The next time you're outdoors at night, stop and wave at the neighbours.

We have only one thing to say for those who didn't get 100% on this quiz: Read the Guide. Our Edited Guide provides a wealth of astronomical and space-type information. Go searching. Oh, and remember to read the h2g2 Post's own Galaxy Babe's monthly report in 'Babe Among the Stars'. 'Nuff said..

Here are some answers for you.

1. How many planets are there in the Sol system?. Eight. If you said, 'Nine,' you're old, you don't read the memos, or you're a curmudgeon. Pluto has been demoted to 'minor planet'. If you said 'seven', you're really old..
2. On Earth, you weigh 60 kilograms. How much do you weigh on the Moon? A mere 10 kilos. Super weight-loss programme: get in a rocket.
3. Can you snore in zero-g? No. This is good news for the weight-loss shuttle to Luna City.
4. Repeat after us, 'My very eager Miss Jones slipped upon Nancy's potato.' O-kayyy…what does that mean for Earthlings? The planets in order from the Sun. Of course, you can tell that this mnemonic is kind of old: it includes that minor planet in the list Mercury-Venus-Earth-Mars-Jupiter-Saturn-Uranus-Neptune-Pluto. But 'My very eager Miss Jones slipped upon Nancy' doesn't have the same ring to it.
5. What is the closest star to Earth? The sun. Okay, trick question. The sun makes up more than 99% of our solar system's mass, by the way. Aren't you glad you know that?
6. How much space dust falls on Earth every day? About 50 tonnes of the stuff. This has got to stop – no wonder we have allergies.
7. Bergen-Enkheim is a nice neighbourhood in Frankfurt, Germany. You could also get to Bergen-Enkheim by space probe. How come? Bergen -Enkheim is also a minor planet. If a German astronomer can't name his discovery after his home neighbourhood, what's science for? It's as good a name as all those Roman mythology monikers.
8. The Mars rovers are busy sending us pictures of the Red Planet's surface. If they'd bothered to take a person along, what would he/she be breathing? Canned air, we hope. The atmosphere over there is 95% carbon dioxide. The rovers don't care, as long as they have battery power.
9. What is the Eye of Jupiter? A wandering storm front. So stop complaining about the Earth weather, or we'll send you there.
10. What is the furthest planet from Earth that can be seen without a telescope? Saturn. After that, break out the glasses.

Now that you're super-savvy about our solar system, go and share the glad tidings with everyone you meet. You can connect with some great as trophysicists that way.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

07.04.14 Front Page

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