Question 1

Which of the following describes the semi-major axis of an ellipse?

Accepted Answer

A)  the ratio of the longest diameter of the ellipse to the shortest diameter of the ellipse 
B)  half the length of the shortest diameter of the ellipse 
C)  half the length of the longest diameter of the ellipse 
D)  the distance between the two foci of the ellipse 
A)  the ratio of the longest diameter of the ellipse to the shortest diameter of the ellipse 
B)  half the length of the shortest diameter of the ellipse 
C)  half the length of the longest diameter of the ellipse 
D)  the distance between the two foci of the ellipse

Question 2

What two numbers tell us the size and shape of an ellipse?

Accepted Answer

A)  radius, eccentricity 
B)  radius, deferent 
C)  semi-major axis, deferent 
D)  semi-major axis, eccentricity 
A)  radius, eccentricity 
B)  radius, deferent 
C)  semi-major axis, deferent 
D)  semi-major axis, eccentricity

Question 3

When did the first recorded female astronomer make her detailed observations of the motion of planets?

Accepted Answer

A)  more than 4000 years ago 
B)  about 2000 years ago 
C)  about 200 years ago 
D)  about 40 years ago 
A)  more than 4000 years ago 
B)  about 2000 years ago 
C)  about 200 years ago 
D)  about 40 years ago

Question 4

What does the eccentricity of a planet's orbit describe?

Accepted Answer

A)  westward motion in the night sky when observed on successive nights 
B)  deviation in shape when compared to a circle 
C)  tilt with respect to the ecliptic plane 
D)  the tilt of the planet's rotational axis with respect to the ecliptic 
A)  westward motion in the night sky when observed on successive nights 
B)  deviation in shape when compared to a circle 
C)  tilt with respect to the ecliptic plane 
D)  the tilt of the planet's rotational axis with respect to the ecliptic

Question 5

The orbit of the planet Jupiter is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. What is located at the other focus?

Accepted Answer

A)  the Earth 
B)  the asteroid belt 
C)  Saturn 
D)  nothing 
A)  the Earth 
B)  the asteroid belt 
C)  Saturn 
D)  nothing

Question 6

You are observing the night sky from Mars. Which objects would you be able to see undergo retrograde motion in your night sky?

Accepted Answer

A)  Only the planets that are more distant from the Sun than Mars 
B)  Only the planets located between Mars and the Sun 
C)  Only Earth and Venus 
D)  All planets 
A)  Only the planets that are more distant from the Sun than Mars 
B)  Only the planets located between Mars and the Sun 
C)  Only Earth and Venus 
D)  All planets

Question 7

If the mass of the Earth increased by a factor of 4, with no change in the radius, what would happen to your mass?

Accepted Answer

A)  It would increase. 
B)  It would decrease. 
C)  It would stay the same. 
D)  It would exponentially decrease to zero. 
A)  It would increase. 
B)  It would decrease. 
C)  It would stay the same. 
D)  It would exponentially decrease to zero.

Question 8

Which of the following statements best describes Kepler's third law of planetary motion?

Accepted Answer

A)  The smaller the diameter of a planet, the faster its rotational period. 
B)  The orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the diameter of the planet. 
C)  The smaller the orbit, the longer its orbital period. 
D)  The larger the orbit, the longer its orbital period. 
A)  The smaller the diameter of a planet, the faster its rotational period. 
B)  The orbital period of a planet is directly proportional to the diameter of the planet. 
C)  The smaller the orbit, the longer its orbital period. 
D)  The larger the orbit, the longer its orbital period.

Question 9

What is parallax?

Accepted Answer

A)  the apparent motion of an object due to the motion of the observer 
B)  the distance between two straight lines 
C)  the small circle that the planets slid along in Ptolemy's geocentric universe 
D)  the distance between two foci of an ellipse 
A)  the apparent motion of an object due to the motion of the observer 
B)  the distance between two straight lines 
C)  the small circle that the planets slid along in Ptolemy's geocentric universe 
D)  the distance between two foci of an ellipse

Question 10

What does the force due to gravity between two objects depend on?

Accepted Answer

A)  the objects' masses and velocities 
B)  the objects' masses and the distance between them 
C)  the objects' velocities and the distance between them 
D)  the objects' distance from the Earth 
A)  the objects' masses and velocities 
B)  the objects' masses and the distance between them 
C)  the objects' velocities and the distance between them 
D)  the objects' distance from the Earth

Question 11

Why does Mars appear to brighten during its retrograde motion?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars is closest to the Sun during this time. 
B)  Mars is closest to Earth during this time. 
C)  Mars is observed in a nearly full phase during this time. 
D)  Mars receives more direct sunlight during this time. 
A)  Mars is closest to the Sun during this time. 
B)  Mars is closest to Earth during this time. 
C)  Mars is observed in a nearly full phase during this time. 
D)  Mars receives more direct sunlight during this time.

Question 12

What do we call an orbit that has the same period as the rotation period of the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  a daily orbit 
B)  a lunar orbit 
C)  an epicycle orbit 
D)  a geosynchronous orbit 
A)  a daily orbit 
B)  a lunar orbit 
C)  an epicycle orbit 
D)  a geosynchronous orbit

Question 13

Which of the following occur only when the Moon is in the first or third quarter?

Accepted Answer

A)  neap tides 
B)  spring tides 
C)  total solar eclipses 
D)  annular eclipses 
A)  neap tides 
B)  spring tides 
C)  total solar eclipses 
D)  annular eclipses

Question 14

Who were the two great authorities of Greek astronomy?

Accepted Answer

A)  Aristotle and Ptolemy 
B)  Julius Caesar and Aristotle 
C)  Columbus and Ptolemy 
D)  Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar 
A)  Aristotle and Ptolemy 
B)  Julius Caesar and Aristotle 
C)  Columbus and Ptolemy 
D)  Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar

Question 15

How did Galileo's observations of moons orbiting Jupiter conflict with the geocentric model of the universe of his time?

Accepted Answer

A)  The moons moved in non-circular orbits about Jupiter. 
B)  The moons did not appear to orbit the Sun. 
C)  The moons did not appear to orbit the Earth. 
D)  The moons appeared to be too small, and therefore too far away, to be considered part of the solar system. 
A)  The moons moved in non-circular orbits about Jupiter. 
B)  The moons did not appear to orbit the Sun. 
C)  The moons did not appear to orbit the Earth. 
D)  The moons appeared to be too small, and therefore too far away, to be considered part of the solar system.

Question 16

At which lunar phase(s) are tides at their lowest?

Accepted Answer

A)  both new Moon and first quarter Moon 
B)  both first quarter Moon and third quarter Moon 
C)  new Moon 
D)  full Moon 
A)  both new Moon and first quarter Moon 
B)  both first quarter Moon and third quarter Moon 
C)  new Moon 
D)  full Moon

Question 17

The first observations of objects in the solar system that orbited neither the Sun nor the Earth were made by ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The first observations of objects in the...

Question 18

A scientific model can never be exactly correct.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

The neap tides can only occur when the Moon's position is at or near one of its orbital nodes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

What was Tycho Brahe's greatest contribution to astronomy?

Accepted Answer

A)  his model of the universe 
B)  his telescopic observations 
C)  his discovery of three laws of motion 
D)  his 20 years of careful observations of the planets 
A)  his model of the universe 
B)  his telescopic observations 
C)  his discovery of three laws of motion 
D)  his 20 years of careful observations of the planets

Which of the following describes the semi-major axis of an ellipse?

What two numbers tell us the size and shape of an ellipse?

When did the first recorded female astronomer make her detailed observations of the motion of planets?

What does the eccentricity of a planet's orbit describe?

The orbit of the planet Jupiter is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. What is located at the other focus?

You are observing the night sky from Mars. Which objects would you be able to see undergo retrograde motion in your night sky?

If the mass of the Earth increased by a factor of 4, with no change in the radius, what would happen to your mass?

Which of the following statements best describes Kepler's third law of planetary motion?

What is parallax?

What does the force due to gravity between two objects depend on?

Why does Mars appear to brighten during its retrograde motion?

What do we call an orbit that has the same period as the rotation period of the Earth?

Which of the following occur only when the Moon is in the first or third quarter?

Who were the two great authorities of Greek astronomy?

How did Galileo's observations of moons orbiting Jupiter conflict with the geocentric model of the universe of his time?

At which lunar phase(s) are tides at their lowest?

The first observations of objects in the solar system that orbited neither the Sun nor the Earth were made by ____________________.

A scientific model can never be exactly correct.

The neap tides can only occur when the Moon's position is at or near one of its orbital nodes.

What was Tycho Brahe's greatest contribution to astronomy?

The Scale of the Cosmos: Space and Time

Users Guide to the Sky: Patterns and Cycles

Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments: Extending Humanitys Vision

The Sun: the Closest Star

The Family of Stars

The Structure and Formation of Stars

The Deaths of Stars

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology in the 21st Century

Planet Formation and Exoplanets

Comparative Planetology of the Terrestrial Planets

The Outer Solar System

Life on Other Worlds

Filters

Exam 3: The Origin of Modern Astronomy

Which of the following describes the semi-major axis of an ellipse?

What two numbers tell us the size and shape of an ellipse?

When did the first recorded female astronomer make her detailed observations of the motion of planets?

What does the eccentricity of a planet's orbit describe?

The orbit of the planet Jupiter is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. What is located at the other focus?

You are observing the night sky from Mars. Which objects would you be able to see undergo retrograde motion in your night sky?

If the mass of the Earth increased by a factor of 4, with no change in the radius, what would happen to your mass?

Which of the following statements best describes Kepler's third law of planetary motion?

What is parallax?

What does the force due to gravity between two objects depend on?

Why does Mars appear to brighten during its retrograde motion?

What do we call an orbit that has the same period as the rotation period of the Earth?

Which of the following occur only when the Moon is in the first or third quarter?

Who were the two great authorities of Greek astronomy?

How did Galileo's observations of moons orbiting Jupiter conflict with the geocentric model of the universe of his time?

At which lunar phase(s) are tides at their lowest?

The first observations of objects in the solar system that orbited neither the Sun nor the Earth were made by ____________________.

A scientific model can never be exactly correct.

The neap tides can only occur when the Moon's position is at or near one of its orbital nodes.

What was Tycho Brahe's greatest contribution to astronomy?

The Scale of the Cosmos: Space and Time

Users Guide to the Sky: Patterns and Cycles

Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments: Extending Humanitys Vision

The Sun: the Closest Star

The Family of Stars

The Structure and Formation of Stars

The Deaths of Stars

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology in the 21st Century

Planet Formation and Exoplanets

Comparative Planetology of the Terrestrial Planets

The Outer Solar System

Life on Other Worlds

Filters