The Night Sky: Galaxies and Constellations

Question: How many light-years across is the Milky Way?

Answer: The Milky Way is a flat disc about 100,000 light-years wide.

Question: What is the zodiacal symbol for the constellation Leo?

Answer: The constellation Leo is represented by a lion. That is the meaning of "leo" in Latin.

Question: Which is the closest galaxy to Earth outside the Milky Way?

Answer: The closest large galaxy within the Local Group is the Andromeda galaxy, a spiral galaxy 2 million light-years from Earth. It can be seen without a telescope.

Question: Which of these is a galaxy?

Answer: The Large Magellanic Cloud is a very distant galaxy beyond our own.

Question: Which of these constellations is not in the zodiac?

Answer: Twelve well-known groups of stars, called constellations, lie in the zodiac. Their names are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, and Pisces.

Question: In what constellation is Sirius found?

Answer: Sirius is found in the constellation Canis Major, or the Big Dog. Along with Canis Minor, or the Little Dog, it is one of the hunting dogs of the demigod Orion.

Question: What is the name of a bright star in Orion?

Answer: Betelgeuse is one of the brightest stars in the constellation Orion.