Constellations along the Sun's yearly path

Constellations Trivia: 10 Questions With Answers

This constellations trivia covers Orion, Ursa Major and the Big Dipper, Polaris, the zodiac, the Southern Cross, Cassiopeia and the 88 official constellations. Ten questions with answers on the patterns people see in the night sky.

Start Constellations Trivia

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Count
How many official constellations are there?
Hunter
Which constellation is known as the Hunter?
Dipper
The Big Dipper is part of which constellation?
North
Which star marks north in the night sky?
South
Which small constellation guides southern sailors?
Zodiac
What is the zodiac?
W
Which constellation looks like a W or M?
Brightest
Which is the brightest star in the night sky?
Largest
Which is the largest constellation by area?
Red
Which red supergiant marks Orion's shoulder?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: How many official constellations are there?
Answer: 88
The IAU fixed the list in 1922.
Q2: Which constellation is known as the Hunter?
Answer: Orion
Its belt has three bright stars.
Q3: The Big Dipper is part of which constellation?
Answer: Ursa Major
It is an asterism, not a full constellation.
Q4: Which star marks north in the night sky?
Answer: Polaris
It sits nearly above Earth's North Pole.
Q5: Which small constellation guides southern sailors?
Answer: Crux, the Southern Cross
It appears on several flags.
Q6: What is the zodiac?
Answer: Constellations along the Sun's yearly path
Ophiuchus is also on that path.
Q7: Which constellation looks like a W or M?
Answer: Cassiopeia
It is named after a vain queen.
Q8: Which is the brightest star in the night sky?
Answer: Sirius
It is in Canis Major.
Q9: Which is the largest constellation by area?
Answer: Hydra
It stretches across a large part of the sky.
Q10: Which red supergiant marks Orion's shoulder?
Answer: Betelgeuse
It dimmed noticeably in 2019-20.

Constellations Trivia – Pictures in the Stars

Constellations are patterns of stars that people have named for thousands of years. Ancient Babylonians, Greeks, Chinese, Egyptians and Indigenous peoples all created their own star stories to track seasons, navigate and tell myths.

In 1922, the International Astronomical Union recognized 88 official constellations covering the whole sky. Many come from Greek myths, like Orion the hunter and Cassiopeia the queen, while southern ones were named by European explorers in the 1500s and 1700s.

Stars in a constellation may look close together but are often very far apart in space. Learning constellations helps stargazers find planets, galaxies and nebulae, and Polaris and the Southern Cross have guided travelers for centuries.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is for stargazers learning the constellations.

How many constellations exist
Which one is the Hunter
How to find north
What the zodiac is
Which star is brightest

Did You Know?

Aboriginal Australians see an Emu in the Milky Way.
Orion is visible worldwide.
The Pleiades are a star cluster in Taurus.
Constellations shift with the seasons.
Cygnus is called the Northern Cross.