Science quiz
The brightest stars in the night sky
Eight stars, brightest first. Sort them, then check each one's magnitude and constellation.
- Format
- Put them in order
- Items
- 8 to sort
- Limit
- None
- Level
- Hard
- Checked
- 2026.10.03
See every entry and put the whole list in order.
- Entries
- 8
- Sort by
- Visual magnitude
- Time limit
- None
- Touch screens start in Tap mode: tap the entries in order, and tap one again to take it back.
- Drag mode: drag an entry (press and hold on a phone), or use the arrow buttons.
- Keyboard: space to pick up, arrows to move, space to drop.
- Pause whenever you like (Esc). The board hides while the clock is stopped.
About this quiz
Astronomers measure brightness in magnitudes, and the scale runs backwards: the lower the number, the brighter the star. The very brightest stars have magnitudes below zero.
- Sirius, in Canis Major, is the brightest star in the night sky.
- Rigil Kentaurus is the official name of Alpha Centauri A.
- Four of the eight have negative magnitudes: Sirius, Canopus, Arcturus and Rigil Kentaurus.
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