Question 1

Kepler's 2nd of planetary motion states that the orbits of the planets are ellipses with the Sun at one focus.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Galileo used a telescope to discover.

Accepted Answer

A)  spots on the sun 
B)  craters on the moon 
C)  moons around Jupiter 
D)  moon-like phases of Venus 
E)  all of these 
A)  spots on the sun 
B)  craters on the moon 
C)  moons around Jupiter 
D)  moon-like phases of Venus 
E)  all of these

Question 3

The purpose of using epicycles and deferents to explain the motion of the planets in the night sky was to account for

Accepted Answer

A)  prograde motion. 
B)  Mercury and Venus' limited angular distance from the Sun. 
C)  retrograde motion. 
D)  non-uniform speed of the planets in their orbits. 
E)  precession of the equinoxes. 
A)  prograde motion. 
B)  Mercury and Venus' limited angular distance from the Sun. 
C)  retrograde motion. 
D)  non-uniform speed of the planets in their orbits. 
E)  precession of the equinoxes.

Question 4

Newgrange contains an alignment that indicates the winter solstice sunrise.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Saturn is on average 10 AU from the sun.What is the approximate orbital period of Saturn?

Accepted Answer

A)  10 years 
B)  32 years 
C)  100 years 
D)  1000 years 
E)  1,000,000 years 
A)  10 years 
B)  32 years 
C)  100 years 
D)  1000 years 
E)  1,000,000 years

Question 6

A ____ is a commonly accepted set of scientific ideas and assumptions.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

The book "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium"

Accepted Answer

A)  describes how Galileo's observations and Kepler's calculations proved the Copernican theory. 
B)  describes the construction of Galileo's telescope and his observations. 
C)  is a dialog written to convince the general public of the merits of the Copernican theory. 
D)  first described the Copernican theory. 
E)  describes the Tychonian theory. 
A)  describes how Galileo's observations and Kepler's calculations proved the Copernican theory. 
B)  describes the construction of Galileo's telescope and his observations. 
C)  is a dialog written to convince the general public of the merits of the Copernican theory. 
D)  first described the Copernican theory. 
E)  describes the Tychonian theory.

Question 8

Which of these were things ancient Greek astronomers never even considered in astronomy?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Earth is round. 
B)  Everything in the universe goes around the Earth. 
C)  The Earth goes around the sun. 
D)  Wrong! They considered the possibility of all the above. 
A)  The Earth is round. 
B)  Everything in the universe goes around the Earth. 
C)  The Earth goes around the sun. 
D)  Wrong! They considered the possibility of all the above.

Question 9

Copernicus was the first to propose that Earth moves around the sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Tables based on a heliocentric model of the universe which used elliptical orbits for the planets were more accurate than ____________________.

Accepted Answer

geocentric

Question 11

Which of the following objects cannot transit (i.e.pass in front of)the Sun as seen from Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars 
B)  Earth 
C)  Saturn 
D)  Mercury 
E)  Venus 
A)  Mars 
B)  Earth 
C)  Saturn 
D)  Mercury 
E)  Venus

Question 12

The Ptolemaic model of the universe was heliocentric.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

The first person to propose that the Earth went around the sun was.

Accepted Answer

A)  Copernicus 
B)  Ptolemy 
C)  Aristotle 
D)  Aristarchus 
E)  Eratosthenes 
A)  Copernicus 
B)  Ptolemy 
C)  Aristotle 
D)  Aristarchus 
E)  Eratosthenes

Question 14

The Copernican system was no more accurate than the Ptolemaic system in predicting the positions of the planets because

Accepted Answer

A)  the Copernican system used the old value for the radius of Earth. 
B)  Copernicus had been unable to detect parallax. 
C)  the Copernican system used uniform circular motion like Ptolemy. 
D)  in the Copernican system only Mercury and Venus orbit the sun,all other planets orbited Earth. 
E)  Copernicus used inaccurate data from Ptolemy's system. 
A)  the Copernican system used the old value for the radius of Earth. 
B)  Copernicus had been unable to detect parallax. 
C)  the Copernican system used uniform circular motion like Ptolemy. 
D)  in the Copernican system only Mercury and Venus orbit the sun,all other planets orbited Earth. 
E)  Copernicus used inaccurate data from Ptolemy's system.

Question 15

Halley's Comet has an orbital period of 76 years.What is the average distance of Halley's Comet from the sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  51 AU 
B)  18 AU 
C)  114 AU 
D)  660 AU 
E)  38 AU 
A)  51 AU 
B)  18 AU 
C)  114 AU 
D)  660 AU 
E)  38 AU

Question 16

The Almagest

Accepted Answer

A)  is the book that first described the heliocentric solar system. 
B)  is a collection of the science and mathematics of the Greeks. 
C)  caused the author to be sentenced to house arrest. 
D)  is a book of astrological myths and predictions produced by the Arabs. 
E)  first described the Copernican theory. 
A)  is the book that first described the heliocentric solar system. 
B)  is a collection of the science and mathematics of the Greeks. 
C)  caused the author to be sentenced to house arrest. 
D)  is a book of astrological myths and predictions produced by the Arabs. 
E)  first described the Copernican theory.

Question 17

Galileo used a telescope to observe the phases of Venus.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The Copernican model of the solar system has the planets orbit the sun along elliptical paths.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 4: The Origin of Modern Astronomy

Kepler's 2nd of planetary motion states that the orbits of the planets are ellipses with the Sun at one focus.

Galileo used a telescope to discover.

The purpose of using epicycles and deferents to explain the motion of the planets in the night sky was to account for

Newgrange contains an alignment that indicates the winter solstice sunrise.

Saturn is on average 10 AU from the sun.What is the approximate orbital period of Saturn?

A ____ is a commonly accepted set of scientific ideas and assumptions.

The book "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium"

Which of these were things ancient Greek astronomers never even considered in astronomy?

Copernicus was the first to propose that Earth moves around the sun.

Tables based on a heliocentric model of the universe which used elliptical orbits for the planets were more accurate than ____________________.

Which of the following objects cannot transit (i.e.pass in front of)the Sun as seen from Jupiter?

The Ptolemaic model of the universe was heliocentric.

The first person to propose that the Earth went around the sun was.

The Copernican system was no more accurate than the Ptolemaic system in predicting the positions of the planets because

Halley's Comet has an orbital period of 76 years.What is the average distance of Halley's Comet from the sun?

The Almagest

Galileo used a telescope to observe the phases of Venus.

The Copernican model of the solar system has the planets orbit the sun along elliptical paths.

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

Kepler's 2^nd of planetary motion states that the orbits of the planets are ellipses with the Sun at one focus.