Hubble Trivia

Test your knowledge of Hubble science and technology. Hear the answers from the scientists and engineers behind the telescope.

The planet Jupiter is seen against black space. At the planet's northern pole, its aurorae are seen as a bright blue whirl of light.

With more than 30 years in orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope has crossed a lot of milestones. Test your knowledge of the observatory, its science, and its history. Answer the questions below then watch the short video to see if you were right!

How big is the Hubble Space Telescope?

  • The size of a school bus
  • The size of a house
  • The size of a fridge
  • The size of a car

How far has Hubble seen into the universe?

  • 8.2 billion light-years
  • 11 billion light-years
  • 13.4 billion light-years
  • 19.7 billion light-years

What advantage does the Hubble Space Telescope have over ground-based telescopes?

  • It has the largest mirror
  • It's above Earth's atmosphere
  • It's closer to cosmic objects
  • It's a bigger telescope

What wavelengths of light can Hubble see?

  • Visible
  • Ultraviolet
  • Infrared
  • All of the above

What does Hubble use to turn itself and point at a target?

  • Solar sails
  • Thrusters
  • Reaction wheels
  • Counterweights

What has Hubble helped to reveal about the expansion of the universe?

  • It's staying the same
  • It's accelerating
  • It's slowing down

How many times does Hubble orbit Earth in one day?

  • 1
  • 8
  • 15
  • 20

When was the last space shuttle servicing mission to Hubble?

  • 1993
  • 1999
  • 2009
  • 2002

Hubble has helped confirm that the Milky Way will merge with which nearby galaxy?

  • Pinwheel Galaxy
  • Whirlpool Galaxy
  • Sombrero Galaxy
  • Andromeda Galaxy

How much exposure time did it take to capture the Hubble Ultra Deep Field image?

  • About 11 days
  • About 11 months
  • About three days
  • About three months

How much data can Hubble store on board?

  • 24 megabytes
  • 24 gigabytes
  • 24 gigabits
  • 24 terabytes

Hubble witnessed plumes of water vapor on which of Jupiter's moons?

  • Europa
  • Ganymede
  • Io
  • Callisto

What does Hubble's infrared vision help astronomers see?

  • Distant galaxies
  • Through dust clouds
  • Cooler objects
  • All of the above

Hubble observed what kind of explosion created by two neutron stars merging?

  • A stellar flare
  • A nova
  • A kilonova
  • A supernova

What are forming in the Eagle Nebula’s "Pillars of Creation"?

  • Stars
  • Galaxies
  • White dwarfs
  • Black holes

What has Hubble helped reveal about Jupiter’s Great Red Spot?

  • It's shrinking
  • It's growing
  • It's disappeared
  • It'll last forever

How wide is Hubble's primary mirror?

  • Three feet
  • Six feet
  • Eight feet
  • Twelve feet

More Hubble Activities and Links

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    Explore the Night Sky

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    Hubble Albums

    Flip through Hubble's Flickr albums and see astronauts at work in space, behind the scenes of mission operations, and images from nebulae to gravitational lens.

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    Hubble E-books

    Investigate the mysteries of the universe, or dive into Hubble's history with our free, downloadable e-books.

  • Curious Universe Logo

    Hubble Podcasts

    Hear about Hubble's mission, discoveries, and images.

  • Scientist sits and points to a screen with a Hubble image while he discusses the science.

    Hubble Videos

    From science to history, from servicing mission to technology, and from documentaries to human interest stories, NASA had produced a library of informative and interesting videos on the Hubble Space Telescope.