Indigenous Astronomy

According to the Text Link on "Evolution of Sun-like Stars after the Red Giant Phase" and the lecture notes, what event(s) transpire during the Helium Shell-Burning Phase for stars like the Sun?

-Burning of helium in the core -The "helium flash"

What is the job of a Zuni Pekwin?

-Follow the horizon position of sunrise as it moves throughout the year -Keep a calendar on the wall of his house

According to the reading by Monroe and Williamson (1987), what was Coyote's contribution to the stars in the night sky?

-He randomly scattered stars everywhere -He placed a single star far to the South

According to Figure 2.5 in the chapter by Aveni (1997), how does the Sun's daily path change with the seasons in the far Northern Hemisphere?

-In summer, the Sun reaches a higher position at solar noon -In winter, the Sun reaches a lower position at solar noon

Which effect(s) cause the temperature to drop in northern hemisphere winter?

-Nights are longer -The Sun is lower in the sky

According to the Reading "Solar Eclipse of 2017 and Navajo Interactions", which activities are traditional Navajos discouraged from carrying out during an eclipse?

-Playing -Eating -Having sex -Drinking

Which best refers to the Nodes of the Lunar Orbit?

-Points located at the position in the sky where the lunar path crosses the ecliptic -A line connecting them in space traces the intersection of the Moon's orbital plane with the Earth's orbital plane

According to the Text Link on "Evolution of Sun-like Stars after the Red Giant Phase" and the lecture notes, what event(s) transpire during the Helium Shell-Burning Phase for stars like the Sun?

-Shedding of outer layers with a stellar wind -Formation of a planetary nebula

According to the reading by Tyler, a Hopi youth is sent out at summer solstice to plant a prayer stick. He is obliged to make his return journey to the village at a slow pace. Why?

-So that the Sun will not travel away too fast from the solstice position -To avoid early frosts

According to Figure 2.5 in the chapter by Aveni (1997), how does the Sun's daily path change Sun's with latitude in the Northern Hemisphere?

-The path makes a smaller angle with the horizon (i.e., is closer to horizontal at sunrise) at northernmost latitudes -The path makes a larger angle with the horizon (i.e., is closer to vertical at sunrise) closer to the equator

Which of the following is an implication of Kepler's Second Law?

-The time between Fall equinox and Winter solstice differs from the time between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice -The Earth travels at a variable speed in its orbit

According to Figure 2.6 in the chapter by Aveni (1997), how do sunrise positions on the horizon change with seasons in the northern hemisphere?

-They rise from a due east position (Azimuth angle 90 degrees) at equinox -They rise from a position north of east (Azimuth less than 90 degrees) at summer solstice

According to the reading by Tyler, how many seasons of the year are recognized by the Hopi?

2

How far ahead of key events (like solstices) is a Sun watcher expected to anticipate and announce their impending arrival?

2 weeks

Approximately what is the hottest time of day?

2-4 pm

How long is the cyclic period of the precession of Earth's orbital axis?

26,000 years

An asteroid in our solar system has an orbital period of 8 years, what is the semi-major axis of its orbit? (hint Kepler's 3rd law)?

4 AU

According to the reading on the NCAR web site link on Horizon Calendars, what is the difference in the Sun's altitude angle at solar noon between winter and summer solstice?

47 degrees

The Moon is in full phase setting in the west. Approximately what time is it?

6 am

According to the reading by Espenak and Lecture Powerpoint Slides,which best describes the "Saros Cycle"

A period of years between repetitions of a series of eclipses

According to the reading by Young 2010 and lecture materials, which best describes the "Major Lunar Standstill?"

A time in an 18.6 year cycle in which the Moon will reach its most extreme northern and southern rise positions of many cycles throughout the 18.6 year period

According to the Text link "The H-R Diagram" and the lecture notes, what stellar properties are plotted in the H-R diagram?

Absolute magnitude vs spectral type

According to Lecture Powerpoint slides, which of the following is NOT a type of eclipse observed on the Earth

Annual lunar

How is the suns energy generated?

Atomic fusion of hydrogen

The chapter by Tyler 1984 discusses the "duality" of the year in Pueblo calendars. To what does the "Battle of the Seasons" refer?

Between winter and summer

According to the Text Link on "Evolution of Massive Stars" and the lecture notes, what is the end-product of post-main-sequence evolution for the most massive stars?

Black hole

According to the lecture notes, what do the Navajo believe you should do if you see a shooting star?

Blow in its direction to avoid bad luck

Rayleigh scattering is responsible for which of the following phenomena?

Blue skies and red sunsets

According to lecture notes, what is the modern name of the star Coyote placed opposite the North Star?

Canopus

According to lecture notes, which of the following is a term that describes a configuration where two celestial objects are juxtaposed (or nearly so) in the sky?

Conjunction

How is heat transferred within the outer 20% of the Sun's radius?

Convection

According to lecture notes, who revived a model of planets going around the Sun on circular orbits?

Copernicus

What part of the Sun's atmosphere becomes visible during an eclipse?

Corona

Which of the following characters did NOT play an important role in the creation of the Sun?

Coyote

According to the reading by Tyler, what do the Hopi call the full moon near winter solstice in December?

Dangerous moon

Which of the following terms refers to a daily cycle?

Diurnal

According to the lecture notes, what animal is the bright star Sirius most often associated with in Native American lore?

Dog

According to Lecture Powerpoint Slides and the reading from Western Astronomy Texts which of the following scenarios describes the prevailing Western scientific model of the origin of the moon?

Early Collision between proto-Earth and a large Mars-sized object left behind a ring of material that coalesced into the Moon

According to lecture notes, what is the cause of annually recurring meteor showers?

Earth orbits through the debris left from an orbiting comet

Which of the following is an implication of Kepler's Third Law?

Earth's orbital period is longer than Venus's

The North Star (Polaris) is located near the north celestial pole and has a prominent place in indigenous star lore. According to lecture material, which of following is NOT associated with Polaris in modern astronomy?

Eclipsing variable

According to the reading on Venus alignments, the trajectory of Venus at twilights for successive synodic periods shows a pattern that recurs every 8 years. What is the reason for this?

Eight earth years is very close to 5 synodic periods for Venus

According to the encyclopedic entry on Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, which of the following is a Mayan ruin that shows evidence for alignment with the extreme declination setting position of Venus?

El Caracol

What is the shape of the orbital path of Earth around the Sun?

Ellipse

According to Lecture Powerpoint Slides and the reading from Western Astronomy Texts, is the following statement true or false? "The 29 1/2 day period of lunar phases (from New Moon to New Moon) is exactly the time it takes for the Moon to complete one orbit around the Earth."

False

According to the Text link "Stellar Census" and the lecture notes, the brightest stars visible with the unaided eye are those which are nearest to our solar system

False

According to the reading by Zeilik on the Moon in Pueblo Societies, at what phase of the Moon does the Month typically begin?

First visible crescent moon

Western contact with the new world brought devastating microbial infectious agents. NASA worries about similar hazards for any primitive life that could be on Mars. According to lecture notes, what is the term for taking germs into space that could be harmful to extra-terrestrial primitive life?

Forward contamination

Which of the following transitions will lead to the initial Red Giant Phase for our Sun, according to the text Weblink on "Evolution from the Main Sequence to Red Giants" and the lecture notes?

From Core Hydrogen Burning to Shell Hydrogen Burning

According to the Text link "Classifying Stars with Spectra" and the lecture notes, which Spectral Type represents our star, the Sun?

G

According to lecture notes, which of the following solar system models envisions the planets revolving around the Earth?

Geocentric model

What is a good way to deal with persistent insomnia?

Go camping

Which of the following is/are true if you live by the sun's schedule?

Go to bed earlier, wake up an hour earlier

Venus is at its furthest distance from the Sun setting behind it in the evening sky. According to lecture notes, what position is this called?

Greatest elongation

According to the reading by Monroe and Williamson (1987), how did Black God demonstrate his power to the other gods of creation?

He stamped his foot 4 times until a small group of stars lodged along his temple

According to the reading by Zeilik on the Zuni and Hopi lunar calendars, anthropologists disagreed in their reports of the number and order of Hopi moons throughout the calendar year. In the most recent accounts tabulated in the article, what is the purpose of the upcoming November full moon?

Initiation

Where is the Sun's energy generated?

Inner core

What effect does light have on the hormone melatonin?

It suppresses it

According to the Text link "Classifying Stars with Spectra" and the lecture notes, which Spectral Type is associated with the coolest surface temperature?

M

According to the Text link "Stellar Census" and the lecture notes, which of the following types of star is most abundant in the Milky Way?

M

According to the web-linked video on Chimney Rock, a Chacoan building was specially aligned to observe which celestial event?

Major lunar standstill

Which of the following is a good example of a Terrestrial planet?

Mars

According to the reading by van der Sluijs, what is the most probable celestial identity of the Seneca figures Sosondowa and Gendenwitha, respectively? (Hint - read all the way to the end!)

Mercury and Venus

Which of the following is NOT an important condition for the occurrence of a total solar eclipse?

Moon in full moon phase

According to the Text link "Stellar Census" and the lecture notes, which of the following types of star is least abundant in the Milky Way?

Most massive stars

What tribe imagines the Sun created from a heated piece of turquoise?

Navajo

Which of the following is NOT listed as a possible source for indigenous representations of the Morning Star in the reading by van der Sluijs 2009?

Neptune

What is the order in which lunar phases occur in time, starting with "New Moon?"

New, Waxing Cresent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, Waning Crescent

According to lecture notes, how do members of the Hope tribe interpret a shooting star event?

Newly married stars falling to Earth

The Moon is in First Quarter phase rising in the East. Approximately what time is it?

Noon

According the Text link "Classifying Stars with Spectra" and the lecture notes, which Spectral Type represents the most massive stars?

O

The Sun Father had two Suns, Paiyatemu and Pautiwa. What were their respective roles?

Paiyatemu was humorous and gave rise to the clown societies; Pautiwa was more serious and gave rise to the Kachina societies

Which layer is considered the "surface" of the sun as it appears to us?

Photosphere

According to the reading by Magli 2016 and the lecture notes, what is meant by planetary retrograde motion?

Planets appear to temporarily change direction in their movement against the background stars as seen from Earth

What does melatonin (the "hormone of darkness") do?

Rises at night, falls during the day Cools the body's core temp

What seasonal cross-quarter day is closest in time to Halloween?

Samhain

What best describes "kachinas?"

Spirits or personifications of anything in natural world or cosmos

According to lecture notes, how do members of the Paiute and Ute tribes interpret a shooting star event?

Star excrement

Based on the reading by Smithson and Euler 1994, where did the Sun live according to the tribe discussed by them?

Sunset Crater

According to lecture notes, if Venus is at full phase directly behind the Sun, the configuration is referred to as which of the following?

Superior conjunction

Venus takes about 584 days to go through a cycle in which it re-appears in its initial configuration as seen from Earth. According to reading by Magli 2016 and the lecture notes, this is called which of the following?

Synodic period

Where do the Hopi kachinas reside?

The Hopi villages during the first half of the year and on the San Francisco Peaks (Nuvatukya'ovi) the other half

According to Lecture Powerpoint Slides, which best refers to the precession of the nodes of the lunar orbit?

The Moon's path and crossing points relative to the ecliptic vary on a period of 18.6 years

According to the lecture powerpoint slides, what event coincides with Solar Noon?

The Sun appears on the Meridian

Close inspection of the Moon in the night sky reveals dark patches and lighter regions. Which of the following is the best explanation according to Lecture Powerpoint Slides and reading from Western Astronomy Texts?

The light patches are high cratered regions called "lunar highlands" and the dark areas are low smooth areas called "lunar maria."

According to Lecture Powerpoint Slides, which of the following is true of the Moon's path against the background sky of fixed stars throughout its cycle of phases?

The moon follows near but not exactly on the elliptic

Which best describes the cycle of sunspot activity?

The number of spots increases to a maximum and the declines to a minimum with a time period of 11 years

According to lecture notes, which of the following was a contribution of Johannes Kepler to understanding the motions of planets?

Their orbits are elliptical

According to the reading on the Moon by Williamson and Ferrer, how did the Tolowa tribe of Northern California account for the fact that there are sometimes 13 full moons in a year?

There used to be 15 moons, but Coyote killed 2 and wounded a third which returns intermittently into the year

According to lecture notes, which of the following is a Meso-American deity associated with Venus that throws darts at people

Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli

What is the purpose of the Hopi "Soyal" ceremony?

To honor the Sun and turn him back at Winter Solstice

According to the reading by Monroe and Williamson (1987), what does Black God say is the reason for star patterns or "constellations?"

To provide humans with rules to live by

According to the article by Zeilik 1985, who does the sunwatching in the Rio Grande Pueblos?

Town Chief

According to the Maryboy and Begay 2010 reading on the moon, which is true of Navajo traditions about the Moon?

Usually depicted as a perfect white shell disc, carried by the Moon Carrier as he rides his horse across the sky

According to the reading by van der Sluijs (see pp. 466-467), the Blackfoot people of southern Alberta recognized a "real" morning star and a "mistake" morning star, Poia. What planets are associated with "real" and "fake" morning star respectively?

Venus and Jupiter

According to the reading by Zeilik on the Moon in Pueblo Societies, what Hopi individual is in charge of recognizing the alignment of the lunar calendar with solar events, including the naming of months with respect to occurrence between solstices and the recognition of associated seasonal ceremonies?

Whichever Clan Chief presides over the associated ceremony

According to lecture notes, Sirius has a companion star. Which best describes Sirius's companion?

White dwarf

According to the Text Link on "Evolution of Sun-like Stars after the Red Giant Phase" and the lecture notes, what is the end-product of post-main-sequence evolution for stars like our Sun?

White dwarf

According to the article by Zeilik 1985, from what location are sunwatching observations typically made?

Within or close to the pueblo

According to the reading by Tyler 1964, Which tribe believed the Sun was not created by always existed?

Zuni