Chapter 21- Quiz 4

Sir Isaac Newton was convicted of heresy for supporting the Sun-centered view of the universe.

False

This scientist was the first to use the telescope in astronomy.

Galileo

This scientist wrote a book entitled Dialogue of the Great World Systems that compared the Earth-centered system with the Sun-centered system.

Galileo

The true shape of the planetary orbits was discovered by ________.

Johannes Kepler

The first modern astronomer to propose a Sun-centered universe was ________.

Nicolaus Copernicus

What is the right ascension and declination for Polaris, the North Star?

RA indeterminate, D 90 degrees

Why are there only 4-7 eclipses per year?

The moon's orbit is inclined to the ecliptic and only crosses the ecliptic twice per year.

How did the Greeks estimate the size of the earth?

They measured the angle of the sun above the horizon at midday in two places with different latitude and used the angle to estimate the circumference of the earth.

Why were planets called "wanderers" by early Astronomers?

They move relative to the stars.

Earth is closest to the Sun in January.

True

Galileo believed in a Sun-centered view of the universe.

True

Galileo discovered Jupiter's four largest moons.

True

The length of daylight on the Moon is about ________.

Two Weeks

Astrology is the folklore that arose from watching alignments in the night sky and the belief that these "celestial events" controlled human events. A 1960's folk song, "The Age of Aquarius" has numerous astrology references that relate to the positions of objects in the sky. The song has a line: "When the moon is in the 7th house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planet..." From your knowledge of the stellar constellations and the celestial coordinate system, what does this line mean?

When Jupiter and Mars align in the sky, and the moon is in the 7th constellation of the zodiac, then

A very slow motion of Earth's axis that requires 26,000 years to complete is called ________.

axial precession

In the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, the stars are attached to the ________.

celestial sphere

The earliest astronomical records appear to have been made by the ancient Chinese, Egyptians, and Babylonians in order to ________.

determine when to plant crops or hunt animals based on seasonal changes

The apparent path of the Sun upon the celestial sphere is called the ________.

ecliptic

A total eclipse of the Sun is only possible at ________.

new moon

During a total lunar eclipse, the moon remains visible because ________.

the atmosphere of the earth refracts light around its perimeter.