History of Astronomy MCQs with Answers
Who proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system?
a) Ptolemy
b) Nicolaus Copernicus
c) Galileo Galilei
d) Johannes Kepler
Answer: b) Nicolaus Copernicus
Which ancient civilization built Stonehenge, an astronomical observatory?
a) Egyptians
b) Greeks
c) Celts
d) Druids
Answer: c) Celts
Who is credited with the invention of the telescope in 1609?
a) Tycho Brahe
b) Johannes Kepler
c) Isaac Newton
d) Galileo Galilei
Answer: d) Galileo Galilei
The ancient Greek astronomer who first proposed that the Earth was round was:
a) Ptolemy
b) Aristotle
c) Eratosthenes
d) Hipparchus
Answer: c) Eratosthenes
What is the name of the astronomer who formulated the laws of planetary motion?
a) Nicolaus Copernicus
b) Galileo Galilei
c) Johannes Kepler
d) Tycho Brahe
Answer: c) Johannes Kepler
Who is considered the father of modern observational astronomy?
a) Tycho Brahe
b) Nicolaus Copernicus
c) Galileo Galilei
d) Isaac Newton
Answer: c) Galileo Galilei
The Great Red Spot is a prominent feature on which planet?
a) Mars
b) Jupiter
c) Saturn
d) Venus
Answer: b) Jupiter
Who discovered Uranus in 1781?
a) Johannes Kepler
b) William Herschel
c) Galileo Galilei
d) Isaac Newton
Answer: b) William Herschel
The concept of gravity was first described mathematically by:
a) Isaac Newton
b) Galileo Galilei
c) Albert Einstein
d) Johannes Kepler
Answer: a) Isaac Newton
Who first proposed the theory of the “Big Bang” to explain the origin of the universe?
a) Edwin Hubble
b) Albert Einstein
c) Georges Lemaître
d) Isaac Newton
Answer: c) Georges Lemaître
Which ancient civilization developed the first known calendar based on astronomical observations?
a) Mesopotamians
b) Egyptians
c) Chinese
d) Mayans
Answer: a) Mesopotamians
What is the name of the mission that successfully landed humans on the moon in 1969?
a) Apollo 11
b) Mercury 7
c) Gemini 4
d) Soyuz 1
Answer: a) Apollo 11
Who proposed the three laws of planetary motion?
a) Tycho Brahe
b) Galileo Galilei
c) Johannes Kepler
d) Isaac Newton
Answer: c) Johannes Kepler
The Tunguska event of 1908 is believed to have been caused by the explosion of:
a) A comet
b) An asteroid
c) A meteorite
d) A volcano
Answer: c) A meteorite
Who was the first woman to work as a professional astronomer?
a) Henrietta Swan Leavitt
b) Caroline Herschel
c) Maria Mitchell
d) Annie Jump Cannon
Answer: b) Caroline Herschel
The “Doppler effect” is associated with changes in:
a) Light intensity
b) Sound pitch
c) Gravity
d) Magnetic fields
Answer: b) Sound pitch
Which space telescope was launched by NASA in 1990 and has provided valuable data about the universe?
a) Hubble Space Telescope
b) Spitzer Space Telescope
c) Kepler Space Telescope
d) Chandra X-ray Observatory
Answer: a) Hubble Space Telescope
What is the term for the point in the orbit of a planet or other celestial body where it is closest to the sun?
a) Aphelion
b) Perihelion
c) Equinox
d) Solstice
Answer: b) Perihelion
Who was the first person to observe the moons of Jupiter?
a) Johannes Kepler
b) Tycho Brahe
c) Galileo Galilei
d) Isaac Newton
Answer: c) Galileo Galilei
Which scientist proposed the theory of relativity?
a) Isaac Newton
b) Albert Einstein
c) Galileo Galilei
d) Johannes Kepler
Answer: b) Albert Einstein
The study of celestial objects outside the Earth’s atmosphere is known as:
a) Astrobiology
b) Cosmology
c) Astrophysics
d) Astrogeology
Answer: c) Astrophysics
What is the name of the brightest star in the night sky?
a) Alpha Centauri
b) Sirius
c) Vega
d) Polaris
Answer: b) Sirius
Who developed the first comprehensive theory of the motions of the planets?
a) Ptolemy
b) Galileo Galilei
c) Johannes Kepler
d) Tycho Brahe
Answer: c) Johannes Kepler
Which astronomer discovered Pluto in 1930?
a) Clyde Tombaugh
b) Edwin Hubble
c) William Herschel
d) Percival Lowell
Answer: a) Clyde Tombaugh
What is the name of the phenomenon where the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow on the Earth?
a) Solar eclipse
b) Lunar eclipse
c) Equinox
d) Solstice
Answer: a) Solar eclipse
The study of the origin and evolution of the universe is known as:
a) Astronomy
b) Cosmology
c) Astrology
d) Astrophysics
Answer: b) Cosmology
Who proposed the concept of the “expanding universe”?
a) Edwin Hubble
b) Albert Einstein
c) Georges Lemaître
d) Isaac Newton
Answer: a) Edwin Hubble
The “Oort Cloud” is believed to be a source of:
a) Comets
b) Asteroids
c) Meteoroids
d) Planets
Answer: a) Comets
What is the name of the effect where light is bent due to gravity, often observed during a solar eclipse?
a) Refraction
b) Reflection
c) Dispersion
d) Gravitational lensing
Answer: d) Gravitational lensing
Who is known for his discovery of sunspots?
a) Galileo Galilei
b) Tycho Brahe
c) Johannes Kepler
d) Isaac Newton
Answer: a) Galileo Galilei
Which ancient civilization developed a sophisticated system of astronomy and astrology?
a) Sumerians
b) Aztecs
c) Incas
d) Babylonians
Answer: d) Babylonians
What is the name of the first artificial satellite launched into space?
a) Vanguard 1
b) Sputnik 1
c) Explorer 1
d) Luna 1
Answer: b) Sputnik 1
Which planet is known as the “Morning Star” or “Evening Star” depending on its appearance in the sky?
a) Venus
b) Mars
c) Mercury
d) Jupiter
Answer: a) Venus
Who proposed the laws of motion that describe the behavior of objects under the influence of forces?
a) Isaac Newton
b) Galileo Galilei
c) Johannes Kepler
d) Tycho Brahe
Answer: a) Isaac Newton
What is the term for the alignment of three celestial bodies, such as the Earth, moon, and sun?
a) Solar eclipse
b) Lunar eclipse
c) Conjunction
d) Opposition
Answer: c) Conjunction
Who was the first person to develop a successful model of the universe with the sun at the center?
a) Tycho Brahe
b) Johannes Kepler
c) Galileo Galilei
d) Nicolaus Copernicus
Answer: d) Nicolaus Copernicus
What is the name of the mission that successfully landed humans on the moon in 1969?
a) Apollo 11
b) Mercury 7
c) Gemini 4
d) Soyuz 1
Answer: a) Apollo 11
Which astronomer formulated the laws of planetary motion?
a) Galileo Galilei
b) Nicolaus Copernicus
c) Johannes Kepler
d) Tycho Brahe
Answer: c) Johannes Kepler
What is the name of the point in the sky directly above an observer?
a) Zenith
b) Nadir
c) Equator
d) Meridian
Answer: a) Zenith
Who discovered the first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star?
a) Carl Sagan
b) Edwin Hubble
c) Johannes Kepler
d) Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz
Answer: d) Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz
What is the name of the process by which stars produce energy?
a) Fusion
b) Fission
c) Convection
d) Radiation
Answer: a) Fusion
Which planet is known for its prominent rings?
a) Saturn
b) Jupiter
c) Uranus
d) Neptune
Answer: a) Saturn
Who discovered the laws of motion governing the behavior of objects on Earth and in space?
a) Isaac Newton
b) Galileo Galilei
c) Johannes Kepler
d) Tycho Brahe
Answer: a) Isaac Newton
What is the term for the point in a planet’s orbit where it is farthest from the sun?
a) Perihelion
b) Aphelion
c) Equinox
d) Solstice
Answer: b) Aphelion
The study of the structure and evolution of stars is known as:
a) Astrophysics
b) Cosmology
c) Astrobiology
d) Stellar astronomy
Answer: d) Stellar astronomy
Who first proposed the concept of the “Black Hole”?
a) Albert Einstein
b) Stephen Hawking
c) Karl Schwarzschild
d) John Michell
Answer: d) John Michell
What is the name of the mission that provided the first close-up images of Pluto in 2015?
a) Voyager 1
b) New Horizons
c) Cassini-Huygens
d) Dawn
Answer: b) New Horizons
Which planet is often referred to as Earth’s “sister planet” due to its similar size and composition?
a) Mars
b) Venus
c) Mercury
d) Jupiter
Answer: b) Venus
Who first proposed the theory of a heliocentric solar system in ancient Greece?
a) Ptolemy
b) Aristotle
c) Eratosthenes
d) Aristarchus
Answer: d) Aristarchus
What is the name of the space mission that successfully landed the rover Curiosity on Mars in 2012?
a) Mars Pathfinder
b) Mars Express
c) Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
d) Mars Science Laboratory
Answer: d) Mars Science Laboratory
