Planets Picture Quiz including Jupiter, Pluto, Mars, Saturn, Venus

Nature Quiz - Outer Space - Planets (Questions)

The Solar System consists of the Sun; the eight official planets, at least three 'dwarf planets', more than 130 satellites of the planets, a large number of small bodies (the comets and asteroids), and the interplanetary medium.

Planets can be grouped by size; by position relative to the Sun; by position relative to Earth or by history. By size, the four giant planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. To qualify as a giant, a planet must be greater than 48,000 km. The giants are sometimes referred to as gas giants. Of the eight official planets, this leaves Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars which are known as small planets.

This subject is covered in Science at school. If you want to challenge yourself, try 500 questions on KS3 Science.

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

Can you identify this planet?

[ ]	Mercury
[ ]	Ceres
[ ]	Uranus
[ ]	Pluto

The Mars Science Laboratory is a NASA mission which landed a rover on the surface of Mars in 2012. What is the name of the rover?

[ ]	Intuition
[ ]	Venture
[ ]	Inquisitive
[ ]	Curiosity

Who was the first human to orbit Earth?

[ ]	Vladimir Komarov
[ ]	Yuri Gagarin
[ ]	Alexey Leonov
[ ]	Valeri Polyakov

What is the name of Neptune's largest moon?

[ ]	Triton
[ ]	Titan
[ ]	Poseidon
[ ]	Nereid

Makemake is the creator of humanity and god of fertility in the mythos of the Rapanui. Where are the Rapanui from?

[ ]	Guam
[ ]	Easter Island
[ ]	Hawaii
[ ]	South Sandwich Islands

A very rare event in astronomy is the passage of one planet in front of another, as seen from Earth. What is this known as?

[ ]	Occultation
[ ]	Bi-location
[ ]	Stridation
[ ]	Defixation

How many Earth years is Pluto's orbital period?

[ ]	228 years
[ ]	248 years
[ ]	268 years
[ ]	288 years

Who composed the classical suite called 'The Planets'?

[ ]	Edward Elgar
[ ]	Franz Liszt
[ ]	Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
[ ]	Gustav Holst

A well-known feature of Jupiter is the 'Great Red Spot'. What is this?

[ ]	A volcano
[ ]	A whirlpool
[ ]	A storm
[ ]	A scorched desert

10.

Who wrote the best-selling book, 'Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus'?

[ ]	James Black
[ ]	Jerry Greene
[ ]	Joseph White
[ ]	John Gray

Nature Quiz - Outer Space - Planets (Answers)

Can you identify this planet?

[ ]	Mercury
[ ]	Ceres
[x]	Uranus
[ ]	Pluto

The Mars Science Laboratory is a NASA mission which landed a rover on the surface of Mars in 2012. What is the name of the rover?

[ ]	Intuition
[ ]	Venture
[ ]	Inquisitive
[x]	Curiosity

Who was the first human to orbit Earth?

[ ]	Vladimir Komarov
[x]	Yuri Gagarin
[ ]	Alexey Leonov
[ ]	Valeri Polyakov

He was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He orbited Earth on 12 April 1961

What is the name of Neptune's largest moon?

[x]	Triton
[ ]	Titan
[ ]	Poseidon
[ ]	Nereid

Triton is the only large moon in the Solar System to orbit 'backwards'

Makemake is the creator of humanity and god of fertility in the mythos of the Rapanui. Where are the Rapanui from?

[ ]	Guam
[x]	Easter Island
[ ]	Hawaii
[ ]	South Sandwich Islands

Makemake was chosen in part to preserve the object's connection with Easter

A very rare event in astronomy is the passage of one planet in front of another, as seen from Earth. What is this known as?

[x]	Occultation
[ ]	Bi-location
[ ]	Stridation
[ ]	Defixation

Mercury and Venus occult each other every few centuries, and the event of May 28, 1737 is the only one historically observed. The next occultation of Mercury by Venus will be on December 3, 2133

How many Earth years is Pluto's orbital period?

[ ]	228 years
[x]	248 years
[ ]	268 years
[ ]	288 years

Who composed the classical suite called 'The Planets'?

[ ]	Edward Elgar
[ ]	Franz Liszt
[ ]	Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
[x]	Gustav Holst

Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age, is one of the seven movements of the suite

A well-known feature of Jupiter is the 'Great Red Spot'. What is this?

[ ]	A volcano
[ ]	A whirlpool
[x]	A storm
[ ]	A scorched desert

Mathematical models suggest that the storm is stable and may be a permanent feature of the planet

10.

Who wrote the best-selling book, 'Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus'?

[ ]	James Black
[ ]	Jerry Greene
[ ]	Joseph White
[x]	John Gray

The book has sold more than 7 million copies and is reported to be one of the best selling self-help books of all time