Question 1

The point directly over your head is called

Accepted Answer

A) the meridian. 
B) the zenith. 
C) the north celestial pole. 
D) the North Star. 
A) the meridian. 
B) the zenith. 
C) the north celestial pole. 
D) the North Star.

Question 2

Which of the following statements does not use the term angular size or angular distance correctly?

Accepted Answer

A) The angular size of the Moon is about 1/2 degree. 
B) The angular distance between those two houses in the distance is 30°. 
C) The angular distance between those two bright stars in the sky is about 2 meters. 
D) The angular size of the Sun is about the same as that of the Moon. 
E) You can use your outstretched hand to estimate angular sizes and angular distances. 
A) The angular size of the Moon is about 1/2 degree. 
B) The angular distance between those two houses in the distance is 30°. 
C) The angular distance between those two bright stars in the sky is about 2 meters. 
D) The angular size of the Sun is about the same as that of the Moon. 
E) You can use your outstretched hand to estimate angular sizes and angular distances.

Question 3

Consider the following statement,and explain whether or not it is sensible: If you lived on the Moon,you'd see full Earth when we see new Moon.

Accepted Answer

This is true,because at full M

Question 4

Which of the following is not a phase of the Moon?

Accepted Answer

A) first-quarter Moon 
B) third-quarter Moon 
C) half Moon 
D) new Moon 
E) full Moon 
A) first-quarter Moon 
B) third-quarter Moon 
C) half Moon 
D) new Moon 
E) full Moon

Question 5

Lunar eclipses are more commonly seen than solar eclipses.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Lunar eclipses can occur only during a

Accepted Answer

A) new Moon. 
B) first quarter Moon. 
C) full Moon. 
D) third quarter Moon. 
A) new Moon. 
B) first quarter Moon. 
C) full Moon. 
D) third quarter Moon.

Question 7

At what altitude and in what direction in your sky does the north or south celestial pole appear?

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary wi

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Both the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight on the equinoxes. 
B) Both the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight on the solstices. 
C) The Northern Hemisphere receives the most direct sunlight on the summer solstice. 
D) The Southern Hemisphere receives the most direct sunlight on the summer solstice. 
E) Both A and C are true. 
A) Both the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight on the equinoxes. 
B) Both the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight on the solstices. 
C) The Northern Hemisphere receives the most direct sunlight on the summer solstice. 
D) The Southern Hemisphere receives the most direct sunlight on the summer solstice. 
E) Both A and C are true.

Question 9

Why are lunar eclipses more commonly seen than solar eclipses?

Accepted Answer

A) Lunar eclipses occur at night and are easier to see. 
B) The Moon goes around the Earth faster than the Earth goes around the Sun. 
C) The Earth casts a bigger shadow than the Moon. 
D) The tilt of the Moon's axis is smaller than the Earth's. 
E) The Moon is much closer to the Earth than the Sun. 
A) Lunar eclipses occur at night and are easier to see. 
B) The Moon goes around the Earth faster than the Earth goes around the Sun. 
C) The Earth casts a bigger shadow than the Moon. 
D) The tilt of the Moon's axis is smaller than the Earth's. 
E) The Moon is much closer to the Earth than the Sun.

Question 10

Which of the following best describes the modern definition of a constellation?

Accepted Answer

A) a region of the celestial sphere 
B) a pattern of bright stars in the sky 
C) a Greek mythological figure 
D) a collection of stars that are near one another in space 
E) a group of stars that all lie at about the same distance from Earth 
A) a region of the celestial sphere 
B) a pattern of bright stars in the sky 
C) a Greek mythological figure 
D) a collection of stars that are near one another in space 
E) a group of stars that all lie at about the same distance from Earth

Question 11

Consider the following statement,and explain whether or not it is sensible: If you had a very fast spaceship,you could travel to the celestial sphere in about 100 years.

Accepted Answer

This statement does not make s

Question 12

It is possible to see the full Moon rising just before sunrise.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Orion is visible on winter evenings in the northern hemisphere but not summer evenings because of

Accepted Answer

A) interference from the full Moon. 
B) the tilt of Earth's axis. 
C) the location of Earth in its orbit. 
D) the precession of Earth's axis. 
E) baseball on television. 
A) interference from the full Moon. 
B) the tilt of Earth's axis. 
C) the location of Earth in its orbit. 
D) the precession of Earth's axis. 
E) baseball on television.

Question 14

Why were ancient peoples unable to detect stellar parallax?

Accepted Answer

A) They did not look for it. 
B) They could not see distant stars. 
C) They did not have the ability to measure very small angles. 
D) They did not observe for long enough periods of time. 
E) They did detect it,but they rejected the observations. 
A) They did not look for it. 
B) They could not see distant stars. 
C) They did not have the ability to measure very small angles. 
D) They did not observe for long enough periods of time. 
E) They did detect it,but they rejected the observations.

Question 15

A lunar eclipse occurs only when the Moon is new.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Polaris will no longer be the North Star 1,000 years from now.

Accepted Answer

A) Earth rotates once each day. 
B) Earth revolves around the Sun once each year. 
C) The direction of Earth's axis in space precesses with a period of 26,000 years. 
D) Stars appear to move randomly in the local solar neighborhood 
E) The universe is expanding. 
A) Earth rotates once each day. 
B) Earth revolves around the Sun once each year. 
C) The direction of Earth's axis in space precesses with a period of 26,000 years. 
D) Stars appear to move randomly in the local solar neighborhood 
E) The universe is expanding.

Question 17

Why is it summer in the Northern Hemisphere when it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere?

Accepted Answer

A) The Northern Hemisphere is closer to the Sun than the Southern Hemisphere. 
B) The Northern Hemisphere is "on top" of Earth and therefore receives more sunlight. 
C) The Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and receives more direct sunlight. 
D) The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun and receives more indirect sunlight. 
E) It isn't: both hemispheres have the same seasons at the same time. 
A) The Northern Hemisphere is closer to the Sun than the Southern Hemisphere. 
B) The Northern Hemisphere is "on top" of Earth and therefore receives more sunlight. 
C) The Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and receives more direct sunlight. 
D) The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun and receives more indirect sunlight. 
E) It isn't: both hemispheres have the same seasons at the same time.

Question 18

What effect or effects would be most significant if the Moon's orbital plane were exactly the same as the ecliptic plane?

Accepted Answer

A) Solar eclipses would be much rarer. 
B) Solar eclipses would be much more frequent. 
C) Solar eclipses would last much longer. 
D) both A and C 
E) both B and C 
A) Solar eclipses would be much rarer. 
B) Solar eclipses would be much more frequent. 
C) Solar eclipses would last much longer. 
D) both A and C 
E) both B and C

Question 19

The Moon and the Sun are approximately the same angular size.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

In the year A.D.15,000,Vega will be a better north star than Polaris.

Accepted Answer

A) Earth rotates once each day. 
B) Earth revolves around the Sun once each year. 
C) The direction of Earth's axis in space precesses with a period of 26,000 years. 
D) Stars appear to move randomly in the local solar neighborhood 
E) The universe is expanding. 
A) Earth rotates once each day. 
B) Earth revolves around the Sun once each year. 
C) The direction of Earth's axis in space precesses with a period of 26,000 years. 
D) Stars appear to move randomly in the local solar neighborhood 
E) The universe is expanding.

Exam 2: Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The point directly over your head is called

Which of the following statements does not use the term angular size or angular distance correctly?

Consider the following statement,and explain whether or not it is sensible: If you lived on the Moon,you'd see full Earth when we see new Moon.

Which of the following is not a phase of the Moon?

Lunar eclipses are more commonly seen than solar eclipses.

Lunar eclipses can occur only during a

At what altitude and in what direction in your sky does the north or south celestial pole appear?

Which of the following statements is true?

Why are lunar eclipses more commonly seen than solar eclipses?

Which of the following best describes the modern definition of a constellation?

Consider the following statement,and explain whether or not it is sensible: If you had a very fast spaceship,you could travel to the celestial sphere in about 100 years.

It is possible to see the full Moon rising just before sunrise.

Orion is visible on winter evenings in the northern hemisphere but not summer evenings because of

Why were ancient peoples unable to detect stellar parallax?

A lunar eclipse occurs only when the Moon is new.

Polaris will no longer be the North Star 1,000 years from now.

Why is it summer in the Northern Hemisphere when it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere?

What effect or effects would be most significant if the Moon's orbital plane were exactly the same as the ecliptic plane?

The Moon and the Sun are approximately the same angular size.

In the year A.D.15,000,Vega will be a better north star than Polaris.

A Modern View of the Universe

The Science of Astronomy

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

Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Our Planetary System

Formation of the Solar System

Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

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

Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Birth

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

Galaxy Evolution

The Birth of the Universe

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

Life in the Universe

Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation

Space and Time

Spacetime and Gravity

Building Blocks of the Universe

Filters