ASTR 1050-01 | Survey of Astronomy Exam 01 Review

The Moon does not have a dark side, at some point in its orbit every side the Moon will be a illuminated.

Does the Moon have a dark side?

The Moon does have a far side that is never visible from the Earth. This is due to the synchronization of the Moon's orbit and rotation.

Does the Moon have a far side?

1.496 x 10^11 meters

The distance to the Sun is roughly 149598000km. Can you write this in Meters?

A. 5o above your horizon.

Assume you live in Wainwright, Alaska (near 71.5oN). How far will the Sun be from your horizon as it crosses your meridian at local midnight (when the Sun is directly to your north) on June 21? Remember, your horizon is 90o from your zenith. A. 5o above your horizon. B. 5o below your horizon. C. 42o above your horizon. D. 42o below your horizon

C. 42o above your horizon.

Assume you live in Wainwright, Alaska (near 71.5oN). How far will the Sun be from your horizon as it crosses your meridian at local noon (when the Sun is directly to your south) on June 21? Remember, your horizon is 90o from your zenith. A. 5o above your horizon. B. 5o below your horizon. C. 42o above your horizon. D. 42o below your horizon.

A. close to sunset.

At approximately what time does the new Moon set (move below the horizon)? A. close to sunset. B. close to sunrise. C. close to noon (midday). D. close to midnight.

In the Northern Hemisphere, Winter Solstice: December 21, and Summer Solstice: June 21. In the Southern Solstice, Winter Solstice: June 21, and Summer Solstice: December 21.

What are the solstice dates?

The solstices is when the sun is a far North or South it travel due to the tilt. Where it have the longest day or night depending on which hemisphere you are in.

What are the solstices?

1. The planet must process a liquid iron outer core. 2. The planet must have a strong enough rotation.

What are the two main causes of a planet's magnetic field?

It's the tilt of the Earth's rotation axis (Note, the direction of the tilt doesn't change over the year).

What causes seasons?

If there are two explanations for something, the simpler explanation one is usually better.

What is Occam's Razor?

Kelvin is measure of temperature that starts at absolute zero as 0 and goes up by steps of Celsius (so there is no negative kelvin).

What is a Kelvin?

A light-year is the a unit of astronomical distance equivalent to the distance that light travels in one year, which is 9.4607 × 10^12 km (nearly 6 trillion miles).

What is a light-year and what is it trying to measure?

An arcsecond is a unit of measurement that amounts to one sixtieth of an arcminute. Simply put, it is equal to 1/3600 degrees of an arc.

What is an arcsecond?

The theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience. Stimulated by the rise of experimental science.

What is empiricism?

An observation that has a lack of bias, judgment, or prejudice

What is objectivity?

Projection of the Earth's equator into the sky

What is the Celestial Equator?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

What is the Order all the planets from the Sun?

Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter.

What is the Order of all the planets by size?

No atmosphere.

What is the atmosphere level of Mercury?

Line traced by the Sun in the sky called the Ecliptic.

What is the ecliptic?

Horizon is boundary where the sky seems to meet the ground or sea that is 90 degrees from Zenith.

What is the horizon?

The Horizon marks the intersection of Earth and sky that is 90 degrees form your zenith.

What is your Horizon?

A line drawn from North to South through the zenith.

What is your meridian?

Zenith is the point directly overhead.

What is your zenith?

Zenith is the point in the sky or celestial sphere directly above an observer.

What is zenith?

thin Level 2 atmosphere, made of (90%) carbon dioxide and (<3%) of Argon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen.

What kind of atmosphere does Mars have?

thick Level 2 atmosphere, made of (96%) carbon dioxide and (4%) nitrogen.

What kind of atmosphere does Venus have?

Level 3 atmosphere, made of (78%) Nitrogen, (21%) Oxygen, (<2%) Argon, Water Vapor and Carbon Dioxide.

What kind of atmosphere does the Earth have?

B. declination decrease with time.

A comet that moves from a declination of 40oS towards the South Celestial Pole without moving to the east or to the west will have its A. right ascension decrease with time. B. declination decrease with time. C. right ascension increase with time. D. declination increase with time.

Asterisms are star patterns but constellations have official boundaries, like the borders of a State on a map.

Are asterisms and constellations different?

D. 33o above your horizon.

Assume you live in Santiago, Chile (very near 33.5oS latitude). How far will the Sun be from your horizon as it crosses your meridian at local noon on June 21? Remember, your horizon is 90o from your zenith. A. 57o above your horizon. B. 56.5o above your horizon. C. 33.5o above your horizon. D. 33o above your horizon.

The clouds on Jupiter (and Saturn) are made of (90%) Hydrogen, (10%) Helium, (~0.3%) other stuff.

How are clouds on Jupiter (and Saturn) different to the Earth?

There are 88 total constellations.

How many constellations are there?

D. an iron core that occupies about half of its volume.

Mercury is unique when compared to the Earth, Venus and the Moon because it has A. a hemisphere with many craters and few volcanoes, and a hemisphere with few craters and many volcanoes. B. volcanic activity over most of its history but no evidence of plate tectonics. C. a very strong magnetic field. D. an iron core that occupies about half of its volume.

D. that the Moon is farther from the Sun than the Earth is at that time.

On a given evening you notice that the sunlit portion of the Moon has a gibbous shape. This simple observation tells you A. that the Moon is closer to the Sun than the Earth is at that time. B. nothing at all about the position of the Moon in relation to that of the Earth and the Sun. C. that a line drawn from the Earth to the Moon makes a 90o angle to a line drawn from the Sun to the Earth. D. that the Moon is farther from the Sun than the Earth is at that time.

B. annular eclipses wouldn't have occurred.

One billion years ago, when the first multi-celled organisms evolved on the Earth A. there would have been fewer days each year. B. annular eclipses wouldn't have occurred. C. the Earth's tides would have been weaker. D. the Earth's rotation would have been slower.

1. Radiates heat that it receives from the Sun. 2. Heat is produced by the contracting of the planet.

What 2 factors drive weather on the Gas Giants?

Earth, Venus, Io, Enceladus.

Which planets are geologically active?

The Moon, Mercury, Mars, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto.

Which planets are not geologically active?

The declination of the star on your horizon is 50°S.

Say you are standing in Laramie (latitude of about 40°N). What is the declination of a star directly on the Southern horizon?

No atmosphere.

What kind of atmosphere does the Earth's Moon have?

C. an annular eclipse.

What kind of eclipse is it only possible to see when the Moon's orbit is near apogee? A. a lunar eclipse. B. a solar eclipse. C. an annular eclipse. D. a synodic eclipse.

The Arctic: 66.5ºN and greater. The Antarctic: 66.5ºS and greater. Tropic of Cancer: 0o to 23.5ºN. Tropic of Capricorn: 0o to 23.5ºS.

What latitudes define the tropics and the arctic?

D. 10°S

What will be the approximate declination of the Sun on October 20 of this year? A. 23.5°S. B. 20°N. C. 0°. D. 10°S.

B. In the east.

Where would the Sun appear to set as viewed from the surface of Venus, if you could see through the clouds? A. In the north. B. In the east. C. In the west. D. In the south.

B. 3300km.

A fictional alien called Seratosthenes lives on Mars in a city called Psyene. She learns that on the Martian summer solstice in the city of Lexandria, which is near a Martian latitude of 25oN, a stick casts no shadow when placed upright in the midday sun. At the same time (midday), in Psyene, an upright stick casts a shadow of 12o. If Psyene is 110km south of Lexandria, what would Seratosthenes measure to be the circumference of Mars? A. 3200km. B. 3300km. C. 3400km. D. 3500km.

B. closer to the Earth than average.

According to Ptolemy's geocentric model of our Solar System the planets orbit on circles. In Ptolemy's model, during retrograde motion a planet would be A. orbiting the Sun. B. closer to the Earth than average. C. farther away from the Earth than average. D. always at the same distance from the Earth.

A. In the first billion years after the Moon formed.

During what part of the Moon's lifetime did most of the impacts that made the Moon's craters occur? A. In the first billion years after the Moon formed. B. In the range from 1 to 2 billion years after the Moon formed. C. In the range from 2 to 3 billion years after the Moon formed. D. In the range from 3 to 4 billion years after the Moon formed

A. a valid view of reality makes a prediction that multiple people can test with observations.

Empiricism, objectivity and falsifiability are important scientific tenets. Together they tell us that A. a valid view of reality makes a prediction that multiple people can test with observations. B. the simplest description of an idea is the closest explanation to the absolute truth. C. if an idea can be explained using mathematics, then it must describe something in the Universe. D. if an idea is believed by more than 50% of the people in a society then it must be true.

D. observer's latitude.

For an observer at a fixed location on the Earth, the angle between the Celestial North Pole at a declination of 90o and the observer's zenith depends on the A. observer's longitude. B. time of day. C. time of year. D. observer's latitude.

B. rose a few hours earlier and is about 30o above the horizon.

From Laramie, you observe a star just starting to rise above the horizon. At the same instant, your friend in Boston finds that this same star A. is just rising and is about 0o above the horizon. B. rose a few hours earlier and is about 30o above the horizon. C. is just setting and is about 0o below the horizon. D. will rise in a few hours and is about 30o below the horizon.

C. that the rising Sun's position always moves north from February through May.

From anywhere on Earth, a declination of 0o is always on your horizon directly to the east or west ("due east or west"). If an observer on Earth notes the Sun's position (and in particular, the Sun's declination) on the horizon as it rises through the year, they will find A. that the Sun always rises in the same place, directly to the east ("due east"). B. that the Sun rises due east only on days with 18 hours of daylight. C. that the rising Sun's position always moves north from February through May. D. that the rising Sun's position always moves south from November through February.

C. noon.

From the Earth's northern hemisphere, you notice that exactly half of the Moon is illuminated—the right-hand side of the Moon—just as the Moon is rising on your eastern horizon. This simple observation of a quarter moon phase tells you that the current time is about A. 6AM. B. 6PM. C. noon. D. midnight.

D. from 10oS.

From which of these latitudes could you see a star that has a declination of 80oS exactly on your southern horizon? A. from the Earth's equator. B. from 80oN. C. from the Earth's South Pole. D. from 10oS.

A. The basin contains relatively few craters.

How do we know that the Caloris Basin on Mercury was formed late in the period of heavy bombardment? A. The basin contains relatively few craters. B. Radioactive dating of rock samples has fixed the date of formation. C. Mountain ranges in the basin are very high because they have not had time to suffer significant erosion. D. The basin is dark, suggesting it has not been churned by meteoric impacts.

The Earth is tilted ~23.5o off of the ecliptic.

How many degrees is the Earth's tilt?

Approximately only 3000 stars are visible by eye in the night sky.

How many stars are visible by eye in the night sky?

A large meteorite impact with the Earth early in its formation that broke off and formed the Moon.

How was the Moon created?

A. declination of 80oS, and it can reach the zenith of a person standing at a latitude of 80oS.

If you stand at a latitude of 10oN, a star exactly on your southern horizon is at a A. declination of 80oS, and it can reach the zenith of a person standing at a latitude of 80oS. B. declination of 80oS, and it can reach the zenith of a person standing at a latitude of 10oS. C. declination of 10oS, and it can reach the zenith of a person standing at a latitude of 80oS. D. declination of 10oS, and it can reach the zenith of a person standing at a latitude of 10oS.

A. twice.

If you stand at a latitude of 21oN for a full year, how many times during the year will the Sun pass directly through your zenith? A. twice. B. once. C. never. D. every day for 3 months.

C. Approximately 23.5o above your horizon.

If you stand at the Earth's South Pole (with the South Celestial Pole at your zenith) on December 21, approximately where would you see the Sun all day? A. Approximately on your horizon. B. Approximately 23.5o below your horizon. C. Approximately 23.5o above your horizon. D. Approximately at your zenith.

C. at inferior conjunction.

In Ptolemy's model of planetary motion, an inferior planet would be farthest away from the Earth when it was A. at superior conjunction. B. above the ecliptic. C. at inferior conjunction. D. at opposition.

B. Summer.

In the Earth's Northern Hemisphere, summer is about 94 days long, spring is about 92 days long, fall is about 90 days long and winter is about 89 days long. According to Kepler's Second Law, in what season is the Earth farthest from the Sun in it's orbit (when is the Earth at "aphelion")? A. Spring. B. Summer. C. Fall. D. Winter.

B. the Earth is moving.

In the heliocentric model we now know to correctly describe our Solar System, retrograde motion of a planet when viewed from the Earth is caused by the fact that A. the planet's orbit is inclined at an angle to the Earth's orbit. B. the Earth is moving. C. the Sun is moving. D. the planet's orbit is elliptical.

B. the closest point in the planet's orbit to the Earth.

In the heliocentric model we now know to correctly describe our Solar System, when a planet is seen at opposition as viewed from the Earth, the planet is always at A. the most distant point in the planet's orbit from the Sun. B. the closest point in the planet's orbit to the Earth. C. the most distant point in the planet's orbit from the Earth. D. the closest point in the planet's orbit to the Sun.

Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

What are the four largest Moons of Jupiter?

Titan, and Enceladus.

What are the important Moons of Saturn?

No, In fact, all of the Gas Giants have rings.

Is Saturn the only planet with rings?

D. Moving west at about 800mph.

Leaving Laramie, which of these motions could keep the same star at your zenith? A. Moving north at about 800mph. B. Moving east at about 800mph. C. Moving south at about 800mph. D. Moving west at about 800mph.

A. equator is tilted with respect to the planet's orbit.

One essential condition for seasons to occur on a planet is that the planet's A. equator is tilted with respect to the planet's orbit. B. distance from the Sun varies as the planet orbits. C. atmosphere varies in thickness as the planet orbits. D. axis (the line through the planet's poles) is at a 90o angle to the planet's orbit.

The declination of the star on your horizon is 90°N.

Say you are standing at the Equator (latitude of 0°N). What is the declination of a star directly on the Northern horizon?

The declination of the star directly on your horizon is 0°.

Say you are standing at the North Pole (latitude of 90°N). What is the declination of a star directly on the horizon?

C. Yes. On a summer night many of the constellations you can see are different from the constellations that you can see on a winter night. But there are some constellations you can see all year long.

Standing in Laramie, are the constellations seasonal? A. No. If you wait long enough you can see the constellations on any clear night of the year. B. Yes. On a summer night all the constellations that you can see are different from the constellations that you can see on a winter night. C. Yes. On a summer night many of the constellations you can see are different from the constellations that you can see on a winter night. But there are some constellations you can see all year long. D. Yes, as the year progresses, the constellations change their positions with respect to each other, so every night brings a different mixture of constellations

D. No eclipses are possible.

Suppose we are experiencing a neap tide. What types of eclipses are possible? A. Only lunar eclipses. B. Only solar eclipses. C. Both lunar and solar eclipses. D. No eclipses are possible.

A. 10PM.

The Earth turns 15o each hour (360o in 24 hours). The Earth orbits the Sun about 15o every 15 days (360o in 365 days). An observer in Laramie sees a constellation crossing their meridian at 11PM on January. About 15 days later, on February the 8th, the same constellation will cross the observer in Laramie's meridian at about A. 10PM. B. 9PM. C. 11PM. D. Midnight.

D. very old lava floodplains.

The Moon's Maria are A. ancient riverbeds, now dry. B. uplifted regions surrounding large volcanoes. C. heavily cratered highlands. D. very old lava floodplains.

The main principles of the scientific method are 1. Observe 2. Modify 3. Theorize 4. Predict 5. Make a Test 6. Repeat from step 1

What are the main principles of the scientific method?

A. 0o (i.e. directly overhead).

The city of Aswan (known in Eratosthenes' time by the Ancient Greek name of Syene) is at a latitude of about 23.5oN. If you live in Aswan, how far, and in what direction, is the Sun from zenith as it crosses the meridian at local noon on June 21? A. 0o (i.e. directly overhead). B. 23.5o to the north of zenith. C. 47o to the north of zenith. D. 47o to the south of zenith.

C. 23.5o to the south of zenith.

The city of Aswan (known in Eratosthenes' time by the Ancient Greek name of Syene) is at a latitude of about 23.5oN. If you live in Aswan, how far, and in what direction, is the Sun from zenith as it crosses the meridian at local noon on the Vernal Equinox? A. 23.5o to the north of zenith. B. 47o to the south of zenith. C. 23.5o to the south of zenith. D. 47o to the north of zenith.

D. That heavy elements sink to a planet's center while light elements float to the surface.

To what does planetary differentiation refer? A. Large-scale movement of molten rock inside a planet, which can cause plate tectonics. B. Formation of rocky planets in the inner Solar System and gas giants in the outer regions. C. Circulation of iron in the core of a planet, resulting in the generation of a magnetic field. D. That heavy elements sink to a planet's center while light elements float to the surface.

B. 37o and 43o.

Unlike the Earth, which is tilted at 23.5o to the ecliptic plane, Venus orbits tilted such that its equator makes an angle of 3o to the Ecliptic. Imagine that 1000 years from now, humans terraform Venus—so that Venus' atmosphere resembles the Earth's—and establish the city of New Laramie on Venus at a latitude of 40oN. How far would the Sun be from zenith in New Laramie as the Sun crosses the meridian on the solstices? After answering the question, think about this—is there much difference between summer and winter on Venus? A. 16.5o and 63.5o. B. 37o and 43o. C. 23.5o and 23.5o. D. 3o and 3o.

Saturn's rings are made of ice-covered rocks and ice pellets.

What are Saturn's rings made of?

Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity are unmanned rovers sent to explore mars.

What are Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity?

In the Northern Hemisphere, Spring Equinox: March 21, and :Fall Equinox September 21. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Spring Equinox: September 21, and Fall Equinox: March 21.

What are the Equinox Dates?

The times when the sun is directly in the equator, that results in 12 hour days and 12 nights.

What are the Equinoxes?

D. A total eclipse of the Moon occurs only at New Moon.

Which of the following statements about eclipses is NOT correct? A. A total eclipse of the Moon occurs only at Full Moon. B. A total eclipse of the Sun occurs only at New Moon. C. Eclipses of the Moon and the Sun never occur at quarter-moon phases. D. A total eclipse of the Moon occurs only at New Moon.

Phobos and Deimos are strange shapes because they were most likely meteorites that were caught in Mars' orbit.

Why are Phobos and Deimos strange shapes?

B. Hydrogen is a very light gas, and it escaped into outer space.

Why did the Earth's first atmosphere, composed primarily of hydrogen, not last long? A. Hydrogen is reactive, and became bound into chemical compounds in the Earth's rocks. B. Hydrogen is a very light gas, and it escaped into outer space. C. Biological activity very quickly combined the hydrogen with oxygen to form water. D. The hydrogen soon dissolved in the Earth's oceans.

Scientific theories are based on observations (this is Aristotle's empiricism). Scientific theories make predictions that can be disproved by empirical observations by more than one person (this is objectivity). Search for the simplest theory that explains the observations (this is called Occam's razor).

Why do the principles of the scientific method make it more objective than other world views?

Iron oxide (rust) in the soil gives reddish color.

Why is Mars red?