Exam 2: A Users Guide to the Sky

In contrast to Ursa Major, the Big Dipper is not a(n) ___ but is instead a(n) ______

What information does a star's Greek-letter designation convey?

What is the approximate latitude of the observer in the diagram below?

Most star names, such as Aldebaran and Betelgeuse, are___ in origin.

How is a constellation different from an asterism?

All the constellations in the sky were created by the Greeks.

What causes precession and why does it "move" the celestial equator among the stars?

The celestial equator always passes directly overhead.

If you were standing on the Earth's equator, which of the following in the sky would pass through your zenith during the entire day (24 hours)?

The star Vega has an apparent visual magnitude of 0.03 and the star HR 4374 has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.87. It has been determined that both stars are at the same distance from Earth. What does this information tell us about the two stars?

Table 2-1 -Refer to Table 2-1. Which star in the table would appear the brightest to an observer on Earth?

An observer in the Northern Hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the illustration below depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing?

Precession of the rotation axis of Earth is caused by

As seen from the Earth's southern hemisphere, the celestial equator passes

The Greek letter designation conveys information about a star's location and brightness.

In one way of naming stars, a(n) ____ letter indicates its brightness relative to the other stars in the constellation.

The ____ is the point on the celestial sphere directly above an observer who can be at any point on the Earth..

An observer's nadir is

Describe the location of Polaris in the sky relative to the horizon as seen by observers in Alaska (lat. = 60° N), Texas (lat. = 33° N), Ecuador (lat. = 0°), and Australia (lat. = 30° S).

The magnitude scale