Ready for an Astronomy & Space Quiz?

Question

GREETINGS EARTHLINGS!

First to get ALL answers correct gets the Big Bang.

1. When was Halley's Comet last visit and when will it return?
2. Can objects in space be weighed?
3. The 1.3 miles wide Asteroid known as 2002 NT7 was first announced to collide with Earth in what year and is it still on course?
4. Can a Meteror be "heard" at the same time it is "observed"?
5. What is the furthest galaxy we can see with our own eyes (without needing help from a telescope)?
6. Does the distance from the Earth to the Sun ever change?

Good luck Earth people!

And...WE HAVE A WINNER!
Congrats to Erika A...

ans.
1. Last 1986 - every 76 years - next 2061
2. No. in space where there is no gravity objects weigh nothing!
3. 2019 (odds are about 1 in 100,000 though) no, new models show it will never impact Earth.
4. Yes, radio waves emitted by the meteorite at the same time that the visible light is emitted can travel to Earth and cause nearby objects to vibrate and cause a hissing kind of sound. this phenomenon has been called the "electrophonic effect".
5. Andromeda...about 2 million light years away.
6. Yes, the Earth's orbit around the Sun is elliptical, not perfectly circular, so the Earth-Sun distance is changing as we speak just from the Earth traveling in its orbit around the Sun.

Good job Erika!

Answer 1

1. It was last seen in the year 1986, and will return in 2061. - a 76 year period.

2. No. Because of the gravity, all objects in space are virtually weightless.

3. First announced in 2002 of course. Yes, it still is on course, and is said to hit earth February 1, 2019.

4. Yes. Some people describe it as pearls dropping on the ground, or thunder.

5. Andromeda galaxy?

6. Due to an elliptical orbit, yes, it does.

Answer 2

1) 1986 - 2061 (perihelions: it may be "seen" a few years before)

2) Yes: See how much force you need to apply to make the mass accelerate at a known rate. Using F=ma you can find its mass. You then determine the value of the gravitational field at the location and find the "weight" by applying Weight = g*m (which is the same formula as F=ma).
In Earth's low orbits, the value of gravity is almost the same as on the surface. The reason that we feel "weightless" is that we (and everything else) are in free fall. We do not feel the pressure of weight upon anything.

3) 2002. No longer a threat.
http://sse.jpl.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=3178

4) at the same time? You'd have to be very, very close...
(in most cases, the lack of air pressure, if you are that close, may distract you while you listen)
If you are on the ground, then no (speed of sound is very small compared to speed of light).

5) For most people, it is M31 (2 million light years). Maybe M33 at 2.2 million l-y (known on your planet as Gröcklnkj). However, some people with very fine vision (and some knowledge of what they look at) can see down to 8th magnitude; this is rare. I've heard rumours of M81 or M82 at 12 million light-years.

6) All the time. Every year we go from perihelion (January) to Aphelion (July) and the mean distance also changes from year to year (because of the influence of other planets).

Answer 3

1. Halley's Comet last appeared in the inner Solar System in 1986, and will next appear in mid 2061.

2.There is a simple answer to your question: they cannot be weighed, because in space where there is no gravity objects weigh nothing! The weight of an object is a force. It is the force with which a body is attracted toward Earth or another celestial body.
3.feb 1st 2019. it has one in a million probability to hit the earth
4.no...first it can be heard..after sometime it can be observed
5.Andromed galaxy(2.25 million light years away)
6.yes it changes... (eccentric orbit of earth)

gimme my credits....

Answer 4

Venus is the Paris Hilton of the Solar System--"that's hot" Mars probe will sample Martian vulva folds. The planet that spins on it's side is really lazy and gives the rest of the solar system a bad name. Hottest stars are Jennifer Aniston, and Jessica Simpson. The coolest are George Clooney and Larry the Cable Guy. 6 minutes unless it has to stop for gas between Venust and Mercury. Divide 93 million into a light years distance and write that answer down. Then go tell your mom some dude in Indiana is doing your homework!

Answer 5

1. has been answered correctly
2. to weigh an object would require an inertial test
3.NASA say it mostly certainly will not hit Earth on 2/1/2019 but the jury is still out on 2/1/2060
4.The "hear" a meteor, you would tune your AM radio to a weak or distant station, the ionization will lead to an increase in the volume of the radio while the meteor is in the sky
5. M31
6. has been answered correctly

Answer 6

1. in '85 I think but dont know the return of it :|
2.no
3.sry..dunno exactly
4.no because the immense difference betw speed of light and that of sound
5.orion?
6.yes

Answer 7

1986 Seventy Six years later or 2062