Question 1

About how many stars are visible to the naked eye on a clear,dark night away from city lights?

Accepted Answer

A) a few dozen 
B) a couple thousand 
C) several million 
D) a few hundred billion 
A) a few dozen 
B) a couple thousand 
C) several million 
D) a few hundred billion

Question 2

Which of the following statements does not use the term angular size or angular distance correctly?

Accepted Answer

A) The angular distance between those two houses in the distance is 30 degrees. 
B) The angular distance between those two bright stars in the sky is about 2 meters. 
C) The angular size of the Sun is about the same as that of the Moon. 
D) You can use your outstretched hand against the sky to estimate angular sizes and angular distances. 
A) The angular distance between those two houses in the distance is 30 degrees. 
B) The angular distance between those two bright stars in the sky is about 2 meters. 
C) The angular size of the Sun is about the same as that of the Moon. 
D) You can use your outstretched hand against the sky to estimate angular sizes and angular distances.

Question 3

Which of the following correctly describes the meridian in your local sky?

Accepted Answer

A) a half-circle extending from your horizon due east,through your zenith,to your horizon due west 
B) a half-circle extending from your horizon due east,through the north celestial pole,to your horizon due west 
C) a half-circle extending from your horizon due north,through your zenith,to your horizon due south 
D) the point directly over your head 
A) a half-circle extending from your horizon due east,through your zenith,to your horizon due west 
B) a half-circle extending from your horizon due east,through the north celestial pole,to your horizon due west 
C) a half-circle extending from your horizon due north,through your zenith,to your horizon due south 
D) the point directly over your head

Question 4

By locating the north celestial pole (NCP)in the sky,how can you determine your latitude?

Accepted Answer

A) The altitude of the NCP is the same as your latitude. 
B) The altitude of the NCP is your angular distance from the North Pole. 
C) The azimuth of the NCP is the same as your latitude. 
D) The azimuth of the NCP is the angular distance from the North Pole. 
E) The altitude of the NCP is the same as your distance from the North Pole. 
A) The altitude of the NCP is the same as your latitude. 
B) The altitude of the NCP is your angular distance from the North Pole. 
C) The azimuth of the NCP is the same as your latitude. 
D) The azimuth of the NCP is the angular distance from the North Pole. 
E) The altitude of the NCP is the same as your distance from the North Pole.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about parallax is not true?

Accepted Answer

A) You can demonstrate parallax simply by holding up a finger and looking at it alternately from your left and right eyes. 
B) The existence of stellar parallax is direct proof that Earth orbits the Sun. 
C) Measurement of stellar parallax allows us to determine distances to nearby stars. 
D) The technique of stellar parallax was used by Hubble to determine that the Andromeda Galaxy (M 31)is about 2 million light-years away. 
E) Ancient astronomers were unable to measure parallax and used the absence of observed parallax as an argument in favor of an Earth-centered universe. 
A) You can demonstrate parallax simply by holding up a finger and looking at it alternately from your left and right eyes. 
B) The existence of stellar parallax is direct proof that Earth orbits the Sun. 
C) Measurement of stellar parallax allows us to determine distances to nearby stars. 
D) The technique of stellar parallax was used by Hubble to determine that the Andromeda Galaxy (M 31)is about 2 million light-years away. 
E) Ancient astronomers were unable to measure parallax and used the absence of observed parallax as an argument in favor of an Earth-centered universe.

Question 6

You observe a full Moon rising at sunset.What will you see at midnight?

Accepted Answer

A) a full Moon high in the sky 
B) a first quarter Moon 
C) a waning gibbous Moon 
D) a third quarter Moon 
A) a full Moon high in the sky 
B) a first quarter Moon 
C) a waning gibbous Moon 
D) a third quarter Moon

Question 7

If you lived on the Moon,you'd see full Earth when we see new Moon.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

What effect does the precession of the Moon's nodes have on eclipses?

Accepted Answer

A) there is a lunar eclipse every 6 months 
B) there is a solar eclipse every 6 months 
C) the eclipse seasons occur less than 6 months apart 
D) the vernal equinox will be in Aquarius in a few hundred years 
E) there are never two solar eclipses in the same year 
A) there is a lunar eclipse every 6 months 
B) there is a solar eclipse every 6 months 
C) the eclipse seasons occur less than 6 months apart 
D) the vernal equinox will be in Aquarius in a few hundred years 
E) there are never two solar eclipses in the same year

Question 9

The Moon always shows nearly the same face to Earth because

Accepted Answer

A) the Moon does not rotate. 
B) sunlight always hits the same face of the Moon. 
C) the Moon rotates once in the same amount of time that it takes Earth to orbit the Sun once. 
D) the Moon rotates once in the same amount of time that it takes the Moon to orbit Earth once. 
A) the Moon does not rotate. 
B) sunlight always hits the same face of the Moon. 
C) the Moon rotates once in the same amount of time that it takes Earth to orbit the Sun once. 
D) the Moon rotates once in the same amount of time that it takes the Moon to orbit Earth once.

Question 10

All the following statements are true.Which one explains the reason that there is not a solar eclipse at every new Moon?

Accepted Answer

A) The nodes of the Moon's orbit precess with an 18-year period. 
B) The orbital plane of the Moon is tilted slightly (by about 5 degrees)to the ecliptic plane. 
C) The Moon is only about 1/4 as large as Earth in diameter. 
D) The Moon goes through a complete cycle of phases about every 29 1/2 days. 
A) The nodes of the Moon's orbit precess with an 18-year period. 
B) The orbital plane of the Moon is tilted slightly (by about 5 degrees)to the ecliptic plane. 
C) The Moon is only about 1/4 as large as Earth in diameter. 
D) The Moon goes through a complete cycle of phases about every 29 1/2 days.

Question 11

Process of Science: Because we do not see stellar parallaxes with our eyes,we conclude that the Earth is at the center of the Solar System.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The Andromeda Galaxy is faintly visible to the naked eye in the constellation Andromeda.Suppose instead it were located in the same direction in space as the center of the Milky Way Galaxy (but still at its current distance).How would it appear to the eye in that case?

Accepted Answer

A) We could not see it at all. 
B) It would look about the same,but would be in the constellation Sagittarius instead of Andromeda. 
C) It would be much brighter,because it would be illuminated by the many stars in the center of our galaxy. 
D) It would look about the same,but it would be harder to pick out because its cloud-like appearance would make it blend in with the cloud-like appearance of the Milky Way in our sky. 
A) We could not see it at all. 
B) It would look about the same,but would be in the constellation Sagittarius instead of Andromeda. 
C) It would be much brighter,because it would be illuminated by the many stars in the center of our galaxy. 
D) It would look about the same,but it would be harder to pick out because its cloud-like appearance would make it blend in with the cloud-like appearance of the Milky Way in our sky.

Question 13

What do astronomers mean by a constellation?

Accepted Answer

A) A constellation is a region in the sky as seen from Earth. 
B) A constellation is a group of stars related through an ancient story. 
C) A constellation is any random grouping of stars in the sky. 
D) A constellation is a group of stars that are all located in about the same place in space. 
A) A constellation is a region in the sky as seen from Earth. 
B) A constellation is a group of stars related through an ancient story. 
C) A constellation is any random grouping of stars in the sky. 
D) A constellation is a group of stars that are all located in about the same place in space.

Question 14

How many stars can you see with your naked eye on a clear,moonless night from a dark location?

Accepted Answer

A) fewer than a thousand 
B) a few thousand 
C) about ten thousand 
D) about a hundred thousand 
E) more than you could count in your lifetime 
A) fewer than a thousand 
B) a few thousand 
C) about ten thousand 
D) about a hundred thousand 
E) more than you could count in your lifetime

Question 15

It is possible to view the Moon in first-quarter phase the day after a total lunar eclipse.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Which of the following statements about the celestial sphere is not true?

Accepted Answer

A) When we look in the sky,the stars all appear to be located on the celestial sphere. 
B) Earth is placed at the center of the celestial sphere. 
C) The celestial sphere does not exist physically. 
D) The "celestial sphere" is just another name for our universe. 
E) From any location on Earth,we can see only half the celestial sphere at any one time. 
A) When we look in the sky,the stars all appear to be located on the celestial sphere. 
B) Earth is placed at the center of the celestial sphere. 
C) The celestial sphere does not exist physically. 
D) The "celestial sphere" is just another name for our universe. 
E) From any location on Earth,we can see only half the celestial sphere at any one time.

Question 17

Suppose Earth's axis tilt was significantly greater than its current 23.5 degrees,but Earth's rotation period and orbital period were unchanged.Which statement below would not be true?

Accepted Answer

A) Summers and winters would be more severe (for example,hotter and colder,respectively)than they are now. 
B) The region of Earth where the Sun does not rise on the winter solstice would be larger (extending farther south)than it is now. 
C) The length of each season (for example,the number of days from the summer solstice to the fall equinox)would be significantly longer than it is now. 
D) Polaris would not be our North star. 
A) Summers and winters would be more severe (for example,hotter and colder,respectively)than they are now. 
B) The region of Earth where the Sun does not rise on the winter solstice would be larger (extending farther south)than it is now. 
C) The length of each season (for example,the number of days from the summer solstice to the fall equinox)would be significantly longer than it is now. 
D) Polaris would not be our North star.

Question 18

What do we mean when we talk about the Milky Way in our sky?

Accepted Answer

A) the patchy band of light that outlines the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy as seen from Earth 
B) the whitish patch of light we see when we look toward the center of the Milky Way Galaxy 
C) the spiral-shaped galaxy in which we live 
D) the bright stars of the constellations that lie along the ecliptic in our sky 
A) the patchy band of light that outlines the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy as seen from Earth 
B) the whitish patch of light we see when we look toward the center of the Milky Way Galaxy 
C) the spiral-shaped galaxy in which we live 
D) the bright stars of the constellations that lie along the ecliptic in our sky

Question 19

What would you see if you were on the Moon during a solar eclipse?

Accepted Answer

During a solar eclipse,you wou

Question 20

Why do we see essentially the same face of the Moon at all times?

Accepted Answer

A) because the other face points toward us only at new Moon,when we can't see the Moon 
B) because the Moon does not rotate 
C) because the Moon's rotational and orbital periods are equal 
D) because the Sun illuminates only one half at a time 
E) because the Moon has a nearly circular orbit around Earth 
A) because the other face points toward us only at new Moon,when we can't see the Moon 
B) because the Moon does not rotate 
C) because the Moon's rotational and orbital periods are equal 
D) because the Sun illuminates only one half at a time 
E) because the Moon has a nearly circular orbit around Earth

Exam 2: Discovering the Universe for Yourself

About how many stars are visible to the naked eye on a clear,dark night away from city lights?

Which of the following statements does not use the term angular size or angular distance correctly?

Which of the following correctly describes the meridian in your local sky?

By locating the north celestial pole (NCP)in the sky,how can you determine your latitude?

Which of the following statements about parallax is not true?

You observe a full Moon rising at sunset.What will you see at midnight?

If you lived on the Moon,you'd see full Earth when we see new Moon.

What effect does the precession of the Moon's nodes have on eclipses?

The Moon always shows nearly the same face to Earth because

All the following statements are true.Which one explains the reason that there is not a solar eclipse at every new Moon?

Process of Science: Because we do not see stellar parallaxes with our eyes,we conclude that the Earth is at the center of the Solar System.

The Andromeda Galaxy is faintly visible to the naked eye in the constellation Andromeda.Suppose instead it were located in the same direction in space as the center of the Milky Way Galaxy (but still at its current distance).How would it appear to the eye in that case?

What do astronomers mean by a constellation?

How many stars can you see with your naked eye on a clear,moonless night from a dark location?

It is possible to view the Moon in first-quarter phase the day after a total lunar eclipse.

Which of the following statements about the celestial sphere is not true?

Suppose Earth's axis tilt was significantly greater than its current 23.5 degrees,but Earth's rotation period and orbital period were unchanged.Which statement below would not be true?

What do we mean when we talk about the Milky Way in our sky?

What would you see if you were on the Moon during a solar eclipse?

Why do we see essentially the same face of the Moon at all times?

A Modern View of the Universe

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Our Planetary System

Formation of the Solar System

Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Birth

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

Galaxy Evolution

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation

Space and Time

Spacetime and Gravity

Building Blocks of the Universe

Filters