Question 1

Which of the following best describes the Big Dipper?

Accepted Answer

A) a constellation 
B) another name for the Seven Sisters 
C) an asterism 
D) another name for the Great Bear 
A) a constellation 
B) another name for the Seven Sisters 
C) an asterism 
D) another name for the Great Bear

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

A) 20° N 
B) 20° S 
C) 70° N 
D) 0° 
A) 20° N 
B) 20° S 
C) 70° N 
D) 0°

Question 3

Which of the following describes a concept very similar to latitude?

Accepted Answer

A) right ascension 
B) declination 
C) magnitude 
D) meridian 
A) right ascension 
B) declination 
C) magnitude 
D) meridian

Question 4

-The diagram shows three approximate locations of the Sun along the western horizon.Which number indicates the location of the Sun at sunset on June 21 (summer solstice)for an observer at a latitude of 37° North?

Accepted Answer

A) 1 
B) 2 
C) 3 
D) The Sun will not set on June 21 at this latitude. 
A) 1 
B) 2 
C) 3 
D) The Sun will not set on June 21 at this latitude.

Question 5

What is the term for a solar eclipse in which the Moon's umbra does not reach the Earth's surface?

Accepted Answer

A) a partial solar eclipse 
B) an annular solar eclipse 
C) a penumbral solar eclipse 
D) an umbral solar eclipse 
A) a partial solar eclipse 
B) an annular solar eclipse 
C) a penumbral solar eclipse 
D) an umbral solar eclipse

Question 6

Which of the following is equivalent to one-3,600ᵗʰ of a degree?

Accepted Answer

A) precession 
B) second of arc 
C) minute of arc 
D) angular diameter 
A) precession 
B) second of arc 
C) minute of arc 
D) angular diameter

Question 7

When does the first quarter Moon rise?

Accepted Answer

A) at about noon 
B) at sunset 
C) at sunrise 
D) at about midnight 
A) at about noon 
B) at sunset 
C) at sunrise 
D) at about midnight

Question 8

On the vernal equinox (March 21),where is the Sun on the celestial sphere?

Accepted Answer

A) 23.5° north of the celestial equator 
B) 23.5° south of the celestial equator 
C) on the celestial equator and moving north with respect to the equator 
D) on the celestial equator and moving south with respect to the equator 
A) 23.5° north of the celestial equator 
B) 23.5° south of the celestial equator 
C) on the celestial equator and moving north with respect to the equator 
D) on the celestial equator and moving south with respect to the equator

Question 9

The totally eclipsed Moon glows coppery red because sunlight reaches the Moon's surface after passing through the Earth's atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

What language is the source of most star names,such as Aldebaran and Betelgeuse?

Accepted Answer

A) Latin 
B) Greek 
C) Arabic 
D) Italian 
A) Latin 
B) Greek 
C) Arabic 
D) Italian

Question 11

Which of the following statements correctly describes the relationship between stars and constellations?

Accepted Answer

A) Only stars close to the ecliptic (the Earth's orbital plane) are located in constellations. 
B) Every star is located in a constellation. 
C) Only the brighter stars are in constellations. 
D) Only those stars that were visible to the ancient Greeks are located in constellations. 
A) Only stars close to the ecliptic (the Earth's orbital plane) are located in constellations. 
B) Every star is located in a constellation. 
C) Only the brighter stars are in constellations. 
D) Only those stars that were visible to the ancient Greeks are located in constellations.

Question 12

How are the celestial poles and equator defined by the Earth's rotation?

Accepted Answer

The celestial poles and the celestial eq

Question 13

Why is the constellation Leo not visible all year from Canada?

Accepted Answer

A) Leo is in the southern celestial hemisphere. 
B) Leo is on the ecliptic, so it is sometimes directly behind the Sun in the sky. 
C) Leo is on the celestial equator, so it is often directly behind the Moon in the sky. 
D) Leo has no stars visible to the unaided eye. 
A) Leo is in the southern celestial hemisphere. 
B) Leo is on the ecliptic, so it is sometimes directly behind the Sun in the sky. 
C) Leo is on the celestial equator, so it is often directly behind the Moon in the sky. 
D) Leo has no stars visible to the unaided eye.

Question 14

Describe the path that a star on the celestial equator follows from the time it rises until it sets,for a person at a latitude of 60° North,and for a person at the equator.

Accepted Answer

For a person at a latitude of 60° North:

Question 15

Why are Northern Hemisphere winters colder than Northern Hemisphere summers?

Accepted Answer

A) The Earth is closer to the Sun during the summer than it is during the winter. 
B) The snow that falls in the northern latitudes cools the Earth during the winter. 
C) The light from the Sun shines more directly on the Northern Hemisphere during the summer. 
D) The period of sunlight is shorter during the summer than during the winter. 
A) The Earth is closer to the Sun during the summer than it is during the winter. 
B) The snow that falls in the northern latitudes cools the Earth during the winter. 
C) The light from the Sun shines more directly on the Northern Hemisphere during the summer. 
D) The period of sunlight is shorter during the summer than during the winter.

Question 16

What would you see if you were on the Moon and facing the Earth when people on the Earth saw a total lunar eclipse?

Accepted Answer

If you were on the Moon facing the Earth

Question 17

What aspect of an object depends on both the size of the object and the distance to the object?

Accepted Answer

A) apparent brightness 
B) apparent magnitude 
C) angular diameter 
D) proper motion 
A) apparent brightness 
B) apparent magnitude 
C) angular diameter 
D) proper motion

Question 18

Why are Venus and Mercury often called "morning star" and "evening star"?

Accepted Answer

A) They look more like stars than the other planets do. 
B) They both rotate quite slowly and have long mornings and evenings. 
C) They are both reddish in colour, like the Sun near the horizon. 
D) They are only visible just before sunrise or just after sunset. 
A) They look more like stars than the other planets do. 
B) They both rotate quite slowly and have long mornings and evenings. 
C) They are both reddish in colour, like the Sun near the horizon. 
D) They are only visible just before sunrise or just after sunset.

Question 19

The second is defined as a fixed interval of time,with no reference to astronomical timescales.If the Earth's period of rotation doubled,but its period of revolution stayed the same,what would happen?

Accepted Answer

A) There would half as many seconds in the day. 
B) There would be twice as many seconds in the day. 
C) There would be half as many seconds in the year. 
D) There would be twice as many seconds in the year. 
A) There would half as many seconds in the day. 
B) There would be twice as many seconds in the day. 
C) There would be half as many seconds in the year. 
D) There would be twice as many seconds in the year.

Question 20

A scientific model is a mental conception that provides a framework that helps us think about some aspect of nature.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Which of the following best describes the Big Dipper?

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

Which of the following describes a concept very similar to latitude?

-The diagram shows three approximate locations of the Sun along the western horizon.Which number indicates the location of the Sun at sunset on June 21 (summer solstice)for an observer at a latitude of 37° North?

What is the term for a solar eclipse in which the Moon's umbra does not reach the Earth's surface?

Which of the following is equivalent to one-3,600ᵗʰ of a degree?

When does the first quarter Moon rise?

On the vernal equinox (March 21),where is the Sun on the celestial sphere?

The totally eclipsed Moon glows coppery red because sunlight reaches the Moon's surface after passing through the Earth's atmosphere.

What language is the source of most star names,such as Aldebaran and Betelgeuse?

Which of the following statements correctly describes the relationship between stars and constellations?

How are the celestial poles and equator defined by the Earth's rotation?

Why is the constellation Leo not visible all year from Canada?

Describe the path that a star on the celestial equator follows from the time it rises until it sets,for a person at a latitude of 60° North,and for a person at the equator.

Why are Northern Hemisphere winters colder than Northern Hemisphere summers?

What would you see if you were on the Moon and facing the Earth when people on the Earth saw a total lunar eclipse?

What aspect of an object depends on both the size of the object and the distance to the object?

Why are Venus and Mercury often called "morning star" and "evening star"?

The second is defined as a fixed interval of time,with no reference to astronomical timescales.If the Earth's period of rotation doubled,but its period of revolution stayed the same,what would happen?

A scientific model is a mental conception that provides a framework that helps us think about some aspect of nature.

The Scale of the Cosmos

The Origin of Modern Astronomy

Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments

Sun Light and Sun Atoms

The Family of Stars

The Structure and Formation of Stars

The Deaths of Stars

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology in the 21st Century

The Origin of the Solar System

Comparative Planetology of the Terrestrial Planets

Comparative Planetology of the Jovian Planets

Life on Other Worlds

Filters

Exam 2: User's Guide to the Sky

Which of the following best describes the Big Dipper?

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

Which of the following describes a concept very similar to latitude?

-The diagram shows three approximate locations of the Sun along the western horizon.Which number indicates the location of the Sun at sunset on June 21 (summer solstice)for an observer at a latitude of 37° North?

What is the term for a solar eclipse in which the Moon's umbra does not reach the Earth's surface?

Which of the following is equivalent to one-3,600ᵗʰ of a degree?

When does the first quarter Moon rise?

On the vernal equinox (March 21),where is the Sun on the celestial sphere?

The totally eclipsed Moon glows coppery red because sunlight reaches the Moon's surface after passing through the Earth's atmosphere.

What language is the source of most star names,such as Aldebaran and Betelgeuse?

Which of the following statements correctly describes the relationship between stars and constellations?

How are the celestial poles and equator defined by the Earth's rotation?

Why is the constellation Leo not visible all year from Canada?

Describe the path that a star on the celestial equator follows from the time it rises until it sets,for a person at a latitude of 60° North,and for a person at the equator.

Why are Northern Hemisphere winters colder than Northern Hemisphere summers?

What would you see if you were on the Moon and facing the Earth when people on the Earth saw a total lunar eclipse?

What aspect of an object depends on both the size of the object and the distance to the object?

Why are Venus and Mercury often called "morning star" and "evening star"?

The second is defined as a fixed interval of time,with no reference to astronomical timescales.If the Earth's period of rotation doubled,but its period of revolution stayed the same,what would happen?

A scientific model is a mental conception that provides a framework that helps us think about some aspect of nature.

The Scale of the Cosmos

The Origin of Modern Astronomy

Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments

Sun Light and Sun Atoms

The Family of Stars

The Structure and Formation of Stars

The Deaths of Stars

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Cosmology in the 21st Century

The Origin of the Solar System

Comparative Planetology of the Terrestrial Planets

Comparative Planetology of the Jovian Planets

Life on Other Worlds

Filters