Exam 2: Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

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 rising at 10 P.M.in May.

The meridian is half of a great circle in the sky that passes through an observer's zenith and the Earth's poles.

At what time does the waxing gibbous phase rise?

Explain why the eclipse seasons occur roughly twice every 11 months,rather than twice per year.

Explain why the Moon appears to rise later and later from one day to the next.

Constellations are arbitrary groupings of stars in the sky.

When the Northern Hemisphere experiences summer,the Southern Hemisphere experiences

If you go out at exactly 9 P.M.each evening over the course of one month,the position of a given star will move westward by tens of degrees.What causes this motion?

Earth is closest to the Sun when the Northern Hemisphere experiences

Leap years occur because

On what place(s)on Earth can you stand and have the great circle of the celestial equator be at the same height relative to your horizon for all 360° of its circumference?

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?

If a star rises on the eastern horizon,it will set on the Western horizon 6 hours later.

What would be the effect on the seasons if the tilt of the Earth's axis were 10° rather than 23.5°?

Solar and lunar eclipses are rare because

What time does a third quarter moon rise?

Early astronomers were able to detect shifts in the apparent positions of stars even before the invention of the telescope,leading them to conclude that Earth revolves around the Sun.

How is the observed height of Polaris above the horizon related to an observer's latitude? (Hint: Consider three cases of observers located at the equator,the North Pole,and . )

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