Think the kids have a good grasp on what’s out there in the cosmos? It’s time to test their space smarts then!
These astronomy and space-related trivia questions will challenge their knowledge of planets, stars, galaxies, famous astronauts, and cosmic phenomena.
Whether they’re seasoned stargazers or curious learners, we think they’ll learn something new and exciting about the universe—even if they don’t get all the answers right.
Remember, our trivia articles are best when you have one ‘quizzer’ reading the questions aloud to others. Get ready for a fun (and hopefully educational) trivia quiz on the wonders of space!
Looking to test YOUR adult knowledge on ALL things science? Try our space trivia for adults or our science trivia mega-quiz next!
Space Trivia For Kids
True or false: Space is completely silent.
Answer: True.
What is the study of stars, planets, and galaxies called?
Answer: Astronomy.
Which is closer to Earth — the sun or the moon?
Answer: The moon. It’s a good thing that Earth isn’t too close to the Sun. If we were too close, it would be way too hot to live here. The Sun’s surface is very hot!
Which is hotter, the outside (atmosphere) of the sun or the core of the sun?
Answer: The Sun’s core is the hottest part of all, at a sizzling 27 million degrees Fahrenheit!
What stage of starhood is the Sun in right now?
Answer: The Sun is right in the middle of its lifecycle. Right now, our Sun is in a stage called yellow dwarf.
True or false: The sun is the biggest star in the Universe.
Answer: False. While we’re still discovering new stars, UY Scuti is probably the biggest star ever observed, more than 1700 times the size of the sun.
How long does it take for the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun?
Answer: One year, or approximately 365 days, 6 hours, and 9 minutes.
What is the only planet in our solar system not named after a God?
Answer: Earth.
True or false: The light from the Sun looks white. But it is really made up of all the colors of the rainbow.
Answer: True.
Why is the sky blue on Earth?
Answer: Sunlight reaches Earth’s atmosphere and is scattered in all directions by all the gases and particles in the air. Blue light is scattered more than the other colors because it travels as shorter, smaller waves. This is why we see a blue sky most of the time.
What is the coldest planet in our solar system?
Answer: Neptune has the coldest overall average temperature and Uranus has the coldest temperature recorded.
What natural resource covers most of the Earth?
Answer: Water.
What is the name of the main scientific theory that describes how our universe was created?
Answer: The Big Bang Theory.
What is the largest planet in our solar system?
Answer: Jupiter.
Which planet has the most extensive ring system?
Answer: Saturn.
Which planet is the closest planet to the Sun, and the smallest planet in our solar system – only slightly larger than Earth’s Moon?
Answer: Mercury.
Despite its proximity to the Sun, Mercury is not the hottest planet in our solar system— that title belongs to nearby ___, thanks to its dense atmosphere.
Answer: Venus.
What are the rings around Saturn made of?
Answer: Ice and rock particles.
True or false: The moon is not a planet.
Answer: True. By the 17th century, astronomers (aided by the invention of the telescope) realized that the Moon is not a planet, but a satellite of Earth.
Which planet is known as the “Blue Planet” due to its oceans?
Answer: Earth
How does a solar eclipse happen?
Answer: A solar eclipse occurs when the moon gets between Earth and the sun, and the moon casts a shadow over Earth.
Which planet is known for its Great Red Spot?
Answer: Jupiter.
Which planet has the largest ocean?
Answer: Jupiter.
What is the closest star to Earth?
Answer: The Sun.
Which planet is known as the “Red Planet”?
Answer: Mars
What year did the Apollo 11 mission land on the Moon?
Answer: 1969.
Who was the first human to walk on the Moon?
Answer: Neil Armstrong. On July 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon.
What was the name of the first chimpanzee in space, who flew on the Mercury-Redstone 2 mission on January 31, 1961?
Answer: Ham.
What is the galaxy that contains our Solar System?
Answer: The Milky Way.
What are stars made of?
Answer: Stars are made of hot gases, mostly hydrogen and helium.
What is the name of the process that makes stars shine?
Answer: Nuclear fusion.
What color are the hottest stars?
Answer: Blue.
What do we call a group of stars that forms a pattern in the sky?
Answer: A constellation.
What is the name of the galaxy cluster that includes the Milky Way?
Answer: The Local Group.
What is the term for a star that suddenly increases in brightness and then fades?
Answer: A nova.
What tool do astronomers use to observe distant stars and galaxies from the ground?
Answer: A telescope.
What is the name of the telescope that has been orbiting Earth since 1990 and has provided many stunning images of space?
Answer: The Hubble Space Telescope.
What type of telescope uses mirrors to gather and focus light from stars and other celestial objects?
Answer: A reflecting telescope.
What instrument do scientists use to analyze the light from stars to determine what they’re made of and how hot they are?
Answer: A spectroscope.
What are sunspots?
Answer: Sunspots are areas that appear dark on the surface of the Sun because they are cooler than other parts of the Sun’s surface.
Which space shuttle was the first to be launched?
Answer: Columbia. Columbia launched on April 12, 1981, and returned on April 14, 1981, 54.5 hours later, having orbited the Earth 37 times. Columbia carried a crew of two.
In the USA, we refer to our space explorers as “astronauts”, a term that comes from the Greek words for “star” and “sailor”. Russian space explorers are called what?
Answer: Cosmonauts.
The Milky Way is the second-largest galaxy in our cluster (or galactic neighborhood). Which galaxy in the Local Group is larger than the Milky Way?
Answer: The Andromeda Galaxy.
What type of galaxy is the Milky Way?
Answer: A spiral galaxy. It’s called a spiral galaxy because if you could view it from the top or bottom, it would look like a spinning pinwheel.
How many stars are in the Milky Way — is it 100 thousand, 100 million, or 100 billion?
Answer: 100 Billion.
Best Trivia Games of 2024
Can’t get enough of the trivia goodness? Neither can we. If you’re looking for trivia games to play with friends/family, here are our favorite trivia board games on the market this year!
GENSMAK! Fun for All Generations – Trivia Game
Choose to answer questions from categories like Gen Z, Millenial, Gen X, Boomer, and more!
Dynamic gameplay with questions that vary by generation, category, and difficulty level.
2 to 12 players | Includes 500 trivia questions
Ultimate Pub Trivia
1,100 questions covering 6 different categories
Host your own pub-style trivia nights
4 or more players | Ages 12 and up
Anomia Party Edition
A very popular card game for families, teens and adults!
Fast-paced friendly competition and laugh-til-you cry kind of fun
3-6 players | Ages 10+
…I should have known that! Trivia Game
110 cards with 400+ questions
Instead of points for answering questions right, points are subtracted for every wrong answer
Players 2+ | Ages 14+
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