Question 1

RXJ1800, a galaxy, lies very near in the sky to the bright star Vega. What is the best explanation for them appearing close together?

Accepted Answer

A) They coincidentally lie along the same line of sight. 
B) Vega must have recently formed in RXJ1800 and been ejected. 
C) Their random motions have caused RXJ1800 and Vega to drift to within a few light- years of each other. 
D) Vega orbits the center of mass of RXJ1800. 
A) They coincidentally lie along the same line of sight. 
B) Vega must have recently formed in RXJ1800 and been ejected. 
C) Their random motions have caused RXJ1800 and Vega to drift to within a few light- years of each other. 
D) Vega orbits the center of mass of RXJ1800.

Question 2

What do astronomers mean by a constellation?

Accepted Answer

A) A constellation is a group of stars related through an ancient story. 
B) A constellation is a group of stars that are all located in about the same place in space. 
C) A constellation is a region in the sky as seen from Earth. 
D) A constellation is any random grouping of stars in the sky. 
A) A constellation is a group of stars related through an ancient story. 
B) A constellation is a group of stars that are all located in about the same place in space. 
C) A constellation is a region in the sky as seen from Earth. 
D) A constellation is any random grouping of stars in the sky.

Question 3

Which of the following statements does not use the term angular size or angular distance correctly?

Accepted Answer

A) The angular distance between those two bright stars in the sky is about 2 meters. 
B) You can use your outstretched hand against the sky to estimate angular sizes and angular distances. 
C) The angular size of the Sun is about the same as that of the Moon. 
D) The angular distance between those two houses in the distance is 30 degrees. 
A) The angular distance between those two bright stars in the sky is about 2 meters. 
B) You can use your outstretched hand against the sky to estimate angular sizes and angular distances. 
C) The angular size of the Sun is about the same as that of the Moon. 
D) The angular distance between those two houses in the distance is 30 degrees.

Question 4

Models in Science: Models play a central role in astronomy and science in general. Two models used extensively in this chapter are the celestial sphere and the heliocentric (Sun- centered)model for the solar system. Astronomers clearly believe that the celestial sphere model is false and the heliocentric model is true. Given this, why do you think astronomers persist in using the celestial sphere model to describe the night sky?

Accepted Answer

Astronomers persist in using the celesti

Question 5

It is possible to see the third- quarter moon near the western horizon at sunrise.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

If you are located in the Northern Hemisphere, which of the following correctly describes a relationship between the sky and your location?

Accepted Answer

A) The longitude of the north celestial pole is circumpolar, and therefore crosses your zenith at the meridian. 
B) The altitude of the celestial equator equals your latitude. 
C) The altitude of the north celestial pole equals your latitude. 
D) The altitude of the north celestial pole equals your longitude. 
A) The longitude of the north celestial pole is circumpolar, and therefore crosses your zenith at the meridian. 
B) The altitude of the celestial equator equals your latitude. 
C) The altitude of the north celestial pole equals your latitude. 
D) The altitude of the north celestial pole equals your longitude.

Question 7

The precession of the Moon's nodes means that

Accepted Answer

A) there is a solar eclipse every 6 months. 
B) the eclipse seasons occur less than 6 months apart. 
C) there is a lunar eclipse every 6 months. 
D) there are never two solar eclipses in the same year. 
E) the vernal equinox will be in Aquarius in a few hundred years. 
A) there is a solar eclipse every 6 months. 
B) the eclipse seasons occur less than 6 months apart. 
C) there is a lunar eclipse every 6 months. 
D) there are never two solar eclipses in the same year. 
E) the vernal equinox will be in Aquarius in a few hundred years.

Question 8

Suppose you lived on the Moon near the center of the face that we see from Earth. During the phase of new moon, what phase would you see for Earth? Would it be day or night at your home?

Accepted Answer

During the new moon,

Question 9

Which planet is moving most slowly around the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A) Venus 
B) Jupiter 
C) Earth 
D) They are all moving with the same speed around the Sun. 
A) Venus 
B) Jupiter 
C) Earth 
D) They are all moving with the same speed around the Sun.

Question 10

How many arcseconds are in one arcminute?

Accepted Answer

A) 360 
B) 60 
C) 100 
D) 10,000 
E) 3600 
A) 360 
B) 60 
C) 100 
D) 10,000 
E) 3600

Question 11

What would you see if you were on the near side of the Moon during a lunar eclipse?

Accepted Answer

During a lunar eclipse, you wo

Question 12

What would you see on Earth if you were on the near side of the Moon during a solar eclipse?

Accepted Answer

During a solar eclipse, you wo

Question 13

When traveling north from the United States into Canada, you'll see the North Star (Polaris)getting .

Accepted Answer

A) dimmer 
B) lower in the sky 
C) brighter 
D) higher in the sky 
A) dimmer 
B) lower in the sky 
C) brighter 
D) higher in the sky

Question 14

What causes the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Accepted Answer

A) As Earth passes another planet, the other planet appears to move backward with respect to the background stars, but the planet's motion does not really change. 
B) Apparent retrograde motion is an illusion created by turbulence in Earth's atmosphere. 
C) As Earth passes another planet, its gravitational pull slows down the other planet so that it appears to be traveling backward. 
D) The other planets never really appear to move backward; the background stars shift due to Earth's revolution around the Sun. 
E) When planets are farther from the Sun, they move slower than when they are nearer the Sun; it is during this slower period that they appear to move backwards. 
A) As Earth passes another planet, the other planet appears to move backward with respect to the background stars, but the planet's motion does not really change. 
B) Apparent retrograde motion is an illusion created by turbulence in Earth's atmosphere. 
C) As Earth passes another planet, its gravitational pull slows down the other planet so that it appears to be traveling backward. 
D) The other planets never really appear to move backward; the background stars shift due to Earth's revolution around the Sun. 
E) When planets are farther from the Sun, they move slower than when they are nearer the Sun; it is during this slower period that they appear to move backwards.

Question 15

Why is the Moon not completely invisible (it appears as a very deep red color)to the naked eye during a total lunar eclipse?

Accepted Answer

The Moon shines through reflected light

Question 16

Each choice below describes how a few astronomical phenomena are related to time periods. Which list is entirely correct? (Careful: some lists are partially correct.)

Accepted Answer

A) Earth's rotation defines a day. The Sun's rotation defines a week. The Moon's rotation defines a month. Earth's orbit defines a year. 
B) Earth's rotation defines a day. The saros cycle of eclipses defines a month. Earth's orbit defines a year.
Earth's cycle of axis precession takes 26,000 years. 
C) Earth's rotation defines a day. The cycle of the Moon's phases takes about a month. Earth's orbit defines a year.
Earth's cycle of axis precession takes 26,000 years. 
D) Earth's rotation defines a day. The cycle of the Moon's phases takes about a week. Earth's orbit defines a year.
Earth's cycle of axis precession defines a month. 
A) Earth's rotation defines a day. The Sun's rotation defines a week. The Moon's rotation defines a month. Earth's orbit defines a year. 
B) Earth's rotation defines a day. The saros cycle of eclipses defines a month. Earth's orbit defines a year.
Earth's cycle of axis precession takes 26,000 years. 
C) Earth's rotation defines a day. The cycle of the Moon's phases takes about a month. Earth's orbit defines a year.
Earth's cycle of axis precession takes 26,000 years. 
D) Earth's rotation defines a day. The cycle of the Moon's phases takes about a week. Earth's orbit defines a year.
Earth's cycle of axis precession defines a month.

Question 17

Which of the following statements about the celestial equator is true at all latitudes?

Accepted Answer

A) It represents an extension of Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere. 
B) It lies along the band of light we call the Milky Way. 
C) It extends from your horizon due east, through your zenith, to your horizon due west. 
D) It extends from your horizon due north, through your zenith, to your horizon due south. 
E) It cuts the dome of your local sky exactly in half. 
A) It represents an extension of Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere. 
B) It lies along the band of light we call the Milky Way. 
C) It extends from your horizon due east, through your zenith, to your horizon due west. 
D) It extends from your horizon due north, through your zenith, to your horizon due south. 
E) It cuts the dome of your local sky exactly in half.

Question 18

Suppose you are facing north and you see the Big Dipper close to your northern horizon, with Polaris (and the Little Dipper)above it. Where will you see the Big Dipper in six hours?

Accepted Answer

A) directly above Polaris 
B) still in the same place, below Polaris 
C) to the left of Polaris; that is, 90 degrees clockwise from its current position 
D) to the right of Polaris; that is, 90 degrees counterclockwise from its current position 
A) directly above Polaris 
B) still in the same place, below Polaris 
C) to the left of Polaris; that is, 90 degrees clockwise from its current position 
D) to the right of Polaris; that is, 90 degrees counterclockwise from its current position

Question 19

Answer each of the following questions for our local sky.
A. Where is the north celestial pole in our sky?
B. Is Polaris a circumpolar star in our sky? Explain.
C. Describe the meridian in our sky.
D. Describe the celestial equator in our sky.

Accepted Answer

A. Answers will vary with latitude; here

Question 20

If the Earth's rotation axis were tilted by 45 degrees instead of 23.5 degrees, what are some of the implications, and why?

Accepted Answer

A) The seasons would be less extreme, because the surface of the Earth would be farther from the Sun in the summer, and closer to the Sun in the winter. 
B) The seasons would be more extreme, because the Sun's rays would be more direct in summer, and less direct in winter. 
C) The seasons would be less extreme, because the Sun's rays would be less direct in summer, and more direct in winter. 
D) The seasons would be more extreme, because the surface of the Earth would be closer to the Sun in the summer, and farther from the Sun in the winter. 
A) The seasons would be less extreme, because the surface of the Earth would be farther from the Sun in the summer, and closer to the Sun in the winter. 
B) The seasons would be more extreme, because the Sun's rays would be more direct in summer, and less direct in winter. 
C) The seasons would be less extreme, because the Sun's rays would be less direct in summer, and more direct in winter. 
D) The seasons would be more extreme, because the surface of the Earth would be closer to the Sun in the summer, and farther from the Sun in the winter.

RXJ1800, a galaxy, lies very near in the sky to the bright star Vega. What is the best explanation for them appearing close together?

What do astronomers mean by a constellation?

Which of the following statements does not use the term angular size or angular distance correctly?

It is possible to see the third- quarter moon near the western horizon at sunrise.

If you are located in the Northern Hemisphere, which of the following correctly describes a relationship between the sky and your location?

The precession of the Moon's nodes means that

Suppose you lived on the Moon near the center of the face that we see from Earth. During the phase of new moon, what phase would you see for Earth? Would it be day or night at your home?

Which planet is moving most slowly around the Sun?

How many arcseconds are in one arcminute?

What would you see if you were on the near side of the Moon during a lunar eclipse?

What would you see on Earth if you were on the near side of the Moon during a solar eclipse?

When traveling north from the United States into Canada, you'll see the North Star (Polaris)getting .

What causes the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Why is the Moon not completely invisible (it appears as a very deep red color)to the naked eye during a total lunar eclipse?

Each choice below describes how a few astronomical phenomena are related to time periods. Which list is entirely correct? (Careful: some lists are partially correct.)

Which of the following statements about the celestial equator is true at all latitudes?

Suppose you are facing north and you see the Big Dipper close to your northern horizon, with Polaris (and the Little Dipper)above it. Where will you see the Big Dipper in six hours?

Answer each of the following questions for our local sky. A. Where is the north celestial pole in our sky? B. Is Polaris a circumpolar star in our sky? Explain. C. Describe the meridian in our sky. D. Describe the celestial equator in our sky.

If the Earth's rotation axis were tilted by 45 degrees instead of 23.5 degrees, what are some of the implications, and why?

A Modern View of the Universe

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet System

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Filters

Exam 2: Discovering the Universe for Yourself

RXJ1800, a galaxy, lies very near in the sky to the bright star Vega. What is the best explanation for them appearing close together?

What do astronomers mean by a constellation?

Which of the following statements does not use the term angular size or angular distance correctly?

It is possible to see the third- quarter moon near the western horizon at sunrise.

If you are located in the Northern Hemisphere, which of the following correctly describes a relationship between the sky and your location?

The precession of the Moon's nodes means that

Suppose you lived on the Moon near the center of the face that we see from Earth. During the phase of new moon, what phase would you see for Earth? Would it be day or night at your home?

Which planet is moving most slowly around the Sun?

How many arcseconds are in one arcminute?

What would you see if you were on the near side of the Moon during a lunar eclipse?

What would you see on Earth if you were on the near side of the Moon during a solar eclipse?

When traveling north from the United States into Canada, you'll see the North Star (Polaris)getting .

What causes the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Why is the Moon not completely invisible (it appears as a very deep red color)to the naked eye during a total lunar eclipse?

Each choice below describes how a few astronomical phenomena are related to time periods. Which list is entirely correct? (Careful: some lists are partially correct.)

Which of the following statements about the celestial equator is true at all latitudes?

Suppose you are facing north and you see the Big Dipper close to your northern horizon, with Polaris (and the Little Dipper)above it. Where will you see the Big Dipper in six hours?

Answer each of the following questions for our local sky. A. Where is the north celestial pole in our sky? B. Is Polaris a circumpolar star in our sky? Explain. C. Describe the meridian in our sky. D. Describe the celestial equator in our sky.

If the Earth's rotation axis were tilted by 45 degrees instead of 23.5 degrees, what are some of the implications, and why?

A Modern View of the Universe

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet System

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Filters