Astronomy Quiz Questions

1. What area of science does astronomy study?

A Outer space B Life on planet Earth C The Earth's atmosphere D The human body

2. What invention helped scientists to get a closer look at the planets and stars?

A Telescope B Telegraph C Telephone D Microscope

3. What scientist explained the physics of the solar system including gravity?

A Thomas Edison B Isaac Newton C Galileo Galilei D Albert Einstein

4. What scientist described how the planets orbited the sun?

A Isaac Newton B Johannes Kepler C Galileo Galilei D Albert Einstein

5. What scientist made major improvements to the telescope and discovered the four major satellites of Jupiter?

A Isaac Newton B Thomas Edison C Albert Einstein D Galileo Galilei

6. What area of astronomy studies the planets, moons, asteroids, and comets?

A Theoretical astronomy B Observational astronomy C Solar astronomy D Planetary astronomy

7. What area of astronomy studies the Sun?

A Observational astronomy B Solar astronomy C Theoretical astronomy D Planetary astronomy

8. What area of astronomy makes visual observations of objects in space?

A Observational astronomy B Theoretical astronomy C Solar astronomy D Planetary astronomy

9. What area of astronomy studies the stars and how they were formed?

A Solar astronomy B Theoretical astronomy C Observational astronomy D Stellar astronomy

10. What area of astronomy uses mathematical models to describe objects in space?

A Theoretical astronomy B Observational astronomy C Solar astronomy D Planetary astronomy

11. What types of things do astronomers study?

A Books and literature B Planets and stars C Animals and plants D History and philosophy

12. What did people think was the center of the universe for nearly 2000 years?

A The Moon B The Earth C The North Star D The Sun

13. What did Galileo do that got him in trouble with the Catholic Church?

A He invented a telescope that could see the stars B He argued that the planets, including the Earth, orbited around the sun C He said that there were moons orbiting the planet Jupiter D He disagreed with Copernicus

14. True or false: When Copernicus explained that all the planets orbited the Sun, pretty much everyone believed him.

A TRUE B FALSE

15. What did Galileo claim was the source of the light of the Moon?

A It was from glowing lichen that grows on the Moon B It was sunlight that was reflected off the surface of the Moon C It was from an energy source at the middle of the Moon D It was from still hot meteors that had crashed into the Moon

16. What astronomer showed that the planets did not need to orbit the sun in a perfect circle?

A Johannes Kepler B Tycho Brahe C Galileo D Copernicus

17. What tool did Galileo greatly improve so it could be used to observe the planets?

A The telescope B The microscope C The telegraph D The bifocal

18. What discovery did Galileo make while studying outer space?

A All of the above B The moons of Jupiter C That the Moon was covered in craters D The phases of Venus

19. What Renaissance astronomer took many precise measurements of the planets over a long period of time and had Johannes Kepler as his student?

A Tycho Brahe B Copernicus C Galileo D Ptolemy

20. True or false: The Renaissance was a time when many great discoveries were made in the field of astronomy.

A FALSE B TRUE