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60 free Capricorn trivia questions with answers — science & nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Capricorn trivia quiz covers the tenth sign of the zodiac from three sides. The astrology questions ask about the sea goat's dates, Saturn rulership, cardinal earth quality, negative polarity, opposite sign Cancer and the exaltation of Mars. The astronomy questions turn to the smallest zodiac constellation: Deneb Algedi the tail of the goat, the unrelated double Algedi, Dabih and Nashira, the globular cluster M30, the galaxy group HCG 87, and Neptune's discovery beside its brightest star. There is a section on the Tropic of Capricorn too: its latitude, its slow northward creep, and the four countries that lie entirely south of it. The mythology reaches back to the Babylonian goat-fish of the god Ea, then to Amalthea the goat who nursed Zeus and lost the horn that became the cornucopia, and to Pan diving into the Nile to escape Typhon, taking Syrinx's reeds and the word panic with him. Makar Sankranti, the crocodile Makara, the January garnet and a few unusual names from the Caucasus and Polynesia round it out. Difficulty runs from easy to expert and is shown on every question, so the quiz suits a Capricorn birthday, a pub round or an astronomy night. Every answer was checked against a reference page and each question carries its citation. Try our Zodiac, Astrology and Planets quizzes next.
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Q 01Capricornus is usually pictured as a sea goat: half goat and half what?
Fish
The hybrid goes back to the Babylonians, who used the goat-fish as a symbol of their god Ea.
Q 02Capricorn is which sign in the order of the zodiac?
10th
It spans the 270th to 300th degree, opening at the December solstice.
Q 03Which planet rules Capricorn?
Saturn
Saturn classically also ruled Aquarius before Uranus was assigned there in the 20th century.
Q 04Capricorn belongs to which element?
Earth
Virgo and Taurus complete the earth triplicity.
Q 05What is the modality of Capricorn?
Cardinal
Cardinal signs open the seasons; Capricorn begins northern winter at the solstice.
Q 06Which sign sits opposite Capricorn on the zodiac wheel?
Cancer
The two solstice signs face each other: the crab of midsummer and the goat of midwinter.
Q 07Under the tropical zodiac the Sun is in Capricorn between roughly which dates?
December 22 to January 20
The Sun only reaches the actual constellation in late January.
Q 08Astrologers describe Capricorn as the season-opening sign of which element?
Earth
The combination of element and modality is what gives each of the twelve signs its distinct character.
Q 09Which planet is said to be exalted in Capricorn?
Mars
Jupiter, by contrast, is in its 'fall' in Capricorn, opposite its exaltation in Cancer.
Q 10Capricorn belongs to which polarity group?
Negative (passive)
The even-numbered earth and water signs are the negative or receptive ones.
Q 11Among the twelve zodiac constellations, Capricornus holds what distinction?
It is the smallest
It is not the smallest of all 88 constellations, but it is faint, with only one star brighter than magnitude 3.
Q 12What is the nickname of the sky region around Capricornus, full of water constellations?
The Sea
Aquarius, Pisces, Eridanus and Piscis Austrinus all swim nearby.
Q 13Which star is the brightest in Capricornus?
Deneb Algedi (Delta)
Its name means 'the tail of the goat'; the alpha star is a full magnitude fainter.
Q 21Which planet was discovered by Johann Galle in 1846 near Deneb Algedi?
Neptune
By modern boundaries the planet was actually just inside Aquarius at the time.
Q 22The Sun stopped being in Capricornus at the December solstice around which year?
130 BCE
Precession has since moved the solstice into Sagittarius, but the Tropic of Capricorn keeps the old name.
Q 23The Tropic of Capricorn marks what?
The southernmost latitude where the Sun can be overhead
At the December solstice the noon Sun stands directly overhead along it.
Q 14What does the Arabic-derived name of Capricornus's brightest star mean?
The tail of the goat
Denebola in Leo and Deneb in Cygnus share the same 'tail' root.
Q 15Deneb Algedi, the constellation's brightest star, is what type of variable?
A Beta Lyrae eclipsing binary
Its light dips by about 0.2 magnitudes every 24.5 hours as its companion passes in front.
Q 16Alpha Capricorni is a naked-eye double whose two stars are unrelated; how far apart in distance are they?
About 109 and 690 light-years
They merely line up from Earth: a yellow giant in front and a yellow supergiant far behind.
Q 17Beta Capricorni's traditional name Dabih comes from an Arabic phrase referring to what?
The lucky stars of the slaughterer
Ancient Arabs performed ritual sacrifices when Capricornus first rose before dawn.
Q 18What does the name of Gamma Capricorni, Nashira, mean?
Bringing good tidings
It is a white giant about 139 light-years away.
Q 19Which catalogue object, a globular cluster some 30,000 light-years from Earth, lies in Capricornus?
Messier 30
Small telescopes can pick out chains of stars extending north from its dense core.
Q 20HCG 87 in Capricornus is a compact group of what?
Galaxies
Its three members are interacting and may one day merge into a single giant elliptical.
Q 24At roughly what latitude is the Tropic of Capricorn?
23.4° S
It drifts north about 15 metres a year as Earth's axial tilt slowly changes.
Q 25Roughly how far north does the Tropic of Capricorn creep each year?
15 metres
Earth's tilt varies between about 22.1 and 24.5 degrees over a 41,000-year cycle.
Q 26Only four countries lie entirely south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Which of these is one of them?
Uruguay
The other three are Eswatini, Lesotho and New Zealand; 73 countries lie wholly north of the Tropic of Cancer.
Q 27How many countries does the Tropic of Capricorn pass through?
10
They span South America, southern Africa and Australia.
Q 28Which Babylonian god used the sea goat as his symbol?
Ea (Enki)
He was the god of wisdom, crafts and the fresh waters under the earth, which suits a creature that is half fish.
Q 29Which Mesopotamian city was the main cult centre of Ea, the god whose symbol became Capricornus?
Eridu
His temple there was the E-Abzu, house of the deep waters.
Q 30In Greek myth, Capricornus is sometimes the goat that suckled which infant god?
Zeus
His mother Rhea had hidden him from Cronus, who was eating his children.