Space Quiz

Take this quiz to see how space-savvy you are! The answers are below.

1. What event do astronomers believe began the universe?
2. What is the name of the first man-made object launched into space?
3. Which planet is named after the Roman God of War?
4. Which planet is the warmest?
5. True/False: The Universe is expanding.
6. Which planet is blue in color?
7. What is the most common element in the universe?
8. The moons of what planet are named after Shakespearean characters?
9. Who was the first man in space?
10. Which country had the first space station?
11. Which late night talk show host has a space treadmill named after him?
12. What type of animal was the first living creature to be launched into space?
13. Name one of the two planets that has no moons?
14. Name one of the two countries involved in the Space Race.
15. Name the first female in space.

Answers are below. REMEMBER to visit the Space Adventures exhibit at the Museum. The exhibit closes on August 30th, so you only have a few days left. Don’t miss it!

Answers:
1. Big Bang
2. Sputnik
3. Mars
4. Venus
5. True
6. Neptune
7. Helium
8. Uranus
9. Yuri Gagarin
10. Soviet Union
11. Steven Colbert
12. a dog named Laika
13. Mercury and Venus
14. The United States and the USSR
15. Sally Ride


Leave a comment! Tell us how many questions you got right, and share this quiz with your friends and family! Also, submit your own space trivia questions! Whoever posts the best trivia question will have their question posted on twitter and win a FREE PASS to the Museum! Submissions must be posted by September 10 to be eligible.

REMEMBER to visit the Space Adventures exhibit at the Museum. The exhibit closes on August 30th, so you only have a few days left. Don’t miss it!

Attention star gazers!

Alert Museum staffer Angi Burgess let us know about this cool thing coming up tomorrow night, Thursday, Aug 27!


SEE ANTARES
At nightfall on August 27, the first-quarter Moon is very near a brilliant bright star at nightfall. This star is the famous red star Antares A. Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius—a red glow at the scorpion’s heart.

Antares is commonly mistaken for Mars because of its reddish hue, a fact shown by its name “Ant-Ares,” which means “like Mars,” with “Ares” being the Greek name for the god of war.

Antares is a true red supergiant, which means that it has consumed all of its hydrogen. This huge star is about 700 times the diameter of our own Sun and 10,000 times brighter.

Here is how the earth compares to the sun....




and how our sun compares to Antares. WOW!

Visit SPACE ADVENTURES, the exhibit, before it closes THIS SUNDAY August 30!

Ten Cool Facts About Space - Part 2

5. If two pieces of metal touch in space, they become permanently stuck together because the metal is not surrounded by oxidized matter! This is known as cold welding.

4. Some rocks found on Earth are actually pieces of Mars.

3. There are more stars in the sky than all of the grains of sand on earth.

2. In 1820, the universe was thought to be 6,000 years old. It is now thought to be between 15 and 20 billion years old.

1. The moon is moving away from Earth at a rate of about 3.8 cm each year.

TA-DA! There you have 'em. Fore more awesome space fun, visit the SPACE ADVENTURES exhibit, going on now through August 30.

Ten Cool Facts About Space - Part 1

Do you really know what’s going on in our universe? In honor of our exhibit Space Adventures, here are the top ten coolest facts about space:

10. The Sun makes up 99.86% of the Solar System's mass.

9. The Big Dipper is actually not a constellation, but an asterism.

8. A Comet's tail always points away from the sun.

7. According to scientists, Gold exists on Mars, Mercury, and Venus.

6. Footprints and tire tracks left behind by astronauts on the moon will stay there forever as there is no wind to blow them away.

STAY TUNED LATER THIS WEEK FOR 5 MORE COOL FACTS!



Thought that was interesting? Explore a whole world of Space Adventures, including a nostalgic look back at 1960s comics featuring space travel! The exhibit runs until August 30th.

Introducing Kristin Malek!

Welcome Kristin Malek, Twitter Editor

Kristin joined the Museum of Discovery’s Social Media Team in spring 2009 as our volunteer Twitter Editor. (What's Twitter? See below) Kristin is an avid runner, mom to Hannah, and wife to Marcus, who is currently serving on the Army Transition Training Team in Baqubah, Iraq.

We're so happy to have Kristin aboard! If you'd like to volunteer with the Museum's Social Media Team, contact Katie McManners at marketing@amod.org or (501) 396-7050 ext 214.

What is Twitter?
Twitter is a free online service that allows people to post short messages, or “tweets”, such as

Flat Stanley recently visited the Museum of Discovery and made some VERY colorful friends! Check out the pics! http://ow.ly/jRD2

These messages can be seen by anyone who chooses to “follow” the Museum. The messages can be read at the twitter web site and on handheld devices such as smart phones. Signing up and participating in Twitter is free (and awfully fun!).

The Museum send daily tweets about Museum exhibits, events, and breaking news. You can follow the Museum of Discovery's tweets @arkmod

Last of the Summer FUN?

A trip to the Museum may be just what your child needs to shoot to the top of the class and impress his teacher with scientific knowledge!

Yep, it's back to school time...but let's have one more adventure ! Spend an afternoon or even a whole day exploring the Museum’s exhibits. Take a break from back-to-school shopping, and spend your time relaxing AND learning.


Dive into the history and mystery of Ancient Egypt by checking out the Mummy Coffin!



Meet the Australian Blue-Tongued Skink at Paws, Claws and Tails, the 1st Saturday of each month!



Or break the Space-Time Continuum at the Space Adventures Exhibit! Live animal shows run every day through Aug 17.

The Museum is open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 1-5pm. C'mon in!

Farewell Kelly...Here comes Baby Girl Massey!!

We would like to say a temporary goodbye to our blog editor Kelly Massey. Kelly has donated her time as the Museum of Discovery's blog editor since early 2009 and she's done a fab-u-lous job!

The Massey family is expanding and with the coming of Baby Girl Massey, Kelly will take a temporary break from blogging for the Museum. Please join us in thanking Kelly for her volunteer service.

"I will be excited to post a picture of Dylan with his baby sister," said Kelly. We look forward to that! Before you know it, she will be ready for Wiggle Worms and Room to Grow!

Science and Art Exhibit

The Science and Art exhibit closed on August 9! Did you see it? What did you enjoy? If you missed it, enjoy these images.


Photo credit: Nathan Segovia

Discover a White Tailed Deer…made from one sheet of itajime washi paper!




Measuring yourself…in nanometers!



Play with water…while staying dry!


And, fold your own origami turtle with step-by-step instructions!

Thanks to the Arkansas Discovery Network, funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, for this exhibit!

School or Museum?

Do you think this picture was taken at a school or at the Museum of Discovery?