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Out of this World
Quiz: How much do you know about the moon?
This quiz is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind*.
LAST NIGHT WAS International Observe the Moon Night – an annual worldwide public event that encourages observation and appreciation of the moon.
People all over the world participated in the event – at everywhere from museums to schools to gardens.
Whether or not you took part in the event, which first took place in 2010, we want to test your knowledge of the moon.
*It’s actually just a quiz.
1. How far away is the moon from Earth?
384,400km
452,000km
523,000km
2. The moon is slowly moving away from Earth, but at what rate is this happening?
About an inch every year
About a foot every year
About 10ft every year
3. How often does the moon orbit the Earth?
Every 21 days
Every 27 days
Every 30 days
4. Earth only has one moon but some planets have more than this, while others have none. Compared to the other moons in our solar system, what size is Earth's?
Largest
Third largest
Fifth largest
5. What temperature does the moon reach when in full sunlight?
102 degrees Celsius
127 degrees Celsius
189 degrees Celsius
6. What temperature does the moon dip to when in darkness?
-103 degrees Celsius
-145 degrees Celsius
-173 degrees Celsius
7. Going back a bit, who was the first person to use a telescope aimed at the sky (in 1609) and later make the first maps of the moon?
Galileo Galilei
Thomas Harriot
Thomas Edison
What year did the Soviet Union complete the first successful soft landing of an unmanned spacecraft on the surface of the moon (the Luna 9 mission)?
1963
1966
1968
9. Neil Armstrong was first and Buzz Aldrin was second, but who was the third person to walk on the moon?
Charles P Conrad
Philip D Smith
John W Lynch
10. How many men have walked on the moon?
10
12
15
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