Which four telescopes were NASA's Great Observatories?

Chandra, Planck, TESS and Herschel

Space Observatories Quiz: Places, People and Key Facts

This space observatories quiz covers NASA's Great Observatories, ESA's Herschel and Planck, Kepler and TESS, Gaia, Euclid and the different wavelengths each one studies. Ten questions on places, people and key facts about observatories orbiting above Earth.

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

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Great
Which four telescopes were NASA's Great Observatories?
Gamma
Which Great Observatory studied gamma rays?
Herschel
What did ESA's Herschel observatory study?
Planck
What did ESA's Planck map in detail?
TESS
Which NASA mission launched in 2018 to find exoplanets around bright nearby stars?
Euclid
What is ESA's Euclid mapping?
Solar
Which observatory has watched the Sun from L1 since 1995?
X-ray
Which European X-ray observatory launched in 1999?
Gamma
Which NASA telescope has studied gamma rays since 2008?
Why
Why can't X-ray telescopes work on the ground?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which four telescopes were NASA's Great Observatories?
Answer: Hubble, Compton, Chandra and Spitzer
Each covered different light.
Q2: Which Great Observatory studied gamma rays?
Answer: Compton
It operated from 1991 to 2000.
Q3: What did ESA's Herschel observatory study?
Answer: Far-infrared light
It had the largest single mirror in space at the time.
Q4: What did ESA's Planck map in detail?
Answer: The cosmic microwave background
It measured the universe's age at about 13.8 billion years.
Q5: Which NASA mission launched in 2018 to find exoplanets around bright nearby stars?
Answer: TESS
It surveys most of the sky.
Q6: What is ESA's Euclid mapping?
Answer: Dark matter and dark energy
It launched in 2023.
Q7: Which observatory has watched the Sun from L1 since 1995?
Answer: SOHO
It has also found thousands of comets.
Q8: Which European X-ray observatory launched in 1999?
Answer: XMM-Newton
It still operates.
Q9: Which NASA telescope has studied gamma rays since 2008?
Answer: Fermi
It maps high-energy sources.
Q10: Why can't X-ray telescopes work on the ground?
Answer: The atmosphere blocks X-rays
This protects life on Earth.

Space Observatories Quiz – Observatories Above the Sky

Space observatories study the universe in light our eyes cannot see. Because the atmosphere blocks X-rays, gamma rays and much infrared light, these telescopes must operate above it.

NASA's Great Observatories, Hubble, Compton, Chandra and Spitzer, each specialized in different wavelengths. ESA's Herschel and Planck studied infrared light and the cosmic microwave background, and SOHO watches the Sun.

Newer missions continue the work: Kepler and TESS hunt exoplanets, Gaia maps stars and Euclid probes dark matter and dark energy. Together they build a complete picture of the cosmos across the spectrum.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is for space fans exploring space observatories.

What the Great Observatories were
What Planck mapped
What TESS looks for
What Euclid studies
Why X-ray telescopes go to space

Did You Know?

SOHO has discovered over 5,000 comets.
Herschel ran out of coolant in 2013.
Chandra launched on a shuttle in 1999.
Webb studies infrared light.
Some observatories orbit at Lagrange points.