Question 1

Which of the following statements about stellar parallax is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  We observe all stars to exhibit at least a slight amount of parallax. 
B)  Stellar parallax was first observed by ancient Greek astronomers. 
C)  The amount of parallax we see depends on how fast a star is moving relative to us. 
D)  It takes at least 10 years of observation to measure a star's parallax. 
E)  The closer a star is to us, the more parallax it exhibits. 
A)  We observe all stars to exhibit at least a slight amount of parallax. 
B)  Stellar parallax was first observed by ancient Greek astronomers. 
C)  The amount of parallax we see depends on how fast a star is moving relative to us. 
D)  It takes at least 10 years of observation to measure a star's parallax. 
E)  The closer a star is to us, the more parallax it exhibits.

Question 2

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 3

Consider the following statement, and explain whether or not it is sensible: Last night I saw Mars move westward through the sky in its apparent retrograde motion.

Accepted Answer

This statement does not make sense becau

Question 4

Which of the following statements about constellations is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  There are only 88 official constellations. 
B)  Some constellations can be seen from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. 
C)  Some constellations can be seen in both the winter and summer. 
D)  It is possible to see all the constellations from Earth's equator. 
E)  Most constellations will be unrecognizable hundreds of years from now. 
A)  There are only 88 official constellations. 
B)  Some constellations can be seen from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. 
C)  Some constellations can be seen in both the winter and summer. 
D)  It is possible to see all the constellations from Earth's equator. 
E)  Most constellations will be unrecognizable hundreds of years from now.

Question 5

If you are located in the Northern Hemisphere, which of the following correctly describes a relationship between the sky and your location?

Accepted Answer

A)  The altitude of the north celestial pole equals your latitude. 
B)  The altitude of the celestial equator equals your latitude. 
C)  The altitude of the north celestial pole equals your longitude. 
D)  The longitude of the north celestial pole is circumpolar, and therefore crosses your zenith at the meridian. 
A)  The altitude of the north celestial pole equals your latitude. 
B)  The altitude of the celestial equator equals your latitude. 
C)  The altitude of the north celestial pole equals your longitude. 
D)  The longitude of the north celestial pole is circumpolar, and therefore crosses your zenith at the meridian.

Question 6

During the period each year when we see Mars undergoing apparent retrograde motion in our sky, what is really going on in space?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars is moving around the Sun in the opposite direction from which Earth is moving around the Sun. 
B)  Earth and Mars are getting closer together. 
C)  Earth is catching up with and passing by Mars in their respective orbits. 
D)  Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the Sun. 
A)  Mars is moving around the Sun in the opposite direction from which Earth is moving around the Sun. 
B)  Earth and Mars are getting closer together. 
C)  Earth is catching up with and passing by Mars in their respective orbits. 
D)  Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the Sun.

Question 7

Which of the following conditions must exist for a solar eclipse to occur?

Accepted Answer

A)  The only condition is that the phase of the Moon must be new. 
B)  The only condition is that the phase of the Moon must be full. 
C)  Moon phase is new, and the Moon is passing through the Earth's orbital plane. 
D)  Moon phase is full, and the Moon is passing through the Earth's orbital plane. 
A)  The only condition is that the phase of the Moon must be new. 
B)  The only condition is that the phase of the Moon must be full. 
C)  Moon phase is new, and the Moon is passing through the Earth's orbital plane. 
D)  Moon phase is full, and the Moon is passing through the Earth's orbital plane.

Question 8

Stars that are visible in the local sky on any clear night of the year, at any time of the night, are called ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  bright 
B)  seasonal 
C)  circumpolar 
D)  celestial 
A)  bright 
B)  seasonal 
C)  circumpolar 
D)  celestial

Question 9

Which of the following statements about lunar phases is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  The time between new moons is two weeks. 
B)  The time from one new moon to the next new moon is the same as the time from first-quarter moon to third-quarter moon. 
C)  The full moon sometimes rises around midnight. 
D)  It is possible to have two full moons during January, but not during February. 
E)  It is possible to have two full moons during November, but not during December. 
A)  The time between new moons is two weeks. 
B)  The time from one new moon to the next new moon is the same as the time from first-quarter moon to third-quarter moon. 
C)  The full moon sometimes rises around midnight. 
D)  It is possible to have two full moons during January, but not during February. 
E)  It is possible to have two full moons during November, but not during December.

Question 10

If the Moon is setting at noon, the phase of the Moon must be

Accepted Answer

A)  full. 
B)  first quarter. 
C)  third quarter. 
D)  waning crescent. 
E)  waxing crescent. 
A)  full. 
B)  first quarter. 
C)  third quarter. 
D)  waning crescent. 
E)  waxing crescent.

Question 11

Which of the following statements about the celestial equator is true at all latitudes?

Accepted Answer

A)  It lies along the band of light we call the Milky Way. 
B)  It represents an extension of Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere. 
C)  It cuts the dome of your local sky exactly in half. 
D)  It extends from your horizon due east, through your zenith, to your horizon due west. 
E)  It extends from your horizon due north, through your zenith, to your horizon due south. 
A)  It lies along the band of light we call the Milky Way. 
B)  It represents an extension of Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere. 
C)  It cuts the dome of your local sky exactly in half. 
D)  It extends from your horizon due east, through your zenith, to your horizon due west. 
E)  It extends from your horizon due north, through your zenith, to your horizon due south.

Question 12

What is the ecliptic?

Accepted Answer

A)  The path the Sun appears to trace around the celestial sphere each year 
B)  The Sun's daily path from east to west in our sky 
C)  The path traced by the Moon's shadow on Earth during a solar eclipse 
D)  A half-circle extending from your horizon due north, through your zenith, to your horizon due south 
A)  The path the Sun appears to trace around the celestial sphere each year 
B)  The Sun's daily path from east to west in our sky 
C)  The path traced by the Moon's shadow on Earth during a solar eclipse 
D)  A half-circle extending from your horizon due north, through your zenith, to your horizon due south

Question 13

Models in Science: Models play a central role in astronomy and science in general. Two models used extensively in this chapter are the celestial sphere and the heliocentric (Sun-centered) model for the solar system. Astronomers clearly believe that the celestial sphere model is false and the heliocentric model is true. Given this, why do you think astronomers persist in using the celestial sphere model to describe the night sky?

Accepted Answer

Astronomers persist in using the celesti

Question 14

When someone on Earth observes the Moon in the first-quarter phase, someone on the Moon facing Earth observes Earth in the

Accepted Answer

A)  new Earth phase. 
B)  first-quarter Earth phase. 
C)  crescent Earth phase. 
D)  third-quarter Earth phase. 
E)  full Earth phase. 
A)  new Earth phase. 
B)  first-quarter Earth phase. 
C)  crescent Earth phase. 
D)  third-quarter Earth phase. 
E)  full Earth phase.

Question 15

When are eclipse seasons?

Accepted Answer

A)  in the spring and fall 
B)  in the summer and winter 
C)  when the nodes of the Moon's orbit are nearly aligned with the Sun 
D)  when Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are exactly aligned for an eclipse 
E)  during an eclipse 
A)  in the spring and fall 
B)  in the summer and winter 
C)  when the nodes of the Moon's orbit are nearly aligned with the Sun 
D)  when Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are exactly aligned for an eclipse 
E)  during an eclipse

Question 16

Suppose the distance to the Moon were twice its actual value. Could we still have solar eclipses? If so, what type(s)?

Accepted Answer

If the Moon were twice its actual distan

Question 17

If the Moon is setting at 6 A.M., the phase of the Moon must be

Accepted Answer

A)  first quarter. 
B)  third quarter. 
C)  full. 
D)  new. 
E)  waning crescent. 
A)  first quarter. 
B)  third quarter. 
C)  full. 
D)  new. 
E)  waning crescent.

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

If the Moon is 3rd quarter phase, when does it rise?

Accepted Answer

A)  Sunrise 
B)  Noon 
C)  Never 
D)  Sunset 
E)  Midnight 
A)  Sunrise 
B)  Noon 
C)  Never 
D)  Sunset 
E)  Midnight

Question 20

What is the celestial sphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  The celestial sphere is a representation of how the entire sky looks as seen from Earth. 
B)  The celestial sphere is a model that shows the true locations in space of the Sun and a few thousand of the nearest stars. 
C)  The celestial sphere is a model of how the stars are arranged in the sky relative to our Sun, which is in the middle of the sphere. 
D)  It represents a belief in an Earth-centered universe, and hence is no longer considered to have any use. 
A)  The celestial sphere is a representation of how the entire sky looks as seen from Earth. 
B)  The celestial sphere is a model that shows the true locations in space of the Sun and a few thousand of the nearest stars. 
C)  The celestial sphere is a model of how the stars are arranged in the sky relative to our Sun, which is in the middle of the sphere. 
D)  It represents a belief in an Earth-centered universe, and hence is no longer considered to have any use.

Which of the following statements about stellar parallax is true?

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

Consider the following statement, and explain whether or not it is sensible: Last night I saw Mars move westward through the sky in its apparent retrograde motion.

Which of the following statements about constellations is false?

If you are located in the Northern Hemisphere, which of the following correctly describes a relationship between the sky and your location?

During the period each year when we see Mars undergoing apparent retrograde motion in our sky, what is really going on in space?

Which of the following conditions must exist for a solar eclipse to occur?

Stars that are visible in the local sky on any clear night of the year, at any time of the night, are called ________.

Which of the following statements about lunar phases is true?

If the Moon is setting at noon, the phase of the Moon must be

Which of the following statements about the celestial equator is true at all latitudes?

What is the ecliptic?

When someone on Earth observes the Moon in the first-quarter phase, someone on the Moon facing Earth observes Earth in the

When are eclipse seasons?

Suppose the distance to the Moon were twice its actual value. Could we still have solar eclipses? If so, what type(s)?

If the Moon is setting at 6 A.M., the phase of the Moon must be

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

If the Moon is 3rd quarter phase, when does it rise?

What is the celestial sphere?

Our Place in the Universe

The Science of Astronomy

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

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

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

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

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

The Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe

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Exam 2: Discovering the Universe for Yourself

Which of the following statements about stellar parallax is true?

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

Consider the following statement, and explain whether or not it is sensible: Last night I saw Mars move westward through the sky in its apparent retrograde motion.

Which of the following statements about constellations is false?

If you are located in the Northern Hemisphere, which of the following correctly describes a relationship between the sky and your location?

During the period each year when we see Mars undergoing apparent retrograde motion in our sky, what is really going on in space?

Which of the following conditions must exist for a solar eclipse to occur?

Stars that are visible in the local sky on any clear night of the year, at any time of the night, are called ________.

Which of the following statements about lunar phases is true?

If the Moon is setting at noon, the phase of the Moon must be

Which of the following statements about the celestial equator is true at all latitudes?

What is the ecliptic?

When someone on Earth observes the Moon in the first-quarter phase, someone on the Moon facing Earth observes Earth in the

When are eclipse seasons?

Suppose the distance to the Moon were twice its actual value. Could we still have solar eclipses? If so, what type(s)?

If the Moon is setting at 6 A.M., the phase of the Moon must be

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

If the Moon is 3rd quarter phase, when does it rise?

What is the celestial sphere?

Our Place in the Universe

The Science of Astronomy

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

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

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

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

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

The Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe

Filters