Mastering Astronomy Ch 1-3

Consider the statement "There's no gravity in space." This statement is: A. Completely false. B. False if you are close to a planet or moon, but true in between the planets. C. Completely true.

A

If there is going to be a total lunar eclipse tonight, then you know that: A. the Moon's phase is full. B. the Moon's phase is new. C. the Moon is unusually close to Earth.

A

In winter, Earth's axis points toward the star Polaris. In spring: A. the axis also points toward Polaris. B. the axis points toward Vega. C. the axis points toward the Sun.

A

Galileo's contribution to astronomy included: A. discovering the laws of planetary motion. B. discovering the law of gravity. making observations and C. conducting experiments that dispelled scientific objections to the Sun-centered model.

C

Two stars that are in the same constellation: A. must both be part of the same cluster of stars in space. B. must both have been discovered at about the same time. C. may actually be very far away from each other.

C

Tycho Brahe's contribution to astronomy included: A. inventing the telescope. B. proving that Earth orbits the Sun. C. collecting data that enabled Kepler to discover the laws of planetary motion.

C

According to the law of universal gravitation, what would happen to Earth if the Sun were somehow replaced by a black hole of the same mass? A. Earth would be quickly sucked into the black hole. B. Earth would slowly spiral in to the black hole. C. Earth's orbit would not change.

C

Which of the following was not a major advantage of Copernicus's Sun-centered model over the Ptolemaic model? A. It made significantly better predictions of planetary positions in our sky. B. It offered a more natural explanation for the apparent retrograde motion of planets in our sky. C. It allowed calculation of the orbital periods and distances of the planets.

A

Based on their inability to detect stellar parallax, the ancient Greeks concluded that _________. A. Earth must be the center of the universe B. they lacked the technology necessary for detecting stellar parallax C. the stars must be extremely far away D. either Earth is the center of the universe or stars are extremely far away

D

Beijing and Philadelphia have about the same latitude but very different longitudes. Therefore, tonight's night sky in these two places: A. will look about the same. B. will have completely different sets of constellations. C. will have partially different sets of constellations

A

The North Celestial Pole is 35.0 ∘ above your northern horizon. This tells you that: A. you are at latitude 35.0 ∘ N. B. you are at longitude 35.0 ∘ E. C. it is the winter solstice.

A

The age of our solar system is about: A. one-third of the age of the universe. B. three-fourths of the age of the universe. C. two billion years less than the age of the universe.

A

When it is summer in Australia, the season in the United States is A. winter. B. summer. C. spring.

A

Which of the following correctly lists our "cosmic address" from small to large? A. Earth, solar system, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, Local Supercluster, universe; B. Earth, solar system, Local Group, Local Supercluster, Milky Way Galaxy, universe; C. Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, solar system, Local Group, Local Supercluster, universe.

A

A week after full moon, the Moon's phase is: A. first quarter. B. third quarter. C. new.

B

According to Kepler's third law: A. Mercury travels fastest in the part of its orbit in which it is closest to the Sun. B. Jupiter orbits the Sun at a faster speed than Saturn. C. All the planets have nearly circular orbits.

B

According to current scientific estimates, when did the Big Bang occur? A. about 20 billion years ago B. about 14 billion years ago C. about 10 billion years ago D. about 4 1/2 billion years ago E. about 65 million years ago

B

An astronomical unit is: A. any planet's average distance from the Sun. B. Earth's average distance from the Sun. C. any large astronomical distance.

B

Based on what you have learned from your rankings in Parts A and B, which statement best describes how variation in the Earth-Sun distance affects the seasons? A. No matter where you live or what the seasons, it is generally hotter when Earth is closer to the Sun and colder when Earth is farther from the Sun. B. The variation in Earth-Sun distance over the course of each year has virtually no effect on the seasons. C. Summer occurs when Earth is closer to the Sun and winter occurs when Earth is farther from the Sun.

B

Earth is closer to the Sun in January than in July. Therefore, in accord with Kepler's second law: A. Earth travels faster in its orbit around the Sun in July than in January. B. Earth travels faster in its orbit around the Sun in January than in July. C. It is summer in January and winter in July.

B

If we represent the solar system on a scale that allows us to walk from the Sun to Pluto in a few minutes, then: A. the planets would be the size of basketballs and the nearest stars would be a few miles away. B. the planets would all be marble size or smaller and the nearest stars would be thousands of miles away. C. the planets would be microscopic and the stars would be light-years away.

B

In the Greek geocentric model, the retrograde motion of a planet occurs when: A. Earth is about to pass the planet in its orbit around the Sun. B. The planet actually goes backward in its orbit around Earth. C. The planet is aligned with the Moon in our sky.

B

The Sun-centered system pictured in the lower window of the video offers a simple explanation for observations of apparent retrograde motion. Should these facts alone have been enough to convince the ancient Greeks that Earth really does go around the Sun? A. Yes, but the Greeks were unable to detect apparent retrograde motion and therefore didn't know that it ruled out an Earth-centered universe. B. No, because the Greeks had an Earth-centered model that also accounted for apparent retrograde motion. C. No, because apparent retrograde motion still happens in an Earth-centered system as the Sun passes by a planet in its orbit around Earth. D. Yes, but the Greeks did not realize it because they never even considered a Sun-centered model.

B

What is really happening in space during the periods when we see Mars going through apparent retrograde motion? A. Mars is moving along its orbit in the opposite direction from the way it usually moves. B. Earth is passing by Mars in its orbit around the Sun. C. Mars and the Sun both appear to be in the same constellation as viewed from Earth. D. Earth and Mars are moving in opposite directions around the Sun.

B

When we see Saturn going through a period of apparent retrograde motion, it means A. Saturn and Earth must be on opposite sides of the Sun. B. Earth is passing Saturn in its orbit, with both planets on the same side of the Sun. C. Saturn is temporarily moving backward in its orbit of the Sun.

B

If Earth were twice as far from the Sun, the force of gravity attracting Earth to the Sun would be: A. twice as strong. B. half as strong. C. one-quarter as strong.

C

On the cosmic calendar, which compresses the history of the universe into a single year, about when did life arise on Earth? A. in late January B. in mid-August C. in September D. in mid-December E. just a few hours before midnight on December 31

C

The star Betelgeuse is about 425 light-years away. If it explodes tonight: A. We'll know because it will be brighter than the full Moon in the sky. B. We'll know because debris from the explosion will rain down on us from space. C. We won't know about it until 425 years from now.

C

Which of the following is not true about a scientific theory? A. A theory must explain a wide range of observations or experiments. B. Even the strongest theories can never be proved true beyond all doubt. C. A theory is essentially an educated guess.

C

You've now seen that Earth's varying distance cannot be the cause of our seasons. So what is the cause of the seasons? A. The tilt of Earth's axis causes the Northern Hemisphere to be closer to the Sun than the Southern Hemisphere in summer, and vice versa in winter. B. Earth's speed varies in its orbit around the Sun, giving us summer when Earth is moving fastest and winter when Earth is moving slowest. C. The tilt of Earth's axis causes different portions of the Earth to receive more or less direct sunlight at different times of year. D. The seasons are caused by variation in the amount of rainfall (or snowfall) in different places at different times of year.

C

On the cosmic calendar, which compresses the history of the universe into a single year, about when did Earth form? A. very early in January B. in mid-February C. in June D. in early September E. in mid-December

D

On the cosmic calendar, which compresses the history of the universe into a single year, about when did early humans first walk on Earth? A. in late January B. in mid-August C. in September D. in mid-December E. just a few hours before midnight on December 31

E