Win a bundle of digital bookazines worth over $100 with our anniversary birthday cake hunt

birthday cake hunt graphic shows an earth, moon and sun all smiling wearing party hats and a magnifying class highlighting a birthday cake.
Can you find all 10 birthday cakes hidden around the site? (Image credit: Created in Canva by Daisy Dobrijevic)

Editor's note: This competition is now closed.

To help celebrate Space.com's 25th anniversary, we have decided to have an onsite birthday cake hunt. We've hidden 10 special birthday cakes around the website! 

Can you find them all? If you can, then you could have a chance to win a bundle of digital bookazines worth over $100 (£80).

We have thousands of articles on Space.com, but don't worry — we won't make you trawl through all of them. Instead, we've compiled a list of 10 clues that will test your knowledge of our universe and help point you in the right direction.

How to find the birthday cakes  

Each birthday cake will be hidden on a specific reference page. To know which reference page to look on you must first solve 10 clues!

EXAMPLE BIRTHDAY CAKE FOUND!

birthday cake hunt

(Image credit: Designed in Canva by Daisy Dobrijevic)

EXAMPLE
Clue: 1
Answer letter: A

Each birthday cake will have a corresponding letter. Make a note of this as you will need it for the competition entry.

Example clue and answer 

Clue 1: I am the planet with the most rings in the solar system. 

Answer: Saturn

In this example, a birthday cake would be found on the Saturn reference page, along with a letter. In this case, it's an "A." It will look something like the box on the right. When filling out the competition form you would put the letter A next to clue 1.  

Finding reference pages

You can find our reference pages by using the onsite search bar and filtering the articles by "type" and selecting "reference."

Reference pages will have helpful "reference" signs in the top left corner of the image box in the results.

How to search for a reference page.  (Image credit: Created in Canva by Daisy Dobrijevic)

The clues

  1. I am rusty red and have been explored by several robots, but humans have yet to come and say hello in person.
  2. I am the cosmic neighborhood in which we live. I have long spiraling arms and, on a clear night, you might see me in the night sky. 
  3. I am a well-known constellation in the night sky with three bright stars that make up my belt. Can you hunt me down?
  4. I'm huge! Nothing can escape me, not even light.  
  5. I can be green, purple, red, pink and yellow. I like to dance across the sky as long ribbons of light.  
  6. I am the largest storm in the solar system and have been raging for at least 150 years! 
  7. I am the largest volcano in the solar system.
  8. I was the first person to go into space.  
  9. I am one of the brightest stars in the night sky but also a little strange. Sometimes I glow bright and sometimes I dim. Astronomers are watching me carefully because, when I finally explode into a supernova, I will be so bright you'll even see me in the daytime.
  10. I traveled to space on Christmas Day in 2021 and have been studying the universe ever since. You may have seen some of my amazing images, I'm quite proud of those.  

Competition entry

Once you have found all 10 birthday cakes you can enter the competition by completing this form.  

Prizes

Win these six digital bookazines.  (Image credit: Future/Made in Canva by Daisy Dobrijevic)

Win a bundle of digital bookazines worth over $100 (£80)! A PDF copy of each bookazine will be emailed to the winners.

  • Space.com Collection: Get ready to explore the wonders of our incredible universe. The Space.com Collection is packed with amazing astronomy, incredible discoveries and the latest missions from space agencies around the world. 
  • Understanding the solar system: Our solar system is a truly amazing place about which we know so much, yet at the same time still have so much to learn. 
  • Book of the moon: The alluring silver sphere in our night sky has captivated our imagination and ambition for generations, and now its secrets are finally being revealed.
  • Apollo missions: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind..." On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong made the historic first steps on the moon. In celebration of the lunar landing, this book takes a look back on the innovative program that made one of humanity's greatest achievements possible.
  • The Week Science + Nature: Heroes of Science: The Week Junior Science+Nature! presents Heroes of Science. Meet the amazing people who changed our world for the better. There are 50 awesome scientists inside!
  • The Week Science+Nature: Big Book of Space: Prepare for liftoff as we are going to take you on a grand tour into the stars with this special edition from The Week Junior Science+Nature! Starting with our nearest neighborhood, we'll examine the sun, marvel at Mars and more.    

Terms and conditions

The Birthday cake hunt competition opens at 12:00 p.m. EDT on July 17, 2024, and closes at 6:00 p.m. EDT on July 31, 2024. Late or incomplete entries will be disqualified. Open to all residents of the U.K. and U.S. (excluding residents of Rhode Island, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. military installations in foreign countries, or any other U.S. territory where prohibited or restricted by law) aged 18 years and over, except employees of Future Plc and its group of companies (“Future”). Any entries for those under the age of 18 must have parental/guardian consent. Entries are limited to one per household regardless of the form of entry. Use of automated devices or methods of submission are not valid forms of entry. There will be 5 winners in total entitled to a bundle of 6 bookazines worth $100 USD/£89.94]. The winners will be randomly drawn from all valid entries received and shall be notified by Future by email within 28 days of the closing date and will be required to supply details of a U.K. or U.S. delivery address. If a winner has not responded after 28 days, an alternative winner will be drawn. Future will deliver the prize via email. Future reserve the right to substitute any product with an alternative product of equivalent value. The prize is non-transferable and non-refundable. There is no cash alternative. No purchase required. Void where prohibited. The value of the prize may be taxable as income and each prize winner is solely responsible for any taxes, including, but not limited to all applicable federal, state, and local taxes that become due with respect to the value of the prize. By taking part in this birthday cake hunt competition, you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions, the competition rules at: www.futureplc.com/competition-rules/ and the collection of personal data in accordance with Future’s privacy policy at: https://www.futureplc.com/privacy-policy/.

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Daisy Dobrijevic
Reference Editor

Daisy Dobrijevic joined Space.com in February 2022 having previously worked for our sister publication All About Space magazine as a staff writer. Before joining us, Daisy completed an editorial internship with the BBC Sky at Night Magazine and worked at the National Space Centre in Leicester, U.K., where she enjoyed communicating space science to the public. In 2021, Daisy completed a PhD in plant physiology and also holds a Master's in Environmental Science, she is currently based in Nottingham, U.K. Daisy is passionate about all things space, with a penchant for solar activity and space weather. She has a strong interest in astrotourism and loves nothing more than a good northern lights chase!