Science, Cosmos & Mysteries: Friday Night Showdown

The closest planet to the Sun in our Solar System, with no atmosphere.

Answer:Mercury

Note:Completes an orbit around the Sun in just 88 Earth days.

The hottest planet in our solar system due to a runaway greenhouse effect (over 460°C).

Answer:Venus

Note:Surrounded by dense clouds of sulfuric acid.

The largest planet in our solar system, famous for its Great Red Spot storm.

Answer:Jupiter

Note:More than twice as massive as all other planets combined.

The dwarf planet reclassified by the International Astronomical Union in 2006.

Answer:Pluto

Note:Located in the Kuiper belt beyond Neptune.

The planet that rotates on its side with an axial tilt of about 98 degrees.

Answer:Uranus

Note:Likely caused by a massive ancient cosmic collision.

The boundary around a black hole beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape.

Answer:Event Horizon

Note:The point of no return predicted by Einstein's general relativity.

The first human being to journey into outer space in 1961 aboard Vostok 1.

Answer:Yuri Gagarin

Note:Completed a 108-minute orbital flight.

The large spiral galaxy closest to our own Milky Way, on a collision course in ~4.5 billion years.

Answer:Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

Note:Located approximately 2.5 million light-years away.

The brightest star in Earth's night sky, located in the constellation Canis Major.

Answer:Sirius (The Dog Star)

Note:A binary star system located 8.6 light-years from Earth.

The remnant thermal radiation left over from the Big Bang, discovered in 1965.

Answer:Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)

Note:Discovered by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson.

The largest organ of the human body by surface area and weight.

Answer:The Skin (Integumentary system)

Note:Covers about 2 square meters in an adult.

The longest, strongest, and heaviest bone in the human skeleton.

Answer:Femur (Thigh bone)

Note:Can support up to 30 times an adult's weight.

The universal donor blood type that can be transfused to individuals of any ABO group.

Answer:Type O Negative (O-)

Note:Lacks A, B, and Rh surface antigens.

How many chambers does the human heart have?

Answer:4 (Two atria and two ventricles)

Note:Right and left atria, right and left ventricles.

The tiny, stirrup-shaped bone in the middle ear, the smallest bone in the human body.

Answer:Stapes (Stirrup)

Note:Measures only about 3 millimeters in length.

The most abundant chemical element in the universe, making up about 75% of all matter.

Answer:Hydrogen (H)

Note:The simplest and lightest element on the periodic table.

The only metal that is in liquid form at standard room temperature and pressure.

Answer:Mercury (Hg)

Note:Historically known as quicksilver.

The chemical formula for ordinary table salt.

Answer:NaCl (Sodium Chloride)

Note:Formed by ionic bonding between sodium and chlorine.

The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately how many kilometers per second?

Answer:300,000 km/s (299,792 km/s)

Note:The universal speed limit in physics.

The subatomic particle discovered at CERN in 2012 that gives mass to other particles.

Answer:Higgs Boson ('God Particle')

Note:Predicted by Peter Higgs in 1964.

The 19th-century English mathematician considered the world's first computer programmer.

Answer:Ada Lovelace

Note:Wrote the first algorithm for Babbage's Analytical Engine.

The binary number system uses only which two digits?

Answer:0 and 1

Note:The fundamental language of digital computers.

The British mathematician who cracked the Enigma code at Bletchley Park during WWII.

Answer:Alan Turing

Note:Pioneer of theoretical computer science and AI.

The primary computer protocol developed by Tim Berners-Lee to transmit web pages.

Answer:HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

Note:Invented at CERN in 1989-1990.

In physics and quantum computing, the basic unit of quantum information is known as:

Answer:Qubit (Quantum bit)

Note:Can exist in superpositions of 0 and 1 simultaneously.