Nine planets orbiting the Sun | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStock
1. Born on this day in 1812, Johann Gottfried Galle was a German astronomer who was the first to see a new planet without knowing exactly what he was looking at. While working at the Berlin Observatory he was told by French astronomer Le Verrier what he believed was a new planet. That same night Galle located its position. Which planet was it that is currently farthest from the Sun?
2. The Earth rotates from west to east on its axis with an inclination of 23.45 degrees to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. Almost all other planets have similar rotation. There is only one planet that rotates on its side, which appears to be revolving like a ball around the Sun. Its peculiar inclination is believed to be due to a huge collision that occurred millions of years ago. Which planet is this?
An 1888 lithograph of the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. | Photo Credit: WikiCommons
3. When the volcano Krakatoa erupted in 1883, it was the largest and deadliest explosion in recorded history. It produced the loudest sound in history, with the shockwave traveling three times around the planet. It sent ash as high as 27 kilometers into the atmosphere. By comparison, there are volcanoes on the moon that send plumes of sulfur as high as 300 kilometers and emit a ton of particles every second. This enormous energy is due to the enormous gravity of the planet it orbits. Which planet?
4. The largest volcano in the known universe (so far) is Olympus Mons. It is 602km wide and 25km high, three times the height of Mount Everest or a hundred times bigger than Hawaii’s Mauna Loa which is Earth’s largest volcano. It is thought that it reaches such heights because of the weak gravity on the planet. On which planet is this super-volcano that future human settlers may have to deal with?
5. The fastest wind speed recorded on Earth was 408 km/h, during Hurricane Olivia, which hit Australia in 1996. However, the fastest winds in the solar system are on Neptune, reaching speeds of 2000 km/h, almost twice the speed of sound. Instead of wind, what compound (which is a natural fuel on Earth) flies at these terrifying speeds?
6. In 2014, the spacecraft Rosetta discovered water on a non-terrestrial surface, bolstering theories about how water may have arrived on Earth billions of years ago. However, the water’s molecular composition was very different because its deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio suggests it was from a time close to the formation of the solar system. Where did Rosetta find this water?
7. Despite being the second densest planet after Earth, it has recently been found to be shrinking. It is undergoing some tectonic movement as the internal rock and molten metal cools down causing its interior to shrink by about 7 kilometers. Which planet is already the smallest?
8. One of the most iconic visual aspects of our solar system is made up of one of two things – either ice crystals or rocky particles and dust. Several theories have been put forward for their existence, such as a destroyed satellite. In 2014, the first non-planet with this feature was found, an asteroid named Chariklo. What is this interesting feature?
9. It has only been 120 years since our first powered flight, but in that time humans have managed to send spacecraft to visit every single planet in the solar system. The most successful of these was a special spacecraft that visited Jupiter in 1979, Saturn in 1981, Uranus in 1986, Neptune in 1989 and is currently 20.4 billion km from Earth. Which spacecraft is this?
10. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are all larger than Earth, with Jupiter being 1120% the size of our planet. The smallest planet, Mercury, is still 38% the size. How many of these eight planets would fit (next to each other) in the distance between Earth and the Moon?
answer
1. Neptune
2. Uranus
3. Jupiter
4. Mars
5. Methane
6. A comet
7. Mercury
8. Rings
9. Voyager 2
10. All eight!
A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster loves trivia and music, and is working on a rock song called ‘Coffee is a drink, coffee is an emotion’. @bertyashley
