Moon Trivia | Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast #264

It’s time to go to the Moon! This week, for episode 264 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast, I’ve got Moon Trivia. Thirty questions about the Earth’s closest neighbor.

As always, it’s three rounds of ten questions each. Each round is, in theory, harder than the one before.

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Episode Transcript/Quiz

Episode Intro

It’s time to go to the Moon! This week, for episode 264 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast, I’ve got Moon Trivia. Thirty questions about the Earth’s closest neighbor.

As always, it’s three rounds of ten questions each. Each round is, in theory, harder than the one before. If you need rules or scorecards, visit the show’s website: DorkyGeekyNerdy.com.

Suit up, check your O2 levels, and let’s launch this thing.

The Dorky Round

What NASA program put the first people on the Moon?
a. The Apollo Program
Assuming all goes to plan, what NASA program will put people on the Moon in September 2026?
a. The Artemis Program. Delays have pushed back the dates for Artemis II and III almost a year.
Who was the Roman goddess of the Moon?
a. Luna.
Who was the second person to walk on the Moon?
a. Buzz Aldrin
What is the phenomenon that happens when the Moon moves directly between the Earth and the Sun?
a. A solar eclipse.
How is moonlight produced?
a. It’s reflected from the Sun. Despite how bright it may appear, it’s only reflecting about 7% of the light hitting it.
Is the Moon drifting toward or away from the Earth?
a. It’s moving away from the Earth at a rate of about 3.8 centimeters per year.
What 1968 movie had scientists finding a giant monolith buried on the Moon?
a. 2001: A Space Odyssey
The Moon has what effect on Earth’s oceans and seas?
a. It causes the tides.
When the Moon is between a quarter and full, what’s it called?
a. Gibbous. If it grows brighter, it’s waxing gibbous. If it’s growing darker, it’s waning.

The Geeky Round

What is the term used for the lunar hemisphere that always faces away from the Earth?
a. The far side of the Moon. Calling it the dark side is incorrect as it does have sunlight hit it.
What 1902 film is the first science fiction film set in space?
a. A Trip to the Moon.
In terms of Earth gravity or Gs, what is the gravity on the Moon?
a. 0.16G or about 1/6 of a G.
The Moon is covered in Maria which is Latin for what?
a. Seas. Ancient astronomers thought they might be liquid seas.
To date, how many people have walked on the Moon?
a. Twelve.
What 2019 TV series reimagines history with the Soviet Union landing on the Moon before the United States?
a. For All Mankind
What country was the first to put a man-made object on the Moon?
a. The Soviet Union. Their Luna 2 probe intentionally impacted the surface in 1959. Their Luna 3 probe took the first photos of the far side of the Moon.
The Moon always has the same side facing the Earth, a situation known as what?
a. Tidal locking
The maria on the Moon are what?
a. Cooled magma.
We’re not alone in having a moon. All the planets in the Solar System have at least one except which two?
a. Mercury and Venus.

The Nerdy Round

Who was the Greek goddess of the Moon?
a. Selene. While Artemis’ symbol was the moon, she was the goddess of the wilderness and the hunt.
The proposed LCRT will build a what on the Moon?
a. A radio telescope. Built on the far-side of the Moon, it would be free from Earth’s ionosphere to peer into deep space.
In terms of size, where does our Moon rank among other natural satellites in the Solar System?
a. Fifth. It’s about 200 km smaller in diameter than Io.
As of 2024, who is the most recent person to walk on the Moon?
a. Gene Cernan.
How long is a Lunar cycle?
a. 29 1/2 days
As of 2023, what was the last country to land a craft, successfully, on the Moon?
a. India. Their Chandrayaan-3 mission landed on the Moon on July 14, 2023. Russia’s Luna 25 got to the Moon in August, but crashed and lost contact.
What novel, but Andy Weir, is set and named for the first city on Moon?
a. Artemis
What 1865 Jules Verne novel sees the Baltimore Gun Club shooting a capsule with three people to the Moon?
a. From the Earth to the Moon
Artemis III, the first manned lunar landing mission in over 50 years, is set to land where on the Moon?
a. The South Pole. They hope to find water ice for future lunar missions to use.
What is the highest point on the Moon?
a. The Selenean summit. It rises almost 11 km above the lunar mean.

Episode Conclusion

And that’s it for Moon Trivia. I was born a few years after the last Apollo mission, and I was starting to think I would never see humans walk on the Moon in my lifetime. Do any of my older listeners out there remember Apollo 11? Let me know if you do.

I’ll be back with thirty more questions next week. Here’s something to contemplate in the meantime:

As of 2023, which country is the most populous in the world?

Not terribly hard, I know. But it’s a clue. Also, next week is our last regular episode of Season Five. Time to start cramming for the finale. See you back here next Wednesday.

This was episode 264 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. If you’d like to help support the show, become a patron at Patreon.com/dorkygeekynerdy.

The theme music was provided by Jason Shaw of Audionautix.com.

This podcast is written, produced, and hosted by me, Brian Rollins. Come find out what else I’m up to at TheVoicesInMyHead.com.

Thanks for listening.