Chapter 2

The celestial sphere turns once around each day because

**A. the planet on which we live is rotating B. the phases of the Moon C. precession D. the Earth is going around the Sun E. everything in the universe turns around the Earth

The point in the sky directly above your head at any given time is called the

**A. zenith B. bald spot C. horizon point D. nadir E. celestial pole

The 88 sectors into which astronomers today divide the celestial sphere (the whole sky) are called:

A . asterisms B. celestial states **C. constellations D. Epicycles E. zodiacs

From horizon to opposite horizon, the sky takes up how much angular distance?

A. 360 degrees **B. 180 degrees C. you can't fool me, this number varies with latitude D. 90 degrees E. 100 degrees

The great astronomer of ancient times who summarized and improved a system of circles upon circles to explain the complicated motions of the planets (and published the system in a book now called The Almagest) is

A. Copernicus B. Alfonso the Wise C. Pythagoras D. Hipparchus **E. Ptolemy

The Renaissance astronomer who wrote the pioneering book that suggested the Earth probably orbits the Sun (instead of the other way around) was:

A. Halley B. Ptolemy C. Newton **D. Copernicus E. Eratosthenes

Which of the following is NOT a result of the Earth's precession?

A. where the Earth's axis points in the sky changes over the centuries and millennia B. Polaris will no longer be the North Star in several thousand years C. the signs of the zodiac most astrologers use are no longer in accord with the constellations in which the Sun is currently found over the course of the year **D. the stars twinkle when seen from the surface of planet Earth E. the Earth wobbles (like a spinning top) with a period of 26,000 years

In what fundamental way did the work of Galileo differ from his predecessors who had thought about the sky?

A. Galileo believed that the Earth was the center of the solar system, and everything revolved around it B. Galileo consulted many authorities before coming to scientific conclusions, instead of working on his own C. Galileo relied on the revelations of the Bible to tell him what was happening in the sky D. Galileo translated the works of the ancient Greek astronomers, and relied on their wonderful abilities to think through difficult problems **E. Galileo used instruments and experiments to show him what nature was doing, instead of relying on pure logic

Which ancient Greek thinker suggested (long before Copernicus) that the Earth is moving around the Sun?

A. Hipparchus B. Aristotle **C. Aristarchus E. Eratosthenes D. Zorba

Every celestial object appears to go around the Earth once a day. In addition to this motion,which celestial object has the fastest apparent motion in the sky?

A. Venus B. the Sun **C. the Moon D. the Big Dipper E. Mars

In Copernicus' day, people were worried about the idea that the celestial sphere seemed to turn around us once a day because the Earth rotates. They argued that if the Earth were to rotate so fast, it should fly apart. According to our textbook, what was one response Copernicus had to this worry?

A. You can't fool me, Copernicus never thought that the Earth was rotating B. Copernicus said that the presence of a large Moon kept the Earth from flying apart. **C. Copernicus argued that the idea that the much larger celestial sphere is turning once a day (and the Earth is not) meant that the celestial sphere would be torn apart even more D. Copernicus said that the Earth also orbits the Sun, and the motion around the Sun keeps the many parts of the Earth together E. Copernicus argued that God would never allow a planet with people to be exposed to that kind of danger

What problem has precession caused for many of the schools of astrology?

A. You can't fool me, precession has not affected anything about astrology **B. Because of precession, the constellations are no longer lined up with the astrological signs that are named after them; since astrology was set up, the two have slipped one sign apart C. Because of precession, the stars making up the constellation figures (like Leo the Lion) have moved so far apart, they no longer look like their names C. Because of precession, Mars no longer shows retrograde motion and so all the horoscopes done using Mars turn out to be wrong D. Because of precession, some of the planets that astrologers use to construct horoscopes no longer orbit the Sun

Within a constellation, a smaller, recognizable pattern of stars is often called:

A. an ecliptic B. a zodiac C. a Dipper **D. an asterism E. a cameo

Based on the scientific and statistical tests of astrological predictions, which of the following statements is the most reasonable?

A. astrology has passed every test with flying colors and scientists now agree that the positions of celestial objects are very important in determining our personalities and future **B. astrology has not passed any clear scientific or statistical test and, as a result, most scientists are very doubtful that it can predict anything meaningful about our lives C. no one has ever tested astrology, so it is not possible to say whether it is a useful predictive tool D. astrology has passed about half of the tests that have been devised for it, and it is very controversial; about half the scientists think it works, and the other half do not E. because it was Ptolemy who wrote the books on which modern astrology is based, most scientists believe it must be correct, no matter what any tests reveal

How did Eratosthenes measure the size of the Earth?

A. by determining the parallax of the Moon and finding the size of its orbit B. by walking about one-quarter of the way around its circumference **C. by measuring the height of the Sun in the sky on the same day in two cities at different latitudes D. by measuring the times of sunrise in each of the four seasons E. by asking Aristotle who knew everything

On the celestial sphere, halfway between the celestial poles lies the

A. horizon **B. celestial equator C. zenith for all observers D. path of the Sun on any given day E. celestial hungarian

From a city in the U.S., where in the sky would you look to see a star that is not turning with the motion of the sky in the course of a night?

A. on your horizon B. you can't fool me, all stars appear to turn around C. the sky from locations in the U.S. D. at your zenith **E. at the north celestial pole F. on the celestial equator

When a planet temporarily moves westward in the sky over the course of several weeks or months (instead of eastward, as it typically does), we call it

A. precession **B. retrograde motion C. circumpolar motion D. ecliptic motion E. rude

When it comes to our place in the solar system today, which model do we accept?

A. self-centered **B. heliocentric C. geocentric D. Ptolemaic E. Aristotelean

According to the geocentric view, everything in the heavens had to go around the Earth, which was the center of the universe. What objects did Galileo discover with his telescope that clearly didn't go around the Earth?

A. the Earth's Moon **B. moons around the planet Jupiter C. stars in the Milky Way that just kept going in a D. straight line E. Pluto F. a ring around the Sun

Some Canadian troops are sent (as part of a U.N. peacekeeping force) to a country located on the Earth's equator. At night, when homesickness makes them gaze sleeplessly at the stars, which of the following will be familiar to them (the same at the equator as in Canada)

A. the celestial equator is overhead and passes through the zenith B. the celestial poles are on the north and south points of the horizon **C. none of these are the same on the equator as in Canada D. all stars are above the horizon exactly half a day E. all stars rise and set (no star remains in the sky all night long)

A graduate student in geology who grew up in Florida (near the southernmost tip of the United States) gets to accompany her research professor to the North Pole. What will be different at the North Pole from the way she remembers the sky in Florida

A. the celestial pole is overhead B. the celestial equator is on the horizon C. the way (and whether) the stars rise or set **D. all of the above would be different from the way it is in Florida E. all of the above (a - c) would be the same as in Florida

Which of the following is NOT an argument for showing that the Earth must be round:

A. the height of the North Star changes as we travel to different latitudes **B. the Sun is seen blocking different constellations in the course of a year C. during an eclipse of the Moon, the shadow of the Earth is always seen to be round E. when ships travel a large distance away, we see their hulls disappear first and their masts disappear last F. photographs of the Earth from space always show a round body

The Sun's apparent path around the celestial sphere is called

A. the horizon B. the celestial hot-zone C. the celestial equator D. the circumpolar zone **E. the ecliptic

Someone who observes the sky every clear night in Boston for many years will NEVER get to see

A. the north circumpolar zone B. the north celestial pole **C. the south circumpolar zone D. the Big Dipper E. the observer's zenith point

In Ptolemy's system the planets orbit the Earth rather than the Sun. How did this system explain the retrograde motion of planets like Jupiter?

A. the planets were not moving along the ecliptic but all over the celestial sphere **B. the planets moved on a small circle whose center, in turn, circled a point near the Earth C. you can't fool me, Ptolemy's system did not include ANY explanation of retrograde motion D. the Sun moved among the planets, and pulled them out of their circular orbits E. the planets moved in very elongated ellipses, and their speed in orbit changed radically over the course of a year