1. Born this day in 1812, Johann Gottfried Galle was a German astronomer, who was the first person to view a new planet knowing exactly what he was looking at. While working at the Berlin observatory he was told by French astronomer Le Verrier that he believed there was a new planet. Galle, the same night, discovered its position. Which planet was this that is currently the furthest from the sun?
2. The Earth rotates west to east on its axis with an inclination of 23.45 degrees, from the plane of its orbit around the Sun. Almost all other planets have a similar rotation. There is only one planet that rotates on its side, appearing to roll around the sun like a ball. Its weird orientation is believed to be due to some huge collision that happened millions of years ago. Which planet is this?
An 1888 lithograph of the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. | Photo Credit: Wiki Commons
3. When volcano Krakatoa exploded in 1883, it was the largest and most deadly explosion in recorded history. It caused the loudest sound in history, sending shockwaves that travelled around the planet thrice. It sent ash 27 km high into the atmosphere. Comparatively, there are volcanoes on a moon too which send plumes of sulphur 300 km high and emit a tonne of particles every second. This excessive energy is due to the massive gravity of the planet it orbits. Which planet?
4. The largest volcano in the known universe (as of now) is Olympus Mons. It is 602 km across and is 25 km high, three times the height of Mt. Everest, or hundred times larger than Hawaii’s Mauna Loa which is Earth’s largest volcano. It is believed that it reaches such heights because of the weaker gravity on the planet. On which planet is this super-volcano that future human settlers might have to deal with?
5. The fastest wind speed recorded on Earth was 408 kmph during Hurricane Olivia, which hit Australia in 1996. The fastest winds in the Solar system though are on Neptune, reaching speeds of 2000 kmph, almost twice the speed of sound. Instead of air, which compound (that is a natural fuel on Earth) is blown around at these terrific speeds?
6. In 2014, spacecraft Rosetta discovered water on a non-terrestrial surface and gave credence to the theory of how water could have come to Earth billions of years ago. The molecular make-up of the water though was very different as its deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio suggests it was from a time closer to the formation of the solar system. Where did Rosetta find this water?
7. Though being the second densest after Earth, this planet has recently been found to be shrinking. It has some tectonic movement happening because the internal rock and molten metal have gotten cooler leading its inside to shrink by almost 7 km. Which planet is this that is already the smallest?
8. One of the most iconic visual aspects of our solar system is formed by one of two things — either ice crystals or rocky particles and dust. Many theories have been put forward for their existence, such as a destroyed satellite. In 2014, the very first non-planet to have this characteristic was found, an asteroid called Chariklo. What is this interesting characteristic?
9. It’s been just 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 particular 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 bigger 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 (side-to-side) in the distance between the Earth and the moon?
Answers
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 enjoys trivia and music, and is working on a rock ballad called ‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’. @bertyashley
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