What is the temperature of the sun, and how long is the longest worm? Try our kids’ quiz

Illustration: Hennie Haworth/The Guardian

1. Eskil, 9, asks: what is the temperature of the corona, or atmosphere, of the sun?

   1. It’s millions of degrees celsius

   2. 6,000 degrees celsius

   3. 100 degrees celsius

   4. 56.7 degrees celsius, the same as the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth

2. Sebastian, 7, asks: how long is the longest worm that has ever been found?

   1. 2 metres long

   2. 10 metres long

   3. 55 metres long

   4. 206 metres long

3. Sam, 10, and Poppy, 8, ask: why do lynx have tufts of fur on the tops of their ears?

   1. Why they have these tufts isn’t totally clear but scientists think they probably help the lynx to hear better

   2. The tufts help keep their ears warm

   3. To look attractive to other lynx

   4. They use the tufts like a broom to brush up mess

4. Phoebe, 6, asks: how many atoms are there in a person?

   1. A million atoms

   2. 2 billion atoms

   3. 7 octillion atoms

   4. 4 trillion atoms

5. Sebastian, 7, asks: what is the closest star to Earth?

   1. The Sun

   2. Betelgeuse

   3. The North Star

   4. Alpha Centauri

Solutions

1:A - The sun’s surface temperature is about 5,500 degrees celsius, but the corona – which is the outermost atmospheric layer of the sun – is much hotter than that. It is millions of degrees celsius!, 2:C - The bootlace worm (Lineus longissimus) is the longest species of worm - it lives in the North Sea. In 1864 one was found in Scotland after a storm that measured over 55m long., 3:A - The tufts of fur on the top of a lynx’s ears are called lynx tips; why they have them isn’t fully understood. They might be used like whiskers to detect things above their heads, they might help keep their ears free from dirt, but the most likely reason is to direct sound into the lynx’s ears, to help them hear better and find their prey more easily., 4:C - An adult is made up of around 7,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (7 octillion) atoms., 5:A - The closest star to Earth is of course the sun. The next closest is Alpha Centauri, although technically this is made up of three stars very close together, including Proxima Centauri, which is 4.25 light years from Earth.

Scores

1. 5 and above.

2. 4 and above.

3. 3 and above.

4. 2 and above.

5. 0 and above.

6. 1 and above.

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a weekly podcast answering children’s questions, out now as a book.

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