Astronomy Test 1

Earth- moon- sun

Solar, new moon

If the Moon's orbit were a little larger, solar eclipses would be

more likely to be annular

If the Earth rotated twice as fast as it currently does, but its motion around the Sun stayed the same, then

the night would be half as long

What causes a lunar eclipse?

the shadow of the Earth

What causes a solar eclipse?

the shadow of the moon

When a thin crescent of the Moon is visible just before sunrise, the Moon is in its

waning crescent phase

On what date does the Sun cross the celestial equator moving North to South

Sept. 22

The vernal (spring) equinox is now just entering the constellation Aquarius. In what constellation will it lie in the year A.D. 15,000? Write the name of the constellation.

Leo

What time does a 3rd Quarter Moon rise? What time does it set? Can I see a 3rd Quarter Moon during the daytime?

Rises at 12 midnight; Sets at 12 noon; Yes

A long thin cloud that stretched from directly overhead to the western horizon would have an angular size of

90 degrees

What two pieces of information are needed to determine the diameter of a faraway object?

(1) the Distance and (2) the Angular Size of the object

The Sun's diameter is 1.4 x 106 km and its distance is 1.5 x 108 km. Calculate the angular size of the Sun. [NOTE: round your answer to the nearest 0.5; Do NOT put any units on your answer, just the number. For example 0.5, or 2.5, or 10.5, or 7.0]

0.5

The Moon lies 384,000 km from the Earth, and the Sun is 1.5 x 108 km away. If both the Moon and the Sun have the same angular size, how many times larger is the Sun compared to the Moon?

400

Why aren't there lunar and solar eclipses every month?

5 degree tilt

What time does a Full Moon rise?

6 pm

What is the approximate altitude and azimuth of Mars as observed about 7:00 pm in January, 2021?

Altitude = 60° Azimuth = 200°

In which direction does the Moon rise/set

East/ West

If we know the distance of an object from Earth, we can determine the object's size by measuring its parallax shift

False

The seasons are caused by the precession of Earth's axis.

False

The stars in a constellation are physically close to one another?

False

The date of the Full Moon in January 2021 is January 29. What is the date of the Full Moon in February 2021?

Feb. 27

What's the phase of the Earth if you were standing on the Moon when the Moon was New phase

Full

Why are there seasons on Earth?

The Earth orbits the Sun and Earth's spin axis is tilted 23.5°.

Why do we see different stars at different times of the year?

The Earth orbits the Sun.

Why does the Sun rise in the East and set in the West? Does the Moon also rise in the East and set in the West?

The Earth rotates on its axis. Yes, the Moon rises in the East

If one complete hemisphere of the Moon is always lit by the Sun, why do we see different phases of the Moon?

The Moon orbits the Earth causing the Earth-Moon angle to change with respect to the sunlight

Why aren't there lunar and solar eclipses every month

The lunar orbit is tilted 5° with respect to the Earth-Sun plane

A lunar eclipse can occur only during the full phase

True

The angular diameter of an object is inversely proportional to its distance from the observer.

True

If the Earth's tilt were only 10 degrees instead of 23.5 degrees, how would this affect the climate of the Earth, compared to our climate now?

Warm winters and cooler summers

Why do the stars rise in the east and set in the west?

earth spins towards east

If the Moon orbited the Earth twice as fast, but in the same orbit the frequency of solar eclipses would?

stay the same

Parallax

the apparent change in position of an object when seen from different places