Can You Identify These Types of Celestial Bodies From NASA Pictures?

By: Talin Vartanian
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Identify These Types of Celestial Bodies From NASA Pictures?
Image: Wiki Commons / NASA and European Space Agency [Public domain]

About This Quiz

A wide variety of celestial bodies live in the night sky. Some can be seen with the naked eye, while others live millions of light years away. Other celestial objects are only a few million years old, while others have been around since the beginning of time.

You might be thinking "What's a celestial object?" A celestial object (or celestial body) is basically anything natural that lives in our night sky. This includes galaxies, stars, clouds, gas, asteroids, comets and the planets in our solar system. Even our own planet, Earth, is considered to be a celestial body. Some are also very cold, while other objects are scorching hot, like the Sun. In fact, did you know that the surface temperature of the Sun is 5,778 K? This quiz may also teach you about celestial bodies that you've never heard of, such as M51a, Messier 81 and the Crab Nebula.

Today, we'll take a look at 40 amazing NASA images that showcase the celestial bodies in our night sky. It will be your job to match these images to the name of the celestial object from the answer list. These might include nebulae, galaxies, planets and much more! Take this quiz now to put your astronomy knowledge to the test!

Mercury
Mercury has an orbital period of 88 days and is located about 36 million miles from the Sun. It also orbits at a speed of 112,000 miles per hour.
Venus
Mars
Jupiter

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Asteroid Which of these are known as "minor planets?"
Debris
Sun
Asteroids
Asteroids are also known as "planetoids," depending on the size. Ceres is one of the most well-known asteroids.
Comets

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Venus Which of these planets features an orbital period of 225 days (around the Sun)?
Uranus
Jupiter
Venus
This planet is the second-shortest to the Sun (in terms of distance), which is exactly 67.24 million miles. It's also one of the brightest planets in the sky (from Earth).
Neptune

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Planetary Nebula Ionized gas allows a ______ _________ to glow.
Comet
Planetary nebula
Dying stars emit a type of gas that helps to make up the matter of these types of nebulae. These often look red and blue in color.
Asteroid
Meteoroid

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Jupiter
Mars
Mars takes 687 days to orbit the sun, and is located 141.6 million miles away from the Sun. Its moons are Phobos and Deimos.
Neptune
Uranus

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Earth Humans and animals inhabit this planet. Are you familiar with it?
Jupiter
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Earth is the only planet inhabited by humans and animals, and is mostly made up of water. It's also 92.96 million miles from the Sun.

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Cosmos Redshift 7 Which of these is one of the oldest galaxies known to man?
Milky Way Galaxy
Tadpole Galaxy
Moon
Cosmos Redshift 7
The Cosmos Redshift 7 resides in the Sextans constellation, and is considered to be one of the oldest galaxies known to man. This galaxy is located 12.9 billion light years from Earth.

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Jupiter The fifth most distant planet from the Sun is...?
Jupiter
Jupiter's moons are Europa, Ganymede, Io, Callisto and Megaclite. It also has an orbital period of 12 years, and is 483.8 million miles from the Sun.
Mars
Mercury
Earth

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Neptune This planet features 14 moons. Can you name it?
Mars
Earth
Neptune
Neptune is very far from the Sun, with an approximate distance of 2.793 billion miles. Some of its moons are Psamathe, Naiad and Neso.
Mercury

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Sombrero Galaxy This galaxy is shaped like a sombrero. Can you name it?
Black Eye Galaxy
Milky Way Galaxy
Sombrero Galaxy
The Sombrero Galaxy actually looks like the popular hat, the Sombrero. This is also a type of spiral galaxy and is located 29.35 million light years from Earth.
Andromeda Galaxy

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Uranus Which of these planets spins on its side and is the seventh-furthest from the Sun?
Mars
Neptune
Uranus
Uranus orbits on its side at an approximate 98 degrees. It also takes 84 years to complete one full orbit.
Saturn

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Saturn The radius of this planet is actually nine times bigger than the planet we live on. Can you name it?
Pluto
Mercury
Mars
Saturn
Saturn has a very large radius of 36,184 miles, which is nine times bigger than Earth. The days on Saturn are also almost half of those on Earth, at about 10 hours and 34 minutes.

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Uranus
Jupiter
Pluto
Pluto features five moons and is considered to be a dwarf planet in size. It also has an orbital period of 248 years.
Earth

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Sun This star has a surface temperature of 5,778 K. Can you name it?
Earth
Mercury
Pluto
Sun
When you look up at the sky during the day, you'll see the Sun (but don't directly stare at it)! The sun is also made up of hot plasma, with a surface temperature of 5,778 K.

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Moon Neil Armstrong landed on the _______ .
Moon
Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon, as well as other astronauts like Charles Duke and Alan Bean. The moon takes 27 days to orbit the Earth.
Pluto
Asteroid
Comet

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Comet "Outgassing" is a process that is exuded by which of these celestial objects?
Comet
You might have heard of Halley's Comet, which can only be seen about every 75 years. Comets also move through the sky very quickly, releasing gasses along the way.
Satellite
Moon
Sun

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Meteor Shower These rocky celestial objects are like small asteroids. What's the proper name for them?
Meteoroids
Meteoroids are like mini-versions of asteroids, and can travel at speeds of up to 42 km/h. Asteroid belts are also responsible for producing some types of meteoroids.
Asteroids
Galaxies
Nebulae

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Emission Nebula Hydrogen causes this type of celestial body to glow red. Can you name it?
Moon
Emission nebula
The Emission nebula emits a radiant red color due to excess amounts of hydrogen. Ionized gas is also responsible for forming this kind of nebula.
Open cluster
Galaxy

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Globular Cluster This type of celestial body consists of small stars that cluster together. What is it?
Galaxy
Satellite
Horsehead nebula
Globular cluster
M13 is a popular and well-known globular cluster in our universe. Globular clusters also orbit objects like a satellite would.

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Open Cluster ______ _______ are commonly found in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Open clusters
Open clusters consist of thousands of stars that are "clumped" together. These types of clusters can also be found in spiral galaxies.
Messier 81
Pinwheel Galaxy
Triangulum Galaxy

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Reflection Nebula This type of nebula is known to reflect light from various stars near it. Can you name it?
Moon
Reflection nebula
The Reflection nebula emits a pretty blue color, which is reflected from stars that are near it. This results in a polarizing effect.
Open cluster
Globular cluster

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Dark Nebula An "absorption nebula" is also known as a _____ _____.
Planetary nebula
Emission nebula
Dark nebula
You probably won't be able to see much light behind a dark nebula, which is very dense in nature. This is also an irregular type of nebula.
Sun

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Supernova remnant When a star explodes in a supernova, it forms a...?
Supernova remnant
These colorful celestial bodies are actually the remnants of an exploding star. This is also known as the Crab nebula.
Dark nebula
Galaxy
Open cluster

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Veil Nebula Which of these celestial bodies are 50 light years in radius?
Comet
Asteroid
Meteoroid
Veil Nebula
The Veil Nebula is quite large in size, spanning at about 50 light years in radius! One light year equals to 5.8786×10^12 miles.

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Orion Nebula Which of these is located in the Orion constellation?
Carina Nebula
Orion Nebula
The Orion Nebula can actually be seen by the human eye! It's also one of the brightest types of nebulae to exist.
Eagle Nebula
Lagoon Nebula

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Whirlpool Galaxy Which of these celestial bodies is also known as M51a?
Whirlpool Galaxy
This is the first type of galaxy to be referred to as a spiral galaxy, and resides in the Canes Venatici constellation. Other nicknames for this galaxy are M51a and NGC 5194.
Andromeda Galaxy
Milky Way Galaxy
Horsehead Nebula

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Ring Nebula This celestial body is shaped like a ring. Can you name it?
Moon
Sun
Horsehead Nebula
Ring Nebula
The Ring Nebula is exactly 2,283 light years from Earth and is shaped like a colorful ring. This nebula is also located in the Lyra constellation.

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Messier 81 Which of these celestial bodies contains 250 billion stars?
Comet
Messier 81
This spiral galaxy actually has 250 billion stars and is located in the Ursa Major constellation. It has a magnitude of 6.94.
Asteroid
Sombrero Galaxy

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Messier 82 Which of these celestial bodies has a magnitude of 8.41?
Triangulum Galaxy
Large Magellanic Cloud
Andromeda Galaxy
Messier 82
This bright galaxy is located 11.42 million light years from Earth and is considered to be a starburst galaxy. It has a radius spanning 18,500 light years.

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Black Eye Galaxy Edward Pigott discovered which of these celestial objects?
Black Eye Galaxy
The Black Eye Galaxy became official in 1779 and it was named by Edward Pigott. This type of galaxy is also 13.28 billion years old!
Moon
Sun
Venus

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Small Magellanic Cloud Which of these is considered to be a dwarf galaxy?
Jupiter
Small Magellanic Cloud
Also known as the Nubecula Minor, this type of galaxy is about 200,000 light years away from Earth. It also belongs to both the Hydrus and the Tucana constellations.
Pluto
Asteroid Belt

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Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Which of these celestial objects contains four globular clusters?
Sun
Moon
Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
The Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy is made up of many aged stars. It resides in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Pluto

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Virgo Stellar Stream What is the name of this stream within the Virgo Galaxy?
Open cluster
Horsehead Nebula
Virgo Stellar Stream
This doesn't refer to the type of water-based streams that are located on Earth. Rather, these stellar streams are formed from dwarf spheroidal galaxies.
Andromeda Galaxy

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M51a
Milky Way Galaxy
Andromeda Galaxy
Tadpole Galaxy
The Tadpole Galaxy features a unique tadpole shape and is located 400 million light years from Earth. This galaxy spans a radius of 195,000 light years.

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Hoag's Object Which of these galaxies is named after a well-known astronomer?
Arp 273
M51a
Hoag's Object
Hoag's Object was made official in 1950 by Arthur Hoag. It contains 8 billion stars.
Eagle Nebula

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Arp 273 The ______ _______ is made up of interacting galaxies.
Arp 273
Within the Andromeda Galaxy lies the Arp 273, which looks like a loose spiral of other galaxies. It's located 300 million light years from Earth.
Eagle Nebula
Sombrero Galaxy
Helix Nebula

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NGC 6357 Which of these nebulae are located in the Scorpius constellation?
Ghost Nebula
Carina Nebula
Horsehead Nebula
NGC 6357
Located in the Scorpius constellation lies the NGC 6357, which also bears the nickname "Lobster Nebula." It's made up of both young stars and protostars.

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Cat's Eye Nebula Which of these celestial bodies looks like an eye?
Meteor
Cat's Eye Nebula
The Cat's Eye Nebula features a distinct eye-shaped feature, which is bright and colorful in nature. This is located in the Draco constellation.
Horsehead Nebula
Asteroid Belt

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NGC 6302 The Butterfly Nebula is also known as the _____ _____?
Andromeda Galaxy
Milky Way Galaxy
NGC 6302
The NGC 6302 has a radius of 1.5 light years and features the nickname "Butterfly Nebula." This nebula also lives in the Scorpius constellation.
Comet

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Andromeda Galaxy Which of these celestial bodies contains 200 billion stars?
Sun
Jupiter
Andromeda Galaxy
The spiral galaxy known as Andromeda is well-known for its ample amount of stars. It is located 2.537 million light years from Earth.
Moon

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