Space & Astronomy

MCQs About Space & Astronomy

1. Which planet has the largest number of moons in the Solar System?
(A) Saturn
(B) Jupiter
(C) Uranus
(D) Neptune

Answer is : (A) Saturn

2. The first artificial satellite launched into space was:
(A) Explorer 1
(B) Sputnik 1
(C) Luna 1
(D) Vanguard 1

Answer is : (B) Sputnik 1

3. What is the largest type of star in the universe?
(A) White dwarf
(B) Red supergiant
(C) Neutron star
(D) Yellow dwarf

Answer is : (B) Red supergiant

4. The closest star system to Earth after the Sun is:
(A) Sirius
(B) Alpha Centauri
(C) Betelgeuse
(D) Procyon

Answer is : (B) Alpha Centauri

5. The Milky Way galaxy is classified as a:
(A) Elliptical galaxy
(B) Spiral galaxy
(C) Irregular galaxy
(D) Lenticular galaxy

Answer is : (B) Spiral galaxy

6. The first human to travel into space was:
(A) Neil Armstrong
(B) Yuri Gagarin
(C) John Glenn
(D) Valentina Tereshkova

Answer is : (B) Yuri Gagarin

7. The Great Red Spot is a storm on which planet?
(A) Saturn
(B) Jupiter
(C) Neptune
(D) Uranus

Answer is : (B) Jupiter

8. A black hole is formed when:
(A) A planet collapses
(B) A supernova collapses under gravity
(C) A galaxy explodes
(D) A comet impacts a star

Answer is : (B) A supernova collapses under gravity

9. The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in:
(A) 1985
(B) 1990
(C) 1995
(D) 2000

Answer is : (B) 1990

10. The first manned Moon landing took place in:
(A) 1967
(B) 1969
(C) 1971
(D) 1973

Answer is : (B) 1969

11. The most abundant element in the universe is:
(A) Helium
(B) Hydrogen
(C) Oxygen
(D) Carbon

Answer is : (B) Hydrogen

12. Which planet is tilted on its side at about 98 degrees?
(A) Uranus
(B) Neptune
(C) Saturn
(D) Pluto

Answer is : (A) Uranus

13. The first woman in space was:
(A) Sally Ride
(B) Valentina Tereshkova
(C) Christina Koch
(D) Peggy Whitson

Answer is : (B) Valentina Tereshkova

14. The phenomenon where light cannot escape a star is called:
(A) Supernova
(B) Quasar
(C) Black hole
(D) Pulsar

Answer is : (C) Black hole

15. Which planet has the shortest day in the Solar System?
(A) Earth
(B) Jupiter
(C) Saturn
(D) Neptune

Answer is : (B) Jupiter

16. The first spacecraft to reach interstellar space was:
(A) Voyager 1
(B) Voyager 2
(C) Pioneer 10
(D) New Horizons

Answer is : (A) Voyager 1

17. The Kuiper Belt is located beyond which planet?
(A) Neptune
(B) Uranus
(C) Saturn
(D) Jupiter

Answer is : (A) Neptune

18. The Andromeda Galaxy is expected to collide with the Milky Way in about:
(A) 1 billion years
(B) 2 billion years
(C) 4 billion years
(D) 10 billion years

Answer is : (C) 4 billion years

19. What is the densest planet in the Solar System?
(A) Earth
(B) Jupiter
(C) Saturn
(D) Neptune

Answer is : (A) Earth

20. The term “event horizon” is related to:
(A) White dwarfs
(B) Black holes
(C) Neutron stars
(D) Quasars

Answer is : (B) Black holes

21. Which planet is known as the “Morning Star” and “Evening Star”?
(A) Mercury
(B) Venus
(C) Mars
(D) Saturn

Answer is : (B) Venus

22. What is the name of the largest volcano in the Solar System?
(A) Mount Everest
(B) Mauna Kea
(C) Olympus Mons
(D) Tamu Massif

Answer is : (C) Olympus Mons

23. The first American astronaut to orbit Earth was:
(A) Alan Shepard
(B) John Glenn
(C) Neil Armstrong
(D) Buzz Aldrin

Answer is : (B) John Glenn

24. Which planet has the most intense winds in the Solar System?
(A) Neptune
(B) Jupiter
(C) Saturn
(D) Uranus

Answer is : (A) Neptune

25. A light-year measures:
(A) Time
(B) Distance
(C) Speed
(D) Energy

Answer is : (B) Distance

26. The James Webb Space Telescope was launched in:
(A) 2018
(B) 2019
(C) 2021
(D) 2023

27. The Oort Cloud is believed to be the source of:
(A) Moons
(B) Asteroids
(C) Comets
(D) Meteors

Answer is : (C) Comets

28. Which planet has a hexagon-shaped storm at its north pole?
(A) Jupiter
(B) Saturn
(C) Uranus
(D) Neptune

Answer is : (B) Saturn

29. Who proposed the heliocentric model of the universe?
(A) Ptolemy
(B) Copernicus
(C) Galileo
(D) Kepler

Answer is : (B) Copernicus

30. What is the name of the first space station launched by the Soviet Union?
(A) Salyut 1
(B) Mir
(C) Skylab
(D) ISS

Answer is : (A) Salyut 1

31. The Sun generates energy through:
(A) Nuclear fusion
(B) Nuclear fission
(C) Chemical reaction
(D) Gravitational pull

Answer is : (A) Nuclear fusion

32. Which dwarf planet is located in the asteroid belt?
(A) Eris
(B) Haumea
(C) Pluto
(D) Ceres

Answer is : (D) Ceres

33. The phenomenon of stars twinkling is caused by:
(A) Clouds
(B) Earth’s atmosphere
(C) Their small size
(D) Distance from Earth

Answer is : (B) Earth’s atmosphere

34. Who was the first person to set foot on the Moon?
(A) Yuri Gagarin
(B) Neil Armstrong
(C) Buzz Aldrin
(D) Michael Collins

Answer is : (B) Neil Armstrong

35. What type of galaxy is the Andromeda Galaxy?
(A) Spiral
(B) Elliptical
(C) Irregular
(D) Lenticular

Answer is : (A) Spiral

36. A neutron star is formed after:
(A) A red giant burns out
(B) A planet explodes
(C) A black hole collapses
(D) A supernova explosion

Answer is : (D) A supernova explosion

37. Which is the hottest planet in the Solar System?
(A) Mercury
(B) Venus
(C) Mars
(D) Jupiter

Answer is : (B) Venus

38. The fastest-spinning planet in the Solar System is:
(A) Earth
(B) Jupiter
(C) Saturn
(D) Neptune

Answer is : (B) Jupiter

39. What is the second-largest planet in the Solar System?
(A) Neptune
(B) Uranus
(C) Saturn
(D) Earth

Answer is : (C) Saturn

40. Which planet has the strongest magnetic field?
(A) Earth
(B) Jupiter
(C) Saturn
(D) Neptune

Answer is : (B) Jupiter

41. Which planet is sometimes called Earth’s twin?
(A) Venus
(B) Mars
(C) Mercury
(D) Neptune

Answer is : (A) Venus

42. What is the name of the boundary where the Sun’s solar wind meets interstellar space?
(A) Magnetopause
(B) Heliosphere
(C) Termination shock
(D) Event horizon

Answer is : (C) Termination shock

43. The “Great Dark Spot” was discovered on which planet?
(A) Neptune
(B) Jupiter
(C) Uranus
(D) Saturn

Answer is : (A) Neptune

44. Which spacecraft carried the famous “Golden Record” into space?
(A) Apollo 11
(B) Voyager 1 & 2
(C) Pioneer 11
(D) Cassini

Answer is : (B) Voyager 1 & 2

45. What is the name of the path followed by celestial bodies around stars?
(A) Rotation
(B) Orbit
(C) Revolution
(D) Axis

Answer is : (B) Orbit

46. The Crab Nebula is the remnant of a:
(A) Galaxy collision
(B) Black hole
(C) Supernova
(D) Star cluster

Answer is : (C) Supernova

47. Which gas dominates the atmosphere of Venus?
(A) Oxygen
(B) Nitrogen
(C) Carbon dioxide
(D) Hydrogen

Answer is : (C) Carbon dioxide

48. What is the approximate age of the universe?
(A) 8 billion years
(B) 10 billion years
(C) 13.8 billion years
(D) 20 billion years

Answer is : (C) 13.8 billion years

49. Which was the first probe to successfully land on Mars?
(A) Viking 1
(B) Pathfinder
(C) Curiosity
(D) Opportunity

Answer is : (A) Viking 1

50. The rotation of Earth causes:
(A) Seasons
(B) Day and night
(C) Lunar phases
(D) Solar eclipses

Answer is : (B) Day and night

51. What is the name of Saturn’s largest moon?
(A) Ganymede
(B) Europa
(C) Titan
(D) Callisto

Answer is : (C) Titan

52. Who discovered the rings of Saturn?
(A) Kepler
(B) Galileo Galilei
(C) Huygens
(D) Newton

Answer is : (B) Galileo Galilei

53. What is the coldest planet in the Solar System?
(A) Neptune
(B) Uranus
(C) Pluto
(D) Saturn

Answer is : (B) Uranus

54. Which mission first landed a rover on Mars?
(A) Spirit
(B) Opportunity
(C) Pathfinder (Sojourner)
(D) Curiosity

Answer is : (C) Pathfinder (Sojourner)

55. The Sun belongs to which type of star?
(A) Red giant
(B) Yellow dwarf (G-type main sequence)
(C) White dwarf
(D) Blue giant

Answer is : (B) Yellow dwarf (G-type main sequence)

56. Which planet takes the longest time to orbit the Sun?
(A) Neptune
(B) Uranus
(C) Saturn
(D) Pluto

Answer is : (A) Neptune

57. A pulsar is a type of:
(A) Galaxy
(B) Star
(C) Planet
(D) Nebula

Answer is : (B) Star

58. Which planet was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006?
(A) Ceres
(B) Pluto
(C) Eris
(D) Haumea

Answer is : (B) Pluto

59. The first U.S. space station was called:
(A) Skylab
(B) Mir
(C) ISS
(D) Freedom

Answer is : (A) Skylab

60. The faint glow of light from the early universe detected by satellites is known as:
(A) Dark matter
(B) Cosmic microwave background radiation
(C) Solar wind
(D) Pulsar emissions

Answer is : (B) Cosmic microwave background radiation

61. The first artificial satellite launched by humans was:
(A) Explorer 1
(B) Sputnik 1
(C) Luna 1
(D) Vanguard 1

Answer is : (B) Sputnik 1

62. What is the name of the line separating the light and dark sides of the Moon?
(A) Meridian
(B) Horizon
(C) Terminator
(D) Equator

Answer is : (C) Terminator

63. The largest moon in the Solar System is:
(A) Titan
(B) Callisto
(C) Ganymede
(D) Europa

Answer is : (C) Ganymede

64. Which spacecraft was the first to land on a comet?
(A) Voyager 2
(B) Rosetta (Philae lander)
(C) Pioneer 10
(D) Galileo

Answer is : (B) Rosetta (Philae lander)

65. What is the name of the brightest star in the night sky?
(A) Betelgeuse
(B) Polaris
(C) Sirius
(D) Vega

Answer is : (C) Sirius

66. Which planet rotates on its side at an angle of about 98 degrees?
(A) Uranus
(B) Neptune
(C) Saturn
(D) Venus

Answer is : (A) Uranus

67. The first man in space was:
(A) Yuri Gagarin
(B) Neil Armstrong
(C) Valentina Tereshkova
(D) Alan Shepard

Answer is : (A) Yuri Gagarin

68. Which space probe was the first to leave the Solar System?
(A) Voyager 1
(B) Pioneer 10
(C) Voyager 2
(D) New Horizons

Answer is : (B) Pioneer 10

69. The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in:
(A) 1985
(B) 1990
(C) 1995
(D) 2000

Answer is : (B) 1990

70. Which planet has the largest number of moons discovered so far?
(A) Saturn
(B) Jupiter
(C) Neptune
(D) Uranus

Answer is : (A) Saturn

71. The event when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun is called:
(A) Lunar eclipse
(B) Solar eclipse
(C) Equinox
(D) Transit

Answer is : (B) Solar eclipse

72. The first woman in space was:
(A) Sally Ride
(B) Valentina Tereshkova
(C) Svetlana Savitskaya
(D) Christina Koch

Answer is : (B) Valentina Tereshkova

73. What is the most abundant element in the universe?
(A) Helium
(B) Oxygen
(C) Hydrogen
(D) Carbon

Answer is : (C) Hydrogen

74. The first spacecraft to successfully land on Venus was:
(A) Venera 7
(B) Mariner 2
(C) Venera 9
(D) Pioneer Venus

Answer is : (A) Venera 7

75. Which type of star ends its life as a black hole?
(A) Small stars
(B) Medium stars
(C) Massive stars
(D) Neutron stars

Answer is : (C) Massive stars

76. What is the closest star system to Earth?
(A) Alpha Centauri
(B) Sirius
(C) Procyon
(D) Vega

Answer is : (A) Alpha Centauri

77. Which planet has a day longer than its year?
(A) Mercury
(B) Venus
(C) Mars
(D) Neptune

Answer is : (B) Venus

78. What is the name of the largest known galaxy?
(A) Andromeda
(B) Milky Way
(C) IC 1101
(D) Messier 87

Answer is : (C) IC 1101

79. Who discovered the law of planetary motion?
(A) Galileo Galilei
(B) Isaac Newton
(C) Johannes Kepler
(D) Copernicus

Answer is : (C) Johannes Kepler

80. What is the approximate surface temperature of the Sun?
(A) 2,000°C
(B) 3,500°C
(C) 5,500°C
(D) 10,000°C

Answer is : (C) 5,500°C

81. Which galaxy is on a collision course with the Milky Way?
(A) Triangulum Galaxy
(B) Messier 81
(C) Andromeda Galaxy
(D) Whirlpool Galaxy

Answer is : (C) Andromeda Galaxy

82. What is the event horizon of a black hole?
(A) The visible surface
(B) The point of no return
(C) The gravitational center
(D) The accretion disk

Answer is : (B) The point of no return

83. The first human-made object to reach the Moon’s surface was:
(A) Apollo 11
(B) Luna 2
(C) Surveyor 1
(D) Ranger 7

Answer is : (B) Luna 2

84. Which mission landed the first humans on the Moon?
(A) Apollo 8
(B) Apollo 11
(C) Apollo 12
(D) Apollo 13

Answer is : (B) Apollo 11

85. Which planet’s moon Triton orbits in the opposite direction of its rotation?
(A) Neptune
(B) Uranus
(C) Saturn
(D) Jupiter

Answer is : (A) Neptune

86. Which element powers most stars through nuclear fusion?
(A) Helium
(B) Carbon
(C) Hydrogen
(D) Nitrogen

Answer is : (C) Hydrogen

87. The Kuiper Belt lies beyond the orbit of which planet?
(A) Neptune
(B) Uranus
(C) Saturn
(D) Jupiter

Answer is : (A) Neptune

88. What type of galaxy is the Milky Way?
(A) Spiral
(B) Elliptical
(C) Irregular
(D) Lenticular

Answer is : (A) Spiral

89. Which telescope is planned to succeed Hubble?
(A) Kepler
(B) James Webb Space Telescope
(C) Chandra X-ray Telescope
(D) Spitzer Space Telescope

Answer is : (B) James Webb Space Telescope

90. The largest confirmed exoplanet discovered so far is named:
(A) WASP-17b
(B) HD 209458b
(C) TrES-4b
(D) Kepler-22b

Answer is : (C) TrES-4b

91. The main component of Saturn’s rings is:
(A) Iron
(B) Ice and rock
(C) Dust
(D) Gas

Answer is : (B) Ice and rock

92. Which planet was visited by the Cassini-Huygens mission?
(A) Jupiter
(B) Saturn
(C) Neptune
(D) Mars

Answer is : (B) Saturn

93. The rotation period of Earth relative to the stars is called a:
(A) Solar day
(B) Sidereal day
(C) Equinox
(D) Solstice

Answer is : (B) Sidereal day

94. What is the Roche limit?
(A) Distance within which a moon would disintegrate
(B) The orbit of a planet
(C) Distance of a comet from Sun
(D) Limit of atmosphere

Answer is : (A) Distance within which a moon would disintegrate

95. What type of celestial body is Vesta?
(A) Dwarf planet
(B) Asteroid
(C) Moon
(D) Comet

Answer is : (B) Asteroid

96. Which spacecraft visited Pluto in 2015?
(A) Voyager 2
(B) New Horizons
(C) Pioneer 11
(D) Galileo

Answer is : (B) New Horizons

97. Which is the densest planet in the Solar System?
(A) Earth
(B) Jupiter
(C) Venus
(D) Neptune

Answer is : (A) Earth

98. The first American woman in space was:
(A) Sally Ride
(B) Peggy Whitson
(C) Mae Jemison
(D) Kathryn Sullivan

Answer is : (A) Sally Ride

99. The phenomenon of gravitational lensing was predicted by:
(A) Newton
(B) Galileo
(C) Einstein
(D) Hubble

Answer is : (C) Einstein

100. What is the name of the boundary that marks the observable universe?
(A) Cosmological horizon
(B) Event horizon
(C) Galactic edge
(D) Dark energy barrier

Answer is : (A) Cosmological horizon