Help with a quiz night?

[Yimini]

I have been requested by my boss to come up with 10 astronomy based questions for a company social evening quiz night. I am struck by the immediate problem that I am going to find it difficult to judge the level of question that average non-astronomy type person is going to have a chance at answering. If anyone has done this before I would be grateful for some input. If people have suggestions for questions I would also be interested.

Many thanks

Tim

[username]

I would have difficulty thinking up those questions too! I suppose the first place I would start though would be to go through the BBC website and the online newpapers to see what has been in the mainstream news a bit. Things like missions to Mars, Voyager leaving the solar system etc. Then non-astro people would have a chance of knowing

[username]

There's some pretty easy ones too like date of first moon landing, first dog in space etc. Things like that shouldn't scare people off but then you can put a couple of harder ones to make it a good quiz

I'm sorry for the double post but can't edit yet

[knobby]

Explain the difference between astronomy and astrology

[Yimini]

Explain the difference between astronomy and astrology

Fantastic. I fell off my chair laughing.

[rowan46]

name the 8 planets

the year of the first moon landing

first man in space

common name for aurora borealis

biggest planet in our solar system

first man on the moon

longest serving tv presenter

nearest planet to earth

direction that polaris points to

name the constellations of the zodiac

10 questions that most people will get mostly right

[JamesF]

Name of the first dog in space?

Name of the astronaut who stayed in the orbiter when Aldrin and Armstrong walked on the Moon?

Name of the last shuttle to fly on a "mission"

Name a planet from a list of four or five of its moons?

To the nearest minute, how long does it take light from the Sun to reach the Earth?

During which (northern hemisphere) season is the Earth closest to the Sun?

Name the robotic explorer vehicle that landed on Mars last year?

In what year did a man last walk on the Moon?

There must be a whole load of potential historical questions you could ask relating to discoveries by the likes of Galileo, Herschel, Cassini, Huygens, Brahe and Copernicus.

James

[Hobbes]

Have a look at this site http://www.briskinfo.com/Quiz/astronomy-gk-quiz.html

[pete_l]

Given that it's supposed to be a bit of fun and not to make anyone look stupid but maybe raise some interest. How about these?

1) You can see the Moon during the day: true or false?

2) To get to space you have to travel: a ) 100 miles b ) 1000 miles c) 1 million miles

3) Which of these is NOT a planet: a) Neptune b ) Mercury c) Pandora

4) The Sun rises in the a) East b ) West c) North d) South

5) Astronauts have explored a) The Moon b ) Mars c) Jupiter d) The Sun

6) The Milky Way is a name for a) Our galaxy b ) The nearest planet c) A constellation

7) A double star is a) Ant and Dec b ) what you see with a hangover c) stars that orbit each other

8) The Earth goes round the sun a) once a day b ) once a month c) once a year d) once in a blue Moon

9) Compared with the UK, in Australia the Moon is a) the same way up b ) upside down c) not visible

10) The centre of the galaxy contains a) the brightest star b ) a black hole c) the earth

[cantab]

Apollo 14 commander Alan Shepard did which of the following on the surface of the Moon: Throw a baseball, hit a golf ball, or kick a football?

The Kepler space telescope has discovered over two thousand planets orbiting other stars, but what is 17th-century German astronomer Johannes Kepler, after whom the telescope is named, famous for?

Name the late 60s to early 70s children's TV show about a group of pink mouse-like creatures who live on a Moon-like planet?

The film "GoldenEye" prominently featured what large radio telescope?

If a pair of binoculars are referred to as 15x70, what does the number 70 refer to?

[L8-Nite]

I presume your "not" looking for true or false questions, so here are a few to consider . . . . .

1.) What star never seems to move ? Answer: Polaris.

2.) What is the difference between a star and a planet ? Answer: A star produces light, a planet does not (has no light of its own).

3.) How far is the earth from the sun ? Answer: 93 million miles (+ or - a few).

4.) How long does the Moon take to go around the Earth ? Answer: 27 days is a close enough answer, but its actually 27.3 days for all practical purpous.

5.) Name the planets in order of distance from the Sun. Answer: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

6.) What planet is closest to the earth ? Answer: Venus. Venus can approach to within 25,000,000 miles, Mars can come to within 35,000,000 miles.

7.) Where is the great meteor crater in America ? Answer: Arizona.

8.) What is the name of our nearest Galaxy ? Answer: Andromeda.

9.) What Planet has "The Great Red Spot" ? Answer: Jupiter.

10.) What are the three types of solar eclipses ? Answer: Total, Partial, and Annular.

11.) What lies between Mars & Jupiter ? Answer: The Asteroid Belt

Hope some of these may help.

[cantab]

If it's possible, picture questions could be good I reckon. Show an image of a planet or a well-known constellation and the question is to name it. It might be neat to use images posted here (with permission of course), then you can say something like "This image, taken with a 6 inch aperture telescope and a webcam from Devon, depicts what planet?"

[Shibby]

Yeah, I agree you should keep them pretty easy but with a few tricker ones.

A few of my suggestions:

What's the name given to the Galaxy in which our solar system resides? A: The Milky Way

What is the name of the nearest star? A: The Sun

Which famous astronomer and TV presenter died in December last year? A: Patrick Moore

How long does it take the Earth to orbit the Sun? A: 1 year

The moon Io orbits which planet? A: Jupiter

What is the name of the latest Mars rover, also known as the MSL? A: Curiosity

Which astronomer discovered the moons of Jupiter? A: Galileo

Which astronomer discovered the planet Uranus? A: Herschel

Andromeda, Triangulum, Sombrero, The Pinwheel and The Whirlpool are examples of what? A: Galaxies

A light year is a measure of what? A: Distance

Where is the Hubble Telescope located? A: In space

[ChrisThePuma]

What is the nearest star to Earth will catch a lot of people out - and they ALL should know this one

[Yimini]

Thanks everyone, loads of good material to choose from there.