Exam 2: Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

What do we customarily call the semimajor axis of a circle? What is the value of the eccentricity of a circle? What would the value of the eccentricity be for a comet on a very elliptical orbit around the Sun?

If you went out tonight and looked at the sky at midnight,at what time would you have to observe 6 months from now in order to find the stars in exactly the same position in the sky? Assume that you could see the stars at any time,day or night.

Explain why we always see the same side of the Moon from Earth.

No matter where you are on Earth,stars appear to rotate about a point called the:

The altitude of the Sun as it crosses the meridian changes during the year.

At what latitude is the north celestial pole located at your zenith?

Approximately how often do lunar eclipses occur?

A circle has an eccentricity of __________ and a line has an eccentricity of __________.

The Earth's rotational axis precesses in space and completes one revolution every:

Assume you are observing the night sky from a typical city in the United States at a latitude of +40°.Use the figure below to determine which constellation of the zodiac would be nearest the meridian at 6 P.M.in September.

A person who lives at the equator will see the Sun directly overhead at noon every day of the year.

On which day of the year does the Sun reach its northernmost point in the sky?

The center of the Milky Way lies approximately 30° south of the celestial equator.From what latitudes on the Earth is it impossible to view the center of our galaxy?

The average distance between a planet and the Sun is given by the __________ of its elliptical orbit.

If a person on Earth currently views the Moon in a waxing crescent phase,in what phase would the Earth appear to a person on the Moon?

The figure below shows the different phases of the Moon.Label each phase of the Moon.What time would the full Moon be on your meridian? The new Moon?

On the autumnal equinox,the lengths of both day and night are 12 hours.

Earth experiences seasons due to the tilt of its axis.What are the two consequences of this tilt that contribute to the seasons?

On which great celestial circle(s)on the celestial sphere would you find the position of the autumnal equinox?

The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on the summer solstice.