Astronomy chapter 1 quiz
1 astronomical unit
- about 150 million meters - earths average distance from the sun - jupiter lies about 5.2 of these from the sun
the following statements about the moon are true
- at a new moon, the half of the moon facing the sun is fully illuminated - at the new moon, we only see the "night" side of the moon. - the time between new moon and full moon is about 2 weeks - if it is a full moon, the moon will rise around sunset
Lunar eclipse
- can occur only at a full moon - occurs when earths shadow falls on the moon - can be seen by anyone on earths night side at the time - occurs when the moon is on the direct opposite side of earth from the sun
Solar eclipse
- can occur only at new moon - occurs when the moon comes directly between earth and the sun - can be seen only along a relatively narrow path on earth - occurs when the moons shadow fails on earth
which of the following correctly lists speeds from slowest to fastest?
- earths speed of rotation on its axis -typical speeds of stars in the local solar neighborhood relative to us -earths speed of revolution about the sun -the speed of our solar system orbiting the center of the milky way galaxy - the speeds of very distant galaxies relative to us
what conditions must exist for a lunar eclipse to occur?
- it must be a full moon - the moon must be passing through earths orbital plane
what conditions must exist for a solar eclipse to occur?
- it must be a new moon - the moon must be passing through earths orbital plane
neither 1 au nor 1 light year
- mars average distance from the sun - the diameter of earth
which of the following statements is true about summer compared to winter?
- temperatures tend to be warmer in summer -the sun follows a longer and higher path through your sky in summer - you have more daylight and less darkness in summer
description of eclipse season
-lunar eclipse at a full moon -solar eclipse at a new moon - when the nodes of the moon are lined up with the earth and the sun
1 light year
-the distance light travels in one year - about 10 trillion kilometers - the star sirius lies about 8 of these from the sun
arcminute
1/60 of a degree
Suppose that instead of being inclined to Earth's orbit around the Sun, the Moon's orbit was in the same plane as Earth's orbit around the Sun. In this hypothetical situation, approximately how many solar eclipses would occur each year?
12
When did the Big Bang occur?
14 billion years ago
if there was a solar eclipse in your hometown today there will be a solar eclipse in another part of the world _______
18 years and 11 1/3 days from now
in reality, the moons orbit around earth is tilted (by about 5 degrees) with respect to earths orbit about the sun. as a result, the actual number of solar eclipses that occur each year is approximately _________
2
a waxing gibbous rises at ___ sets at ___ and reaches its highest point at ______
3pm 3am 9pm
a waxing crescent moon rises at ___ sets at ___ and reaches its highest point at _____
9am 3pm 9pm
a waning gibbous rises at____ sets at ____ and reaches its highest point at _____
9pm 9am 3am
Altitude of the celestial pole
= your latitude on earth
constellations
A group of stars that forms a shape or pattern.
what is an annular eclipse
A solar eclipse where the Moon does not appear large enough to fully block the sun
degree
A unit used to measure distances around a circle. One degree equals 1/360 of a full circle.
meridian
An arc drawn on a map between the North and South poles.
celestial sphere
An imaginary sphere surrounding Earth to which the stars are attached
which of the following lies in the ecliptic plane?
Earth's orbital path around the Sun
altitude
Elevation above sea level
what is special about the june solstice?
It's the day on which the Northern Hemisphere receives its most direct sunlight.
When did life arise on Earth?
September
when did the sun form
The Sun formed long after our galaxy formed.
in what sense are telescopes like time machines?
They allow us to see distant objects as they were long in the past.
which planet has the most extreme seasons?
Uranus
direction
a course along which someone or something moves.
which of the following best describes the milky way galaxy
a disk shaped galaxy about 50,000 light years in radius and containing between 100 billion and 1 trillion stars
What do astronomers mean by a constellation?
a region in the sky as seen from earth
arcsecond
a unit used to measure small angles that is equal to 1/3600 of a degree
The Andromeda Galaxy is faintly visible to the naked eye. when you look at the andromeda galaxy, the retina of your eye is absorbing light that has traveled through space for______ to reach you
about 2 1/2 million years
saros cycle
an 18 year 11 1/3 day period after which the pattern of lunar and solar eclipses repeats.
when is the next oppurtunity to see a total solar eclipse in the US?
april 8, 2024
When the Moon's phase is a first quarter moon, it rises
around noon
suppose that someone in the andromeda galaxy had a super-telescope through which they were looking at earth right now. they would see earth _____
as it was 2 1/2 million years ago
eclipse seasons dont occur exactly twice a year. usually come 173 days apart. WHY?
because the line of nodes gradually moves around the moons orbit
a galaxy is ______
collection of a few hundred million to a trillion or more stars, bound together by gravity
the sun rises and sets each day because ...
earth rotates once each day
what is the basic reason that we have seasons on earth
earths axis is tilted relative to the ecliptic plane
as seen from earth the sun appears to follow the annual path that we call the _____ around the celestial sphere
ecliptic
suppose you see a moon that is half bright and half dark in your early evening sky, then you are seeing
first quarter moon
which of the following best summarizes the reason we see phases of the moon?
half of the moon is always illuminated by the sun, but the phase we see depends on how much of this half we are looking at from earth
As Earth goes around the Sun each year, Earth's rotation axis in the North points
in the direction of the celestial pole, near polaris, throughout the year
what happens to earths axis as we orbit around the sun over the course of each year?
it remains pointed in the same direction at all times
which planet has essentially no seasons at all
jupiter
when did early humans walk on earth
just a few hours before midnight on december 31st
regarding the history of the universe, which of the following is true?
key elements of which earth and life are made, including carbon, oxygen, and iron, did not exist when the universe was born and were created later in stars
the moon will rise a little _____ each day and with each passing day you will see a little _____ of the moons face illuminated
later, more
Polaris is 10 degrees above your horizon. Where are you?
latitude 10 degrees north
the milky way galaxy and andromeda galaxies are among a few dozen galaxies that make up our _______
local group
Our entire solar system orbits around the center of the ______ about once every 230 million years
milky way galaxy
a total solar eclipse can only happen during what phase?
new . moon
a first quarter moon rises at _____, reaches its highest point at ____ and sets around____
noon sunset midnight
suppose you live at a mid latitude in the southern hemisphere. when will you have 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of sunlight?
on both the march and september equinoxes
You are one year older each time Earth _____ about the Sun.
orbits
the sun appears to rise and set in our sky because earth _____ once each day
rotates
Our _____ is moving toward the star Vega at about 70,000 km/hr.
solar system
What made most of the oxygen nuclei in the solar system?
stars
circumpolar stars
stars that can be seen at all times of the year and all times of night.
a new moon rises at ___ sets at____ and reaches its high
sunrise sunset noon
a full moon rises at _____ sets at____ and reaches its highest point at ______
sunset \3am midnight
the term observable universe refers to ________
that portion of the universe that we can see in principle, given the current age of the universe
What do we mean when we say that the universe is expanding?
the average distance between galaxies is increasing with time
which of the following about the celestial sphere is NOT true?
the celestial sphere is another name or our universe
polaris
the current star to which the North Celestial Pole of Earth points; also called the "North Star".
full shadow (umbra)
the dark, central region of an object shadow, in which light from the sun is fully
suppose we observe a galaxy that is 13 billion light years away. which of the following can conclude?
the galaxy formed before the universe was 1 billion years old
zenith
the highest point
Partial shadow (penumbra)
the larger, surrounding region of an objects shadow in which light from the sun is only partially blocked
if the earth rotated once every 48 hours, and everything else was the same, which of the following statements would not be true?
the length of the year would be longer
why will total solar eclipses no longer be possible after about 600 million years from now?
the moon will have moved too far from earth for it to fully block the sun
approximately how often do eclipse seasons occur?
twice a year
on average, galaxies are getting farther apart with time, which is why we say our _____ is expanding
universe
Largest to Smallest
universe local supercluster local group milky way galaxy solar system sun jupiter earth
the elements crucial for making life on earth: carbon, nitrogen, oxygen
were processed through earlier generations of stars and drifted across space
Cosmic adress
you, earth, solar system,milky way galaxy, local group, local supercluster
