Question 1

If one star has a parallax ten times larger than another's, the first star is _ than the second.

Accepted Answer

A)  five times further 
B)  five times closer 
C)  ten times further 
D)  ten times closer 
A)  five times further 
B)  five times closer 
C)  ten times further 
D)  ten times closer D

Question 2

Compare and contrast latitude and declination. How does each relate to your position on Earth?

Accepted Answer

Both are measured in degrees north or south of the equator, and are used to find positions on the Earth or in the sky. If you are at latitude 30 degrees north, then the stars that pass through your zenith (directly overhead) will have a corresponding declination of +30 degrees.

Question 3

When the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky, its phase is

Accepted Answer

A)  full. 
B)  new. 
C)  first or third quarter. 
D)  waxing or waning crescent. 
E)  waxing or waning gibbous. 
A)  full. 
B)  new. 
C)  first or third quarter. 
D)  waxing or waning crescent. 
E)  waxing or waning gibbous. A

Question 4

Define the celestial sphere.

Accepted Answer

An imaginary hollow sphere, wi

Question 5

What is the length of the sidereal month, and how is it determined?

Accepted Answer

It takes 27.3 days for the Moo

Question 6

This diagram explains

Accepted Answer

A)  precession. 
B)  the reason for the solstices. 
C)  the difference between solar time and sidereal time. 
D)  the sidereal day's relation to the seasons. 
E)  the solar day's relation to the Moon. 
A)  precession. 
B)  the reason for the solstices. 
C)  the difference between solar time and sidereal time. 
D)  the sidereal day's relation to the seasons. 
E)  the solar day's relation to the Moon.

Question 7

How far above or below the equator can the Sun appear to move? Why?

Accepted Answer

The Earth's axial tilt means t

Question 8

That we do not get eclipses every new and full Moon is due to the _ degree tilt of the Moon's orbit, relative to the ecliptic.

Accepted Answer

The answer of That we do not get eclipses every...

Question 9

How are right ascension in the sky and longitude on Earth different?

Accepted Answer

Right ascension is measured in

Question 10

If the Moon appears half lit, and is almost overhead about 6:00 AM, its phase is

Accepted Answer

A)  first quarter. 
B)  waxing crescent. 
C)  waning crescent. 
D)  full. 
E)  third quarter. 
A)  first quarter. 
B)  waxing crescent. 
C)  waning crescent. 
D)  full. 
E)  third quarter.

Question 11

At the solstices, the Sun's declination will be 23.5 degrees from the equator.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

An hour of right ascension corresponds to 60 degrees in the sky.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

The first quarter moon rises about noon today; what will its phase be, and when will it rise tomorrow?

Accepted Answer

It will be waxing gi

Question 14

What is the astronomical significance of 26,000 years?

Accepted Answer

The Earth's rotational axis it

Question 15

What are the minimum and maximum values for right ascension in the sky?

Accepted Answer

From 0 to 24 hours,

Question 16

The greatest distance above or below the ecliptic the Moon can move is

Accepted Answer

A)  5.2 degrees. 
B)  23.5 degrees. 
C)  27.3 degrees. 
D)  29.5 degrees. 
E)  30 degrees. 
A)  5.2 degrees. 
B)  23.5 degrees. 
C)  27.3 degrees. 
D)  29.5 degrees. 
E)  30 degrees.

Question 17

What are constellations?

Accepted Answer

A)  ancient story boards, useless to modern astronomers 
B)  apparent groupings of stars and planets visible on a given evening 
C)  groups of stars making an apparent pattern in the celestial sphere 
D)  groups of stars gravitationally bound and appearing close together in the sky 
E)  groups of galaxies gravitationally bound and close together in the sky 
A)  ancient story boards, useless to modern astronomers 
B)  apparent groupings of stars and planets visible on a given evening 
C)  groups of stars making an apparent pattern in the celestial sphere 
D)  groups of stars gravitationally bound and appearing close together in the sky 
E)  groups of galaxies gravitationally bound and close together in the sky

Question 18

The 26,000 year cycle that changes the poles and equinoxes is called

Accepted Answer

A)  the Earth's rotation. 
B)  precession. 
C)  regression. 
D)  a retrograde loop. 
E)  revolution. 
A)  the Earth's rotation. 
B)  precession. 
C)  regression. 
D)  a retrograde loop. 
E)  revolution.

Question 19

In general, what is true of the alpha star in a constellation?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is the reddest star in the constellation. 
B)  It is the westernmost star in the constellation. 
C)  It is the star that is closest to Earth. 
D)  It is the brightest star in the constellation. 
E)  It is the easternmost star in the constellation. 
A)  It is the reddest star in the constellation. 
B)  It is the westernmost star in the constellation. 
C)  It is the star that is closest to Earth. 
D)  It is the brightest star in the constellation. 
E)  It is the easternmost star in the constellation.

Question 20

From Earth, the Sun and Moon have about the same angular diameter.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

If one star has a parallax ten times larger than another's, the first star is _ than the second.

Compare and contrast latitude and declination. How does each relate to your position on Earth?

When the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky, its phase is

Define the celestial sphere.

What is the length of the sidereal month, and how is it determined?

This diagram explains

How far above or below the equator can the Sun appear to move? Why?

That we do not get eclipses every new and full Moon is due to the _ degree tilt of the Moon's orbit, relative to the ecliptic.

How are right ascension in the sky and longitude on Earth different?

If the Moon appears half lit, and is almost overhead about 6:00 AM, its phase is

At the solstices, the Sun's declination will be 23.5 degrees from the equator.

An hour of right ascension corresponds to 60 degrees in the sky.

The first quarter moon rises about noon today; what will its phase be, and when will it rise tomorrow?

What is the astronomical significance of 26,000 years?

What are the minimum and maximum values for right ascension in the sky?

The greatest distance above or below the ecliptic the Moon can move is

What are constellations?

The 26,000 year cycle that changes the poles and equinoxes is called

In general, what is true of the alpha star in a constellation?

From Earth, the Sun and Moon have about the same angular diameter.

The Copernican Revolution: the Birth of Modern Science

Light and Matter: the Inner Workings of the Cosmos

Telescopes: the Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets

Earth and Its Moon: Our Cosmic Backyard

The Terrestrial Planets: a Study in Contrasts

The Jovian Planets: Giants of the Solar System

Moons, Rings, and Plutoids: Small Worlds Among Giants

The Sun: Our Parent Star

Measuring the Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Star Formation in the Milky Way

Stellar Evolution: the Lives and Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Normal and Active Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Hubbles Law and Dark Matter: the Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: the Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

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Exam 1: Charting the Heavens: the Foundations of Astronomy

If one star has a parallax ten times larger than another's, the first star is _ than the second.

Compare and contrast latitude and declination. How does each relate to your position on Earth?

When the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky, its phase is

Define the celestial sphere.

What is the length of the sidereal month, and how is it determined?

This diagram explains

How far above or below the equator can the Sun appear to move? Why?

That we do not get eclipses every new and full Moon is due to the _ degree tilt of the Moon's orbit, relative to the ecliptic.

How are right ascension in the sky and longitude on Earth different?

If the Moon appears half lit, and is almost overhead about 6:00 AM, its phase is

At the solstices, the Sun's declination will be 23.5 degrees from the equator.

An hour of right ascension corresponds to 60 degrees in the sky.

The first quarter moon rises about noon today; what will its phase be, and when will it rise tomorrow?

What is the astronomical significance of 26,000 years?

What are the minimum and maximum values for right ascension in the sky?

The greatest distance above or below the ecliptic the Moon can move is

What are constellations?

The 26,000 year cycle that changes the poles and equinoxes is called

In general, what is true of the alpha star in a constellation?

From Earth, the Sun and Moon have about the same angular diameter.

The Copernican Revolution: the Birth of Modern Science

Light and Matter: the Inner Workings of the Cosmos

Telescopes: the Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Interplanetary Matter and the Birth of the Planets

Earth and Its Moon: Our Cosmic Backyard

The Terrestrial Planets: a Study in Contrasts

The Jovian Planets: Giants of the Solar System

Moons, Rings, and Plutoids: Small Worlds Among Giants

The Sun: Our Parent Star

Measuring the Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Star Formation in the Milky Way

Stellar Evolution: the Lives and Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Normal and Active Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Hubbles Law and Dark Matter: the Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: the Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

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