Exam 2: User's Guide to the Sky

The star delta Cephei has a declination of about +58.5 degrees.Which observer will see it above their horizon for the longest fraction of one night?

How far,and in what direction,does the Sun appear to move on the celestial sphere per day?

Which of the following is 18 years and 11-1/3 days long?

Why are penumbral eclipses less obvious than partial eclipses?

A(n)____________________ eclipse occurs when the Moon is at its greatest distance from the Earth,and the Moon is new.

At what two celestial locations do the celestial equator and the ecliptic coincide?

If the perihelion of the Earth was significantly closer to the Sun than is currently the case,what would be the probable effect on the climate of the Southern Hemisphere?

What causes the precession of the Earth's rotation axis?

How is a constellation different from an asterism?

If the apparent visual magnitude of a star is 7.3,what does this tell us about the brightness of the star?

-The diagram shows three approximate locations of the Sun along the western horizon.Which number indicates the location of the Sun at sunset on the vernal equinox (March 21)for an observer at a latitude of 48° South?

What is the Saros cycle?

What is the celestial equator?

For an observer in Lusaka,Zambia,at a latitude of 16° South,what is the angle between the southern horizon and the south celestial pole?

What causes precession,and why does it move the celestial equator?

The Earth's rotation axis ____________________ slowly so that in a few thousand years Polaris will no longer be the North Star.

Why does the Moon glow coppery red during a total lunar eclipse?

The full Moon has an angular diameter of approximately ____________________ arc minutes for an observer located on the surface of the Earth.

A total solar eclipse will be visible from the same location on Earth one Saros cycle later.

Why have more people seen total lunar eclipses than total solar eclipses?