Exam 1: The Night Sky

What is the name of the point on the celestial sphere that all stars seem to circle around, when viewing the sky from North America?

The first quarter Moon rises about noon today; what will its phase be, and when will it rise tomorrow?

At apogee, the Moon is at its farthest from Earth and thus appears smaller than normal. Because of this it can produce only annular solar eclipses, but not total solar eclipses.

The Full Moon rises around sunrise, and sets around sunset.

No one knew that the Earth was round (spherical) until the 1500s, when explorers such as Magellan sailed around the world.

A year is defined as

Into how many constellations is the celestial sphere divided?

If a theory is testable, its underlying ________ and its ________ can be exposed to experimental verification.

The Sun's lowest position in the sky occurs at the ________.

At apogee, the Moon is at its farthest from the Earth and thus appears larger than normal. Because of this, it can produce total solar eclipses, but not annular solar eclipses.

Of all visible objects in the celestial sphere, which appears to move the least? Why?

About how many stars are visible on a clear, dark night with the unaided eye alone?

The Milky Way galaxy contains about ________ stars.

If intending to teach his students the constellations by season, why would an astronomy instructor be advised to always assign the stars in the current western sky at the beginning of each term?

The celestial sphere appears to move fastest above the ________.

Why is there a two-day difference in the sidereal and synodic months?

The two days when the Sun rises due east and sets due west are the ________.

The angular size of an object depends on which two quantities?

The Last Quarter phase of the Moon

When the Sun rises it is located in the constellation Gemini. When the Sun sets later that same day it will be