Britons don’t know Eridanus as their Uranus, survey reveals

People don’t know their Uranus from Eridanus – when it comes to astronomy.

A poll of 2,000 adults found 49 percent don’t know what a lunar eclipse is and 84 percent mistakenly believe the moon is round.

4

Only 12 percent said it was egg-shaped.

66 percent say they are fascinated by space science, 18 percent don’t know how the moon affects tides, and 33 percent don’t know what a black hole is.

And 12 percent thought the moon was emitting light — actually reflecting light from the sun.

62 percent did not realize that there are eight planets in the solar system and 58 percent did not know that Mercury is the smallest planet.

Ahead of the partial lunar eclipse visible across the UK on Saturday 28 October, Jaffa Cakes has been educating Britons about eclipses since its iconic 1999 advert.

Now, Total Eclipse of the Heart has teamed up with star and fellow eclipse enthusiast Bonnie Tyler to create a new educational video explaining the lunar phenomenon.

Bonnie Tyler, who celebrates the 40th anniversary of her hit single this year, said: “Given my connection to eclipse-related matters, I’m delighted to be collaborating with Jaffa Cakes to educate Britain about the science behind this amazing lunar phenomenon.

„I hope people across the UK will gain a deeper understanding of the night sky after watching this video.”

31 percent think the Earth orbits the Sun 365 times a year — in fact, it only does once.

Although half of people don’t know that the Moon revolves around the Earth, 48 percent of the Earth does revolve around the Sun.

Only seven per cent knew the lunar eclipse would take place on October 28 – but after learning this, four in 10 said they would like to see it.

A survey by OnePoll also found that 46 percent would like to go to space and see for themselves.

But 12 per cent describe their knowledge of astronomy as 'good’ – and 45 per cent remember learning about it at school.

In homage to the iconic song, the brand teamed up with superstar DJ Majestic to remix Total Eclipse of the Heart – with a twist, including a sample of Bonnie reciting the iconic jaffa cake’s catchphrase, Full Moon, Half Moon. Total Eclipse’.

Aslı Özen Turhan, McVitie’s UK & Ireland, said: „We are delighted that McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes will continue to serve as a delicious tool for future generations to learn about solar system activity and eclipses in a fun way – and who better to partner with than the queen of eclipses, Bonnie Tyler.”

„We hope many people will enjoy this course and learn a little more about the night sky.”

4

4