Exam 1: Discovering the Night Sky

An observer faces the Moon from a position in the northern hemisphere and observes that the right half is illuminated and the left half is dark. What phase does the observer see?

The number of arcseconds in 1° is

The elevation angle between the northern horizon of a fixed observer and the north celestial pole is

Where on Earth would an observer have to be to observe a particular total solar eclipse?

10² × 10⁵ =

For an observer standing at latitude 10° N, how many times during the year will the Sun pass precisely through a point directly overhead, the zenith?

A given star will reach its highest point in the sky for a particular observer in the southern hemisphere when it passes through the

If a person faces Polaris, the North Star, that person is facing north;

The change in the right ascension of the Sun between June 21 and September 22 is approximately

Which of these parameters is the major factor in determining whether a particular solar eclipse appears as a total or as an annular eclipse to an observer on the center line of the Moon's shadow?

(1.5 × 10⁴) × (1.5 × 10^-4) =

How many constellations does the zodiac pass through?

The MOST readily observed east-to-west motion of objects in the night sky is caused by the

If Earth's spin axis were perpendicular to the plane of its orbit (the ecliptic), seasonal variations on Earth would

The difference in declination angles between the north and south celestial poles is

The phrase "diurnal motion" refers to the

The system of declination and right ascension is similar to the system of latitude and longitude used on the surface of Earth. In the Earth system, the zero of longitude is called the

A lunar eclipse can occur ONLY when the

If the Moon in its orbit around Earth moves alternately between Earth and the Sun and behind Earth from the Sun, why do observers not see solar and lunar eclipses every month?

An observer in the southern hemisphere will see increasing numbers of circumpolar stars as the observer's