Question 1

Parallax is the apparent change in location of an object due to the motion of the observer.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Aristotle concluded that the earth is round because...

Accepted Answer

A)  its shadow on the moon during an eclipse was always part of a circle. 
B)  ships going out to sea on a calm day appeared to sink into the ocean. 
C)  both of the above 
D)  Wrong! Aristotle thought the earth was flat. 
A)  its shadow on the moon during an eclipse was always part of a circle. 
B)  ships going out to sea on a calm day appeared to sink into the ocean. 
C)  both of the above 
D)  Wrong! Aristotle thought the earth was flat.

Question 3

In the context of the Aristotle's geocentric ideas,Galileo's telescopic discoveries of mountains on the moon and spots on the sun were controversial because they suggested that the sun and moon

Accepted Answer

A)  are the same kind of object. 
B)  are not perfect. 
C)  are inhabited. 
D)  orbit each other. 
E)  do not orbit Earth. 
A)  are the same kind of object. 
B)  are not perfect. 
C)  are inhabited. 
D)  orbit each other. 
E)  do not orbit Earth.

Question 4

A ____ is a description of some natural phenomenon that can't be right or wrong.It is merely a convenient way to think about a natural phenomenon.

Accepted Answer

A)  hypothesis 
B)  paradigm 
C)  natural law 
D)  model 
E)  theory 
A)  hypothesis 
B)  paradigm 
C)  natural law 
D)  model 
E)  theory

Question 5

____________________ calculated the diameter of Earth using the distance between Alexandria and Syene and the angle of the sun at noon relative to the zenith on the summer solstice.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ____________________ calculated the diameter of Earth using...

Question 6

Brahe's universe was the same as the Copernican universe except that

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth did not move. 
B)  the sun did not move. 
C)  the moon orbited the sun. 
D)  the orbits were elliptical with the sun at one focus. 
E)  the orbits followed uniform circular motion. 
A)  Earth did not move. 
B)  the sun did not move. 
C)  the moon orbited the sun. 
D)  the orbits were elliptical with the sun at one focus. 
E)  the orbits followed uniform circular motion.

Question 7

Viewed from the center of Stonehenge,the summer solstice sun rises behind the Heelstone.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Galileo's observations of the gibbous phase of Venus proved

Accepted Answer

A)  that Venus orbits the sun. 
B)  that Earth orbits the sun. 
C)  that all of the planets orbit the sun. 
D)  that the moon orbits Earth. 
E)  that Venus has an atmosphere. 
A)  that Venus orbits the sun. 
B)  that Earth orbits the sun. 
C)  that all of the planets orbit the sun. 
D)  that the moon orbits Earth. 
E)  that Venus has an atmosphere.

Question 9

An apparent westward motion of a planet in the sky compared to the background stars (as viewed from the Earth)when observed on successive nights is referred to as

Accepted Answer

A)  epicycle 
B)  retrograde motion 
C)  prograde motion 
D)  heliocentric motion 
E)  deferent 
A)  epicycle 
B)  retrograde motion 
C)  prograde motion 
D)  heliocentric motion 
E)  deferent

Question 10

Which of the following planets can be seen as a crescent phase from Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mercury 
B)  Venus 
C)  Mars 
D)  Both a and b 
E)  All of the above 
A)  Mercury 
B)  Venus 
C)  Mars 
D)  Both a and b 
E)  All of the above

Question 11

____ introduced the concept of the eccentrics and epicycle to planetary motion about Earth,created a star catalog,and is generally credited with the development of trigonometry.

Accepted Answer

A)  Kepler 
B)  Tycho 
C)  Copernicus 
D)  Galileo 
E)  Hipparchus 
A)  Kepler 
B)  Tycho 
C)  Copernicus 
D)  Galileo 
E)  Hipparchus

Question 12

Tycho Brahe's greatest contribution to astronomy was

Accepted Answer

A)  his model of the universe. 
B)  his telescopic observations. 
C)  his discovery of three laws of motion. 
D)  his years of careful observations of the planets. 
E)  a and b above. 
A)  his model of the universe. 
B)  his telescopic observations. 
C)  his discovery of three laws of motion. 
D)  his years of careful observations of the planets. 
E)  a and b above.

Question 13

When Mars is located directly behind the Earth with respect to the Sun in its orbit,it is

Accepted Answer

A)  at the midpoint in the sky between east and west at sunset. 
B)  at the midpoint in the sky between east and west at midnight. 
C)  at the midpoint in the sky between east and west at sunrise 
D)  at the midpoint in the sky between east and west at noon. 
E)  not visible in the night sky 
A)  at the midpoint in the sky between east and west at sunset. 
B)  at the midpoint in the sky between east and west at midnight. 
C)  at the midpoint in the sky between east and west at sunrise 
D)  at the midpoint in the sky between east and west at noon. 
E)  not visible in the night sky

Question 14

Ptolemy formulated a(n)____________________ model of the solar system to predict positions of the Sun,Moon,and planets.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ptolemy formulated a(n)____________________ model of the solar...

Question 15

If a planet orbits the sun at a distance of 4 AU,then its orbital period is 8 years.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

A ____ is a single conjecture that can be tested.

Accepted Answer

A)  hypothesis 
B)  paradigm 
C)  natural law 
D)  model 
E)  theory 
A)  hypothesis 
B)  paradigm 
C)  natural law 
D)  model 
E)  theory

Question 17

Kepler used Tycho's observations to show that the planets...

Accepted Answer

A)  followed perfectly circular orbits 
B)  followed perfectly cubical orbits 
C)  all circled the earth 
D)  followed elliptical orbits 
A)  followed perfectly circular orbits 
B)  followed perfectly cubical orbits 
C)  all circled the earth 
D)  followed elliptical orbits

Question 18

Direct motion of a planet is its normal motion ____________ among the stars..

Accepted Answer

A)  west to east along the ecliptic 
B)  east to west along the ecliptic 
C)  west to east along the celestial equator 
D)  east to west along the celestial equator 
A)  west to east along the ecliptic 
B)  east to west along the ecliptic 
C)  west to east along the celestial equator 
D)  east to west along the celestial equator

Question 19

The greatest inaccuracy in Copernicus' model of the solar system was that the planets

Accepted Answer

A)  traveled in circular orbits with uniform motion. 
B)  traveled on epicycles whose centers followed orbits around the Sun. 
C)  traveled in elliptical orbits. 
D)  were allowed to travel backwards in their orbits. 
E)  the planets orbited the Sun. 
A)  traveled in circular orbits with uniform motion. 
B)  traveled on epicycles whose centers followed orbits around the Sun. 
C)  traveled in elliptical orbits. 
D)  were allowed to travel backwards in their orbits. 
E)  the planets orbited the Sun.

Question 20

Many classical astronomers believed Earth could not move because they detected no parallax.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 4: The Origin of Modern Astronomy

Parallax is the apparent change in location of an object due to the motion of the observer.

Aristotle concluded that the earth is round because...

In the context of the Aristotle's geocentric ideas,Galileo's telescopic discoveries of mountains on the moon and spots on the sun were controversial because they suggested that the sun and moon

A ____ is a description of some natural phenomenon that can't be right or wrong.It is merely a convenient way to think about a natural phenomenon.

____________________ calculated the diameter of Earth using the distance between Alexandria and Syene and the angle of the sun at noon relative to the zenith on the summer solstice.

Brahe's universe was the same as the Copernican universe except that

Viewed from the center of Stonehenge,the summer solstice sun rises behind the Heelstone.

Galileo's observations of the gibbous phase of Venus proved

An apparent westward motion of a planet in the sky compared to the background stars (as viewed from the Earth)when observed on successive nights is referred to as

Which of the following planets can be seen as a crescent phase from Earth?

____ introduced the concept of the eccentrics and epicycle to planetary motion about Earth,created a star catalog,and is generally credited with the development of trigonometry.

Tycho Brahe's greatest contribution to astronomy was

When Mars is located directly behind the Earth with respect to the Sun in its orbit,it is

Ptolemy formulated a(n)____________________ model of the solar system to predict positions of the Sun,Moon,and planets.

If a planet orbits the sun at a distance of 4 AU,then its orbital period is 8 years.

A ____ is a single conjecture that can be tested.

Kepler used Tycho's observations to show that the planets...

Direct motion of a planet is its normal motion ____________ among the stars..

The greatest inaccuracy in Copernicus' model of the solar system was that the planets

Many classical astronomers believed Earth could not move because they detected no parallax.

Here and Now

A Users Guide to the Sky

Cycles of the Moon

Gravity

Light and Telescopes

Atoms and Spectra

The Sun

The Family of Stars

The Interstellar Medium

The Formation and Structure of Stars

Stellar Evolution

The Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Active Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes

Modern Cosmology

The Origin of the Solar System

Earth: the Standard of Comparative Planetology

The Moon and Mercury: Comparing Airless Worlds

Venus and Mars

Jupiter and Saturn

Uranus,neptune,and the Kuiper Belt

Meteorites,asteroids,and Comets

Astrobiology: Life on Other Worlds

Filters