Demo. An invented family, made-up minutes, nobody's real child. The quizzes work: pass a round and watch the clock change.

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🔭 Astronomy and the Night Sky

Years 7 to 10 · Read up first

10 questions. Get 8 right to earn 10 minutes. All 10 right = +5 bonus. They start easy and get harder as you go, so treat the first few as a warm-up. Every one you miss comes back with the answer and why.

1. How long does Earth take to spin once on its axis?

About 365 daysAbout 24 hoursAbout 7 daysAbout 12 hours

2. Which planet is closest to the Sun?

MercuryEarthMarsVenus

3. Why do stars appear to twinkle?

They spin very fastEarth's moving atmosphere bends their lightClouds pass in front of themThey switch on and off

4. What is a shooting star really?

A satellite crashingLightning high in the skyA meteor, a bit of space rock burning up in our atmosphereA star falling out of the sky

5. What is Matariki?

A planet visible only from NZA star cluster whose rising marks the Māori New YearThe brightest single star in the skyA comet that returns every 76 years

6. Which way does a comet's tail point?

Always towards EarthStraight downBehind it, like a jet trailAlways away from the Sun

7. By what other name do astronomers know the Matariki cluster?

The PleiadesThe Southern CrossOrion's BeltAlpha Centauri

8. Which NZ region is famous as an International Dark Sky Reserve for stargazing?

Central AucklandAoraki MackenzieThe WaikatoWellington Harbour

9. The bright 'evening star' or 'morning star' is usually not a star at all. What is it?

A cometSiriusThe ISSThe planet Venus

10. Some iwi mark the Māori New Year by a different star rising, because Matariki is hard to see from their area. Which star?

SiriusThe SunPolarisPuanga (Rigel)

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