Hubble Trivia

  • Released Wednesday, August 12, 2020
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The Hubble Space Telescope has been answering questions about the universe for over 30 years.

Now it’s your turn to answer some questions about Hubble! Hubble Trivia is a miniseries featuring some frequently asked questions and surprising facts about the famous space telescope.

See if you can answer each trivia question before the answer is revealed!

How big is the Hubble Space Telescope?

The size of a school bus

The size of a house

The size of a fridge

The size of a car

Music: “Equinox Sunlight” by Andreas Andreas Bolldén [STIM]. Koka Media [SACEM], Universal Publishing Production Music France [SACEM], and Universal Production Music.

How far has Hubble seen into the universe?

8.2 billion light-years

11 billion light-years

13.4 billion light-years

19.7 billion light-years

Additional Visualization: ESA/Hubble (Martin Kornmesser and Luis Calçada).

Music: “In the Beginning” by Christophe La Pinta [SACEM]. Koka Media [SACEM], Universal Publishing Production Music France [SACEM], and Universal Production Music.

What Advantage Does Hubble Space Telescope Have Over Ground-based Telescopes?

It has the largest mirror

It's above Earth's atmosphere

It's closer to cosmic objects

It's a bigger telescope

Additional Visualization: 3D exploration of Pillars of Creation: NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team

Music: “Beyond The Clouds” by Torsti Juhani Spoof via Primetime Productions Ltd.

What wavelengths of light can Hubble see?

Visible

Ultraviolet

Infrared

All of the above

Additional Visualizations: Wavelength Visualizations: M. Kornmesser

Pan Over Eta Carinae: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of Arizona, Tucson), and J. Morse (BoldlyGo Institute, New York)

Music: “Touched By A Ray Of Light” by Aidan Patrick Augustine Lavelle (Atmosphere Music Ltd.)

What Does Hubble Use to Turn Itself and Point at a Target?

Solar sails

Thrusters

Reaction wheels

Counterweights

Music: “Floating Freefall” by Jason Steele via Soundcast Music

What Has Hubble Helped to Reveal About the Expansion of the Universe?

It's staying the same

It's accelerating

It's slowing down

Additional Visualization: Hubble UDF Visualization: NASA, ESA and F. Summers (STScI)

Music:"Touched By A Ray Of Light” by Aidan Patrick Augustine Lavelle via Atmosphere Music Ltd.

How Many Times Does Hubble Orbit Earth in a Day?

1

8

15

20

Music: “Through Space & Time” by Score Squad via premiumbeat.com

When was the last space shuttle servicing mission to Hubble?

1993

1999

2009

2002

Additional Footage: IMAX

Music: Touched By A Ray Of Light by Aidan Patrick Augustine Lavelle via Atmosphere Music Ltd.

Hubble has helped confirm that the Milky Way will merge with which nearby galaxy?

Pinwheel Galaxy

Whirlpool Galaxy

Sombrero Galaxy

Andromeda Galaxy

Music: Beyond The Clouds by Torsti Juhani Spoof via Primetime Productions Ltd.

How Much Exposure Time Did it Take to Capture the Hubble Ultra Deep Field Image?

About 11 days

About 11 months

About three days

About three months

Music: “Alternative Genesis” by Aidan Patrick Augustine Lavelle via Atmosphere Music Ltd.

How much data can Hubble store on board?

24 megabytes

24 gigabytes

24 gigabits

24 terabytes

Music:“Through Space and Time“ by Score Squad via premiumbeat.com

Hubble witnessed plumes of water vapor on which of Jupiter’s moons?

Europa

Ganymede

Io

Callisto

Music: “Beyond The Clouds” by Torsti Juhani Spoof via Primetime Productions Ltd.

What does Hubble’s infrared vision help astronomers see?

Distant galaxies

Through dust clouds

Cooler objects

All of the above

Music:“Frozen Waves” by Matthew Nicholson [PRS] and Suki Jeanette Finn [PRS] via Atmosphere Music Ltd [PRS] and Universal Production Music

Hubble observed what kind of explosion created by two neutron stars merging?

A stellar flare

A nova

A kilonova

A supernova

Music: “Transitions” by Ben Niblett [PRS] and Jon Cotton [PRS] via Atmosphere Music Ltd [PRS] and Universal Production Music.

What are forming in the Eagle Nebula's 'Pillars of Creation'?

Stars

Galaxies

White dwarfs

Black holes

Music: “Frozen Waves” by Matthew Nicholson [PRS] and Suki Jeanette Finn [PRS] via Atmosphere Music Ltd [PRS] and Universal Production Music.

What has Hubble helped reveal about Jupiter’s Great Red Spot?

It's shrinking

It's growing

It's disappeared

It'll last forever

Music: “Transitions” by Ben Niblett [PRS] and Jon Cotton [PRS] via Atmosphere Music Ltd [PRS] and Universal Production Music.

How wide is Hubble’s primary mirror?

Three feet

Six feet

Eight feet

Twelve feet

Music: “Frozen Waves” by Matthew Nicholson [PRS] and Suki Jeanette Finn [PRS] via Atmosphere Music Ltd [PRS] and Universal Production Music.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:44 PM EDT.

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