetic emissions are detectable.
R* = The rate of formation of stars suitable for the development of intelligent life.
fp = The fraction of those stars with planetary systems.
ne = The number of planets, per solar system, with an environment suitable for life.
fl = The fraction of suitable planets on which life actually appears.
fi = The fraction of life bearing planets on which intelligent life emerges.
fc = The fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space.
L = The length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space.

Question: 13

Does the Sun move?

View the answer

Yes! The entire solar system is orbiting the center of our galaxy plus the Sun itself rotates.

Question: 14

What would happen if you 'fell' into a black hole?

View the answer

A term 'spaghettification' has been used here! The closer you are to a black hole, the faster you accelerate towards it. Basically your feet would be pulled faster toward the black hole than your head which means you would stretch and stretch until shredded!

Question: 15

How long does a day on Mercury last?

View the answer

59 Earth days

Question: 16

Who first proposed that the Sun was the center of the solar system?

View the answer

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543)

Question: 17

How much rock was brought back to Earth by the Apollo missions?

View the answer

380kg

Question: 18

What was the biggest asteroid hit ever witnessed?

View the answer

The crash of Shoemaker-Levy 9 asteroid into Jupiter in 1994.

Question: 19

When was the first liquid-fuel rocket launched?

View the answer

1926 by Robert Goddard.

Question: 20

Where is the largest volcano in the solar system?

View the answer

Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in the solar system. Found on Mars, it is 3 times higher than Mt Everest. It can be this big due to lower gravity on Mars as well as the lack of plate tectonics.

Question: 21

Which is largest moon in the solar system?

View the answer

Ganymede which orbits Jupiter.

Question: 22

When was the first space station launched?

View the answer

In April 1971 (Salyut 1 by the former Soviet Union).

Question: 23

How old is the universe?

View the answer

The universe is about 13.8 billion years old.

Question: 24

Is a ‘light year’ a measure of distance, time or brightness?

View the answer

Distance. A light year is the distance light can travel in one year.

Question: 25

How far away is the nearest star, not the sun?

View the answer

The nearest star to earth, excluding the sun, is about 4.3 light years away. Its name is Alpha Centauri.

Question: 26

True or false. There is no gravity in space.

View the answer

False. All matter pulls all other matter towards it, this pull is what we call ‘gravity.’ In space, this pull is just much weaker because you are further away from other matter.

Question: 27

Which planet in our solar system has the greatest number of moons?

View the answer

Jupiter, with 79 moons!

Question: 28

Is there sound in space?

View the answer

No. The gas molecules in space - and yes there is gas - are too far apart for sound to properly travel.

Question: 29

How fast can a neutron star spin?

View the answer

60 to 600 times a second.

Question: 30

How long will it take for the footprints on the moon to be erased naturally?

View the answer

About 100 million years.

Question: 31

What is the biggest explosion humans have ever seen?

View the answer

Supernova. Each blast is the extremely bright, super-powerful explosion of a massive star as it dies.

Question: 32

In the 1960’s we sent a bunch of probes to Venus, where atmospheric pressure is 100 times higher than on Earth. Some were destroyed; what happened to these probes?

View the answer

They imploded

Question: 33

How long does it take sunlight to travel from the Sun to the Earth?

View the answer

8 minutes and 20 seconds

Question: 34

What’s another name for the polar lights?

View the answer

Aurora

Question: 35

Light-year is a unit used to measure...

View the answer

Distance. How far light travels in 1 year! (9.46 trillion kilometres (9.46 x 1012 km))

Question: 36

True or False: A person who studies the science of space is called an astrologer or astrologist.

View the answer

False. Correct answer: Astronomer. An astrologer is a person who believes that you can get information about people’s lives from patterns in the stars. Lots of scientists have tried to study this, but have not found any evidence that it actually has any effect on our lives.

Question: 37

Cosmonaut Gennady Ivanovich Padalka has spent more time in space than any other person. How many days has he spent in space?

View the answer

879

Question: 38

Which planet in our solar system is NOT named after a Roman god or goddess?

View the answer

Earth

Question: 39

True or False: Only half of the planets in our solar system are made of rock and metal.

View the answer

True. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are terrestrial planets (also known as rocky planets). They are mostly made up of silicate rocks and metals. Jupiter and Saturn are known as gas giants, while Uranus and Neptune are ice giants.

Question: 40

How many moons does Saturn have?

View the answer

At least 82 moons are known to orbit Saturn, of which 53 are officially named; this does not include the hundreds of moonlets in its rings.

Question: 41

When three or more planets or moons in our solar system line up, this is called?

View the answer

Syzygy

Question: 42

What is the closest star to Earth, that isn’t the Sun?

View the answer

Alpha Proxima Centauri. It’s about 4.2 lightyears away from us. If you travelled there in one of today’s rockets, it’d take you about 168,000 years to get there!

Question: 43

What is a ‘supermoon’?

View the answer

When the moon is full and at its closest point to the Earth.

Question: 44

True or False: In space you could get killed by a pebble.

View the answer

True. Space debris (or space junk) orbiting the Earth can be travelling at up to 8km/s. That’s faster than a bullet!

Question: 45

True or false: When astronauts come back from space they are slightly younger than they would have been if they’d never left.

View the answer

True. US astronaut Scott Kelly shaved 13 milliseconds off his Earth age by spending 11 months aboard the International Space Station. He and his identical twin Mark (who is also an astronaut) have also taken part in studies to investigate the genetic effects of spaceflight.

Question: 46

If you dropped a hammer and a feather on the Moon, which one would hit the ground first?

View the answer

Neither, they would both hit the ground at the same time. The difference is that there’s no atmosphere on the moon and so no air resistance. On Earth, the air resistance will slow the feather down more than it slows down the hammer. The earth's gravity pulls all objects down at the same rate(9.8 m/s 2), assuming there is no air resistance. They actually did this experiment with a hammer and a feather on the Moon in 1971 during the Apollo 15 mission.

Question: 47

True or false: The moon appears smaller on the horizon than when it is overhead.

View the answer

False The moon appears larger on the horizon. It’s called the moon illusion and no one knows exactly why it is happening, but they think it’s to do with how our brains adjust the size of things that we’re seeing by comparing it with familiar objects in the foreground.

Question: 48

True or false: All the water on Earth arrived in comets and asteroids.

View the answer

True It happened billions of years ago during a period called the Late Heavy Bombardment.

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Welcome!

Astronomy Trivia

What survives impacting Earth's surface: a meteor, a meteorite or an asteroid?

Which is the hottest planet in the solar system?

What is the strongest known magnet in the Universe?

If you go into space, do you get taller?

How far is the moon away from Earth?

How old is our sun?

What is the name given to planets outside our solar system?

Which planets have rings around them?

Where is the largest known meteorite crater on Earth?

What causes an aurora?​​​​​​​

Which of Saturn's moons has seas of methane?​​​​​​​

Which equation describes the likelihood of extraterrestrial life?​​​​​​​

Does the Sun move?​​​​​​​

What would happen if you 'fell' into a black hole?​​​​​​​

How long does a day on Mercury last?​​​​​​​

Who first proposed that the Sun was the center of the solar system?​​​​​​​

How much rock was brought back to Earth by the Apollo missions?​​​​​​​

What was the biggest asteroid hit ever witnessed?​​​​​​​

When was the first liquid-fuel rocket launched?​​​​​​​

Where is the largest volcano in the solar system?​​​​​​​

Which is largest moon in the solar system?​​​​​​​

When was the first space station launched?​​​​​​​

How old is the universe?

Is a ‘light year’ a measure of distance, time or brightness?

How far away is the nearest star, not the sun?

True or false. There is no gravity in space.

Which planet in our solar system has the greatest number of moons?

Is there sound in space?

How fast can a neutron star spin?

How long will it take for the footprints on the moon to be erased naturally?

What is the biggest explosion humans have ever seen?

In the 1960’s we sent a bunch of probes to Venus, where atmospheric pressure is 100 times higher than on Earth. Some were destroyed; what happened to these probes?

How long does it take sunlight to travel from the Sun to the Earth?

What’s another name for the polar lights?

Light-year is a unit used to measure...

True or False: A person who studies the science of space is called an astrologer or astrologist.

Cosmonaut Gennady Ivanovich Padalka has spent more time in space than any other person. How many days has he spent in space?

Which planet in our solar system is NOT named after a Roman god or goddess?

True or False: Only half of the planets in our solar system are made of rock and metal.

How many moons does Saturn have?

When three or more planets or moons in our solar system line up, this is called?

What is the closest star to Earth, that isn’t the Sun?

What is a ‘supermoon’?

True or False: In space you could get killed by a pebble.

True or false: When astronauts come back from space they are slightly younger than they would have been if they’d never left.

If you dropped a hammer and a feather on the Moon, which one would hit the ground first?

True or false: The moon appears smaller on the horizon than when it is overhead.

True or false: All the water on Earth arrived in comets and asteroids.

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Light and Colour Online Workshop, Jan 18 AM

Lego Robotics, Sydney Olympic Park Jan 2024

Creative Coding, Sydney Olympic Park Jan 2024

Creative Coding, Sydney Olympic Park July 11 2023

Fizzics Education STEAM Day: Robots vs Dinosaurs, Lalor, Apr 14

Creative Coding, Sydney Olympic Park April 14 2023

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What causes an aurora?

Which of Saturn's moons has seas of methane?

Which equation describes the likelihood of extraterrestrial life?

Does the Sun move?

What would happen if you 'fell' into a black hole?

How long does a day on Mercury last?

Who first proposed that the Sun was the center of the solar system?

How much rock was brought back to Earth by the Apollo missions?

What was the biggest asteroid hit ever witnessed?

When was the first liquid-fuel rocket launched?

Where is the largest volcano in the solar system?

Which is largest moon in the solar system?

When was the first space station launched?

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