Astronomy Ch. 2
13. At what latitude is the north celestial pole at your horizon? a. 0° b. +30° c. +60° d. +90° e. This can never happen.
A
15. A friend takes a time-lapse picture of the sky, as shown in the figure below. What direction must your friend have been facing when the picture was taken? a. north b. east c. south d. west e. directly overhead
A
2. What defines the location of the equator on Earth? a. the axis around which Earth rotates b. where the ground is the warmest c. the tilt of Earth's rotational axis relative to its orbit around the Sun d. the orbit of Earth around the Sun e. all of the above
A
10. The apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of a year is called the a. prime meridian. b. ecliptic. c. circumpolar plane. d. celestial equator. e. eclipse.
B
18. If you go out at exactly 9 P.M. each evening over the course of 1 month, the position of a given star will move westward by tens of degrees. What causes this motion? a. Earth's rotation on its axis b. the revolution of Earth around the Sun c. the revolution of the Moon around Earth d. the revolution of the Sun around Earth e. the speed of the star through space
B
19. The ecliptic is defined by the motion of _________ in the sky. a. the Moon b. the Sun c. the planets d. Polaris e. the stars
B
40. You and a friend go outside to view the stars at midnight tonight. Six months later, you go outside to find the stars in exactly the same position in the sky as when you and your friend viewed them. What time is it? Assume you can see the stars at any time, day or night. a. 6 A.M. b. noon c. 6 P.M. d. midnight e. This can never happen.
B
12. At what latitude is the north celestial pole located at your zenith? a. 0° b. +30° c. +60° d. +90° e. This occurs at every latitude.
D
21. When the northern hemisphere experiences summer, the southern hemisphere experiences a. spring. b. summer. c. fall. d. winter.
D
36. Assume you are observing the night sky from a typical city in the United States with a latitude of +40°. Using the figure below, which constellation of the zodiac would be nearest to the meridian at midnight in mid-September? a. Scorpius b. Taurus c. Pisces d. Aquarius e. Leo
D
3. Circumpolar stars are stars that are a. always below the horizon. b. always on the celestial equator. c. always at the north celestial pole. d. sometimes above the horizon. e. always above the horizon.
E
42. At which of the following latitudes is it possible for the Sun's rays to hit the ground perpendicular to the ground at some point during the year? a. 87° b. 55° c. 42° d. 33° e. 20°
E
20. When the northern hemisphere experiences fall, the southern hemisphere experiences a. spring. b. summer. c. fall. d. winter.
A
23. On which day of the year does the Sun reach its northernmost point in the sky? a. vernal equinox b. summer solstice c. autumnal equinox d. winter solstice e. The sun always reaches the same altitude.
B
11. At a latitude of +50°, how far above the horizon is the north celestial pole located? a. 0° b. 40° c. 50° d. 90° e. It is not visible at that latitude.
C
64. The darkest part of the Moon's shadow is the a. partial shadow. b. penumbra. c. umbra. d. annular.
C
35. Earth is closest to the Sun when the Northern Hemisphere experiences a. spring. b. summer. c. fall. d. winter.
D
52. The Moon's sidereal period is 2.2 days shorter than the period during which the Moon's phases change because a. the Moon always keeps the same side turned toward Earth. b. Earth must rotate so an observer can see the Moon. c. the Moon's orbit is tilted with respect to Earth's rotational axis. d. Earth moves significantly in its orbit around the Sun during that time. e. the Moon's orbital speed varies.
D
27. During summer above the Arctic circle a. the Moon cannot be seen. b. the Sun can always be seen. c. the Sun cannot be seen. d. the Sun is always in the southern part of the sky. e. the Sun is always directly overhead.
B
34. For a person living in Vancouver, Canada, at latitude of +49°, the maximum altitude of the Sun above the southern horizon on the day of the Winter Solstice is: a. 41.0°. b. 17.5°. c. 25.5°. d. 37.0°. e. 64.5°.
B
45. If tonight the Moon is in the waxing gibbous phase, in 3 days what is the most likely phase of the Moon? a. new phase. b. full phase. c. third quarter phase. d. first quarter phase. e. waxing crescent phase.
B
46. If there is a full Moon out tonight, approximately how long from now will it be in the third quarter phase? a. 3 to 4 days b. 1 week c. 2 weeks d. 3 weeks e. 1 month
B
50. The sidereal period of the moon is a. 1 month. b. 27.32 days. c. 28 days. d. 29.53 days. e. 30 days.
B
55. Leap years occur because a. Earth's orbital period around the Sun is decreasing. b. Earth's orbital period is 365.24 days. c. the Gregorian calendar contains only 11 months. d. Earth speeds up in its orbit when it comes closest to the Sun. e. a calendar month is not the same as a lunar month.
B
56. How often do leap years occur? a. almost every 3 years b. almost every 4 years c. almost every 5 years d. almost every 8 years e. almost every 10 years
B
6. Right ascension is a measure of a star's location on the celestial sphere that is most closely similar to which measurement of location on Earth? a. meters b. longitude c. latitude d. degrees e. radians
B
60. In the figure below, at which position must the Moon be located in order for a solar eclipse to occur? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4
B
62. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when a. the Sun appears to go behind the Moon. b. the Moon passes through part of the Earth's shadow. c. the Moon shadows part of the Sun. d. The Earth passes through part of the Moon's shadow. e. the Moon passes through part of the Sun's shadow.
B
54. If a person on Earth currently views the Moon in a waxing crescent phase, in what phase would Earth appear to a person on the Moon? a. waxing crescent b. waxing gibbous c. waning gibbous d. waning crescent e. New
C
58. A purely lunar calendar is not ideal for our modern world because a. leap years are more frequent. b. the months line up with the phases of the moon. c. the seasons don't occur in the same month every year. d. high and low tides occur at different times. e. leap year are less frequent.
C
26. The latitude of the Antarctic Circle is a. 23.5° N. b. 66.5° N. c. 23.5° S. d. 66.5° S. e. 90° S.
D
28. The day with the smallest number of daylight hours over the course of the year for a person living in the southern hemisphere is the a. summer solstice (June 1) b. vernal equinox (March 21) c. winter solstice (Dec. 22) d. autumnal equinox (Sept. 23) e. The number of daylight hours is always the same.
A
31. We experience seasons because a. Earth's equator is tilted relative to the plane of the solar system. b. Earth is closer to the Sun in summer and farther from the Sun in the winter. c. the length of the day is longer in the summer and shorter in the winter. d. Earth moves with a slower speed in its orbit during summer and faster during winter. e. one hemisphere of Earth is closer to the Sun than the other hemisphere during the summer.
A
37. Assume you are observing the night sky from a typical city in the United States with a latitude of +40°. Using the figure below, which constellation of the zodiac would be nearest to the meridian at 6 P.M. in mid-September? a. Scorpius b. Taurus c. Pisces d. Aquarius e. Leo
A
38. Assume you are observing the night sky from a typical city in the United States with a latitude of +40°. Using the figure below, which constellation of the zodiac would be nearest to the meridian at 10 P.M. in mid-May? a. Scorpius b. Taurus c. Pisces d. Aquarius e. Leo
A
39. Using the figure below, what time of the day or night will the zodiac constellation Gemini rise in March? a. 2 P.M. b. 8 P.M. c. 2 A.M. d. 8 A.M. e. noon
A
41. The brightest star in the constellation Canis Major can be referred to as a. Alpha Canis Majoris b. Beta Canis Majoris c. Beta Canis d. Alpha Majoris e. Alpha Canis
A
49. The Moon undergoes synchronous rotation, and as a consequence the a. rotational period of the Moon equals the orbital period of the Moon around Earth b. rotational period of the Moon equals the rotational period of Earth c. rotational period of the Moon equals the orbital period of Earth around the Sun d. orbital period of the Moon around Earth equals the rotational period of Earth e. Moon does not rotate as it orbits Earth
A
51. What time does a third quarter Moon rise? a. 12 midnight b. 12 noon c. 3 P.M. d. 6 A.M. e. 6 P.M.
A
53. At which of the possible times below could the waxing gibbous moon be seen rising? a. 3 P.M. b. 9 A.M. c. 11 P.M. d. 5 A.M. e. 8 P.M.
A
61. During which lunar phase do solar eclipses occur? a. new b. first quarter c. full d. third quarter
A
63. If you are lucky enough to see a total solar eclipse, you must be standing in the a. Moon's umbra. b. Moon's penumbra. c. Earth's umbra. d. Earth's penumbra. e. Sun's umbra.
A
67. A solar-powered spacecraft is traveling through the Moon's shadow. Which part(s), if any, of the Moon's shadow will cause the spacecraft to completely lose power? a. umbra b. penumbra c. annulus d. both umbra and penumbra e. The spacecraft will never lose power.
A
66. If you are observing a partial solar eclipse, you must be standing in the a. Moon's umbra. b. Moon's penumbra. c. Earth's umbra. d. Earth's penumbra. e. Sun's umbra.
B
68. Solar and lunar eclipses are rare because a. the Moon's orbital plane is tipped by 5.2° relative to the plane defined by Earth's equator. b. the Moon's orbital plane is tipped by 5.2° relative to Earth's orbital plane. c. the Moon's orbital plane is tipped by 23.5° relative to the plane defined by Earth's equator. d. the Moon's orbital plane is tipped by 23.5° relative to Earth's orbital plane. e. the Moon's orbital plane is tipped by 5.2° relative to the galactic plane.
B
9. No matter where you are on Earth, stars appear to rotate about a point called the a. zenith. b. celestial pole. c. nadir. d. meridian. e. equinox.
B
1. There are _________ constellations in the entire sky. a. 12 b. 13 c. 88 d. hundreds of e. thousands of
C
14. The meridian is defined as an imaginary circle on the sky on which lie the a. celestial equator and vernal equinox. b. north and south celestial poles. c. zenith and the north and south celestial poles. d. zenith and east and west directions. e. celestial equator and summer solstice.
C
16. A friend takes a time-lapse picture of the sky, as shown in the figure below. What direction must your friend have been facing when the picture was taken? a. north b. east c. south d. west e. directly overhead
C
17. How far away on average is Earth from the Sun? a. 1 light-second b. 1 light-minute c. 1 astronomical unit d. 1 light-hour e. 1 light-year
C
22. The day with the smallest number of daylight hours over the course of the year for a person living in the northern hemisphere is the a. summer solstice (June 1) b. vernal equinox (March 21) c. winter solstice (Dec. 22) d. autumnal equinox (Sept. 23) e. The number of daylight hours is always the same.
C
25. Which of the following stars will be the North Star in 12,000 years? a. Polaris b. Deneb c. Vega d. Thuban e. Sirius
C
32. During which season (in the Northern Hemisphere) could you see the Sun rising from the furthest north? a. winter b. spring c. summer d. fall e. The Sun always rises directly in the east.
C
4. The point directly below your feet is called the a. meridian. b. celestial pole. c. nadir. d. circumpolar plane. e. zenith.
C
69. A type of eclipse in which the Sun appears as a bright ring is called a a. total solar eclipse. b. partial solar eclipse. c. annular solar eclipse. d. lunar eclipse. e. umbral eclipse.
C
24. Earth's rotational axis precesses in space and completes one revolution every a. 200 years. b. 1,800 years. c. 7,300 years. d. 26,000 years. e. 51,000 years.
D
29. If Earth's axis were tilted by 5° instead of its actual tilt, how would the seasons be different than they are currently? a. The seasons would remain the same. b. Summers would be warmer. c. Winters would last longer. d. Winters would be warmer. e. Summers would last longer.
D
30. If Earth's axis were tilted by 35° instead of its actual tilt, how would the seasons be different than they are currently? a. The seasons would remain the same. b. Summers would be colder. c. Winters would be shorter. d. Winters would be colder. e. Summers would be shorter.
D
33. For a person who lives at a latitude of +40°, when is the Sun directly overhead at noon? a. only on the summer solstice b. only on the winter solstice c. only on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes d. never e. always
D
43. At approximately what time does a full Moon rise? a. 12 midnight b. 12 noon c. 6 A.M. d. 6 P.M. e. 3 P.M.
D
44. In regard to the phase of the Moon, the term waxing means a. less than half-illuminated. b. more than half-illuminated. c. becoming smaller. d. illuminated area increasing. e. illuminated area decreasing.
D
47. Which of the following is false? a. Everyone on Earth observes the same phase of the Moon on a given night. b. The phases of the Moon cycle with a period that is longer than its sidereal period. c. In some phases, the Moon can be observed during the day. d. The observed phase of the Moon changes over the course of one night. e. A full Moon can be seen on the eastern horizon at sunset.
D
48. If you see a full Moon tonight, approximately how long would you have to wait to see the next full Moon? a. 1 week b. 2 weeks c. 3 weeks d. 4 weeks e. 5 weeks
D
5. Declination is a measure of a star's location relative to a. zenith. b. ecliptic. c. nadir. d. celestial equator. e. line of nodes.
D
57. How often would we have leap years if Earth's orbital period were 365.1 days? a. every year b. every 2 years c. every 4 years d. every 10 years e. We would not need to have leap years.
D
59. In the figure below, at which position must the Moon be located in order for a lunar eclipse to occur? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4
D
65. During a lunar eclipse the Moon can appear red. This is caused by a. the moon glowing red. b. oxidation of the lunar crust. c. solar flares. d. light traveling through Earth's atmosphere.
D
70. Approximately how often do lunar eclipses occur? a. twice every year b. three times every year c. once per month d. twice every 11 months e. once every 11 years
D
7. If the star Polaris has an altitude of 35°, then we know that a. our longitude is +55°. b. our latitude is +55°. c. our longitude is −35°. d. our longitude is +35°. e. our latitude is +35°.
E
8. The direction directly overhead of an observer defines his or her a. meridian. b. celestial pole. c. nadir. d. circumpolar plane. e. zenith.
E
