Question 1

A solar eclipse can only happen during a:

Accepted Answer

A)  new moon. 
B)  solstice. 
C)  first quarter moon. 
D)  full moon. 
E)  perihelion passage of the Sun. 
A)  new moon. 
B)  solstice. 
C)  first quarter moon. 
D)  full moon. 
E)  perihelion passage of the Sun.

Question 2

At apogee,the Moon is at its farthest from Earth and thus appears smaller than normal.Because of this it can produce only annular solar eclipses,but not total solar eclipses.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Describe how Erastothenes measured the circumference of our planet.

Accepted Answer

Using the fact that the noon solstice Su

Question 4

The place the Sun stops its northward motion along the ecliptic is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  equator. 
B)  prime meridian. 
C)  summer solstice. 
D)  vernal equinox. 
E)  node of the ecliptic. 
A)  equator. 
B)  prime meridian. 
C)  summer solstice. 
D)  vernal equinox. 
E)  node of the ecliptic.

Question 5

That Polaris will not always be the pole star is due to:

Accepted Answer

A)  the sidereal day being shorter than the solar day. 
B)  precession shifting the celestial pole. 
C)  the Moon following the ecliptic, instead of the equator. 
D)  the Earth's revolution being slightly less than exactly 365.25 days. 
E)  the Solar winds blowing the Earth farther away from the Sun. 
A)  the sidereal day being shorter than the solar day. 
B)  precession shifting the celestial pole. 
C)  the Moon following the ecliptic, instead of the equator. 
D)  the Earth's revolution being slightly less than exactly 365.25 days. 
E)  the Solar winds blowing the Earth farther away from the Sun.

Question 6

A star with a large parallax:

Accepted Answer

A)  is at a great distance from Earth. 
B)  is moving at a great speed with respect to Earth. 
C)  is at a short distance from Earth. 
D)  is moving at a slow speed with respect to Earth. 
E)  is not moving with respect to Earth. 
A)  is at a great distance from Earth. 
B)  is moving at a great speed with respect to Earth. 
C)  is at a short distance from Earth. 
D)  is moving at a slow speed with respect to Earth. 
E)  is not moving with respect to Earth.

Question 7

Why did early civilizations observe constellations?

Accepted Answer

A)  only for religious reasons 
B)  for practical reasons, such as navigation and helping to determine seasons 
C)  only for recreational reasons 
D)  only to predict a person's destiny 
A)  only for religious reasons 
B)  for practical reasons, such as navigation and helping to determine seasons 
C)  only for recreational reasons 
D)  only to predict a person's destiny

Question 8

Driving eastward just before sunrise,if you observe the Moon in the eastern sky,its phase must be:

Accepted Answer

A)  full moon. 
B)  first quarter. 
C)  waxing Gibbous. 
D)  waning Crescent. 
E)  new moon. 
A)  full moon. 
B)  first quarter. 
C)  waxing Gibbous. 
D)  waning Crescent. 
E)  new moon.

Question 9

The celestial sphere appears to move fastest above the ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The celestial sphere appears to move fastest...

Question 10

The parallax shift of a star would be greater if viewed from Mars than from Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

The distances to bodies in the solar system are a few light minutes to light hours.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Only at the equator are all the stars visible over the course of the year.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Why are some solar eclipses total,and others annular?

Accepted Answer

The Moon's orbit is not a perfect circle

Question 14

The distances to other stars is best measured in ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The distances to other stars is best...

Exam 1: Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

A solar eclipse can only happen during a:

At apogee,the Moon is at its farthest from Earth and thus appears smaller than normal.Because of this it can produce only annular solar eclipses,but not total solar eclipses.

Describe how Erastothenes measured the circumference of our planet.

The place the Sun stops its northward motion along the ecliptic is the:

That Polaris will not always be the pole star is due to:

A star with a large parallax:

Why did early civilizations observe constellations?

Driving eastward just before sunrise,if you observe the Moon in the eastern sky,its phase must be:

The celestial sphere appears to move fastest above the ________.

The parallax shift of a star would be greater if viewed from Mars than from Earth.

The distances to bodies in the solar system are a few light minutes to light hours.

Only at the equator are all the stars visible over the course of the year.

Why are some solar eclipses total,and others annular?

The distances to other stars is best measured in ________.

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information from the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: The Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earth's Sister Planet

Mars: A Near Miss for Life?

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants,Dwarfs,and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust among the Stars

Star Formation: A Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae,Supernovae,and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: A Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone?

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