The Night Sky
1.
The Big Dipper is
a.
a
circumpolar constellation for southern hemisphere observers.
b.
always
on an observer’s zenith.
c.
an
asterism.
d.
only
visible from the southern hemisphere.
e.
a
constellation.
2.
A planet might be distinguishable from a star because
a.
stars twinkle whereas planets do not
b.
planets twinkle whereas stars do not
c.
planets appear to be large objects
d.
stars appear to be further away
e.
planets are always brighter than stars.
3.
The Moon
a.
may appear anywhere in the sky
b.
always appears within a few degrees of
the ecliptic
c.
always appears within a few degrees of
the celestial equator
d.
generally appears opposite the Sun.
4.
An astronomical unit
is the
a.
distance from the Earth to the Moon
b.
distance from the Earth to the Sun
c.
distance from the Earth to the nearest
star
d.
distance light travels in one year
e.
circumference of the Earth.
5.
Diurnal motions of heavenly bodies are caused by
a.
the rapid rotations of heavenly bodies
b.
the motion of the Moon about the Earth
c.
the motion of the Sun about the Earth
d.
the motion of the Earth on its rotation
axis
e.
the precession of the Earth's axis.
6.
The ecliptic is
the
a.
projection of the Earth's equator onto
the celestial sphere
b.
the Moon's orbital plane projected onto
the celestial sphere
c.
apparent path of the Moon on the
celestial sphere
d.
apparent path of the Sun on the
celestial sphere
7.
Seen from the northern latitudes, the star Polaris
a.
is
never above the horizon during the day.
b.
always
sets directly in the west.
c.
is
always above the northern horizon.
d.
is
never visible during the winter.
e.
is the
brightest star in the sky.
8.
If you find that most of the stars at night are circumpolar,
then you are
a.
near the equator
b.
nearing summer solstice
c.
half-way between one of the poles and
the equator
d.
near one of the poles
9.
Precession is
a.
the accuracy with which numbers are
given in astronomy
b.
the slow motion of the Earth's rotation
axis on the celestial sphere
c.
the apparent backward motion of planets
on the celestial sphere
d.
the daily eastward motion of the Sun
around the celestial sphere.
10. At the vernal
equinox, an observer on the equator in Quito, Ecuador will observe the Sun to
be ___ above the horizon at noon.
a.
0°
b.
30°
c.
45°
d.
60°
e.
90°.
11. The sun is on the celestial equator at the times of
the
a.
vernal
equinox and the summer solstice.
b.
autumnal
equinox and the vernal equinox.
c.
summer
solstice and the winter solstice.
d.
autumnal
equinox and the winter solstice.
e.
sun is
on the ecliptic and is never on the celestial equator.
12. The apparent
lunar motion is
a.
south to north
b.
along the celestial equator
c.
along the ecliptic
d.
nearly along the celestial equator
e.
nearly along the ecliptic.
13. As seen from
the Earth, the Moon moves eastward through the zodiac about 360° in
a.
one day
b.
one week
c.
one month
d.
one year
14. If the Moon
did not rotate we would observe
a.
the same as we now observe
b.
only the lunar backside
c.
the lunar north polar region
d.
both the front and backsides of the
Moon.
15. Between the
vernal equinox, ~March 21st, and the autumnal equinox, 6 months
later, by how much does the right ascension of the sun change?
a.
0 h
b.
0°
c.
12 h *
d.
12°
e.
None of the above.
16. Relative to
the stars of the zodiac, the Sun as seen from the Earth moves
a.
about
one degree westward each day.
b.
about
one degree eastward each day.
c.
about
360 degrees westward each day.
d.
about
360 degrees eastward each day.
e.
along
the celestial equator.
17. How does the declination
of the sun vary over the year (starting on the first day of Spring)?
a.
From 0° to +23.5° to 0° to -23.5° to 0°.
b.
From 0° to +90° to 0° to -90° to 0°.
c.
From 0 h to 6 h
to 12 h to 18 h to 24 h (0 h).
d.
By definition, it remains at 0 h
all year.
e.
None of the above.
18. Would it make
sense to express longitude in units of time?
a.
Yes, every 30° would correspond to 1
h.
b.
Yes, every 45° would correspond to 1
h.
c.
Yes, every 60° would correspond to 1
h.
d.
Yes, every 90° would correspond to 1
h.
e.
None of the above.
19. Why is it more
difficult to work out a system to predict eclipses than it is to work out a
system to predict the position of the Sun at the summer solstice?
a.
Because it is difficult to predict the
periodicity of the Sun.
b.
Because it is difficult to predict the
periodicity of the Moon.
c.
Because it is difficult to predict the
periodicity of the rotation of the Earth.
d.
Because it is difficult to predict the
relative positions of the Sun and the Earth.
e.
None of the above.
20. Eclipses do
not occur each month because
a.
the Moon is always in the ecliptic
b.
the Moon is never in the ecliptic
c.
the Earth's axis is tilted to the
ecliptic
d.
the Moon's orbit is in the ecliptic
e.
the Moon's orbit is not in the
ecliptic.
21. In order for a
solar eclipse to occur, the Moon must be
a.
near new moon
b.
near first or last quarter
c.
high in the sky
d.
near full moon
e.
in a retrograde loop.
22. If you were on
the Moon during an eclipse of the Moon, which of the following phenomena would
you observe?
a.
The Earth would eclipse the Sun.
b.
The atmosphere of the Earth would appear
reddish.
c.
It would be dark all over the daylight
side of the Moon.
d.
All of these.
e.
None of these.
23. Why isn't
there a solar eclipse once a month?
a.
The Moon's orbit does not pass between
the Earth and Sun that often.
b.
The Sun's orbit does not pass between the
Earth and the Moon that often.
c.
It is rare that the Moon crosses the
ecliptic just when its orbit passes between the Earth and the Sun.
d.
It is rare that the Earth crosses the
ecliptic just when the Moon's orbit passes between the Earth and the Sun.
e.
None of these.
24. If you lived
on the Moon, would the motion of the planets appear any different than from
Earth?
a.
The motion of the planets would not
appear significantly different than on the Earth.
b.
The planets would not appear to go
around the Moon.
c.
The planets would not appear to go
around the Earth.
d.
The planets would not appear to go
around the Sun.
e.
None of the above.
25. Which of the
following planets can never be seen on the meridian at midnight?
a.
Venus
b.
Mars
c.
Ceres
d.
Jupiter
e.
Saturn.
26. The object(s)
which exhibit retrograde motion, as seen from the Earth, are
a.
the stars
b.
the Moon
c.
the planets
d.
the Earth
e.
the Sun
27. The point in Earth's orbit where Earth is farthest
from the sun is known as
a.
aphelion.
b.
perihelion.
c.
precession.
d.
the
winter solstice
e.
a and
d
28. You
move to another planetary system that has 10 planets including your own. Four of them undergo retrograde motion at
opposition. You are most likely on the
___ planet from your star.
a.
4th
b.
1st
c.
10th
d.
6th *