Astronomy

The following figures show a top view of Earth, sunlight, and six different positions of the Moon as it orbits Earth. Note that the distances shown are not drawn to scale. Rank each of the six lunar positions from left to right based on the amount of the Moon’s illuminated surface that is visible from Earth, from greatest to least. (If two diagrams have an equal amount of illumination as seen from Earth, put one on top of the other.)

correct answer:

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Shown following are five different phases of the Moon as seen by an observer in the Northern Hemisphere. Imagine that tonight the Moon is in the waxing gibbous phase (as shown at the far left (labeled “first”) in the following ranking box). Rank the pictured phases from left to right based on the order in which you would see them over the next four weeks, from first seen to last.

Correct answer:

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Each item following represents an amount of time. Recall from your reading that “sidereal” refers to events that are timed with respect to the distant stars, and “synodic” refers to special alignments of astronomical bodies, such as the Earth, Moon, and Sun. Rank the items from left to right in order of the amount of time they represent, from shortest time to longest time. If two items represent equal amounts of time, show this equality by dragging one on top of the other.

Correct Answer:

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Listed following are a series of statements that each make a claim. Classify these as either testable by accepted methods of science or non-testable by accepted methods of science. Be sure to note that this question does not ask whether a statement would pass or fail a test; it only asks whether it is testable in principle.

Correct Answer:

 

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Which of the following is not a defining characteristic of scientific theories? 

1. They must be testable through experimental verification.  
2. They must be continually tested.  
3. They should be as simple as possible to explain the facts.  
4. They must be proven to the point that they will never be rejected or revised.  

Based on his observations of lunar eclipses, Aristotle hypothesized which of the following? 

1.   The Earth casts a shadow on the Moon during lunar eclipses. 
2.   The Moon casts a shadow on the Earth during lunar eclipses. 
3.   The Moon is round. 
4.   The Earth is round. 

Every 4 years our calendar includes a leap day because 

1.  A mean tropical year is not an integer number of days long.
2.   Julius Caesar wanted the month named after him to have the most days compared to other months.
3. A mean solar day is not an integer number of hours long.  
4.  A mean lunar month is not an integer number of days long. 

How does the parallax of a nearby object compare to that of an object farther away? 

1.   The nearby object exhibits a larger parallax than the farther object.                                                      
2. Both objects exhibit the same parallax.  
3. The nearby object exhibits a smaller parallax than the farther object.  
4. The parallax of objects depends on more than just their distance.  

 

What physical property of the Earth gives rise to the seasons? 

1. The precession of its axis 
2. Changes in the day-night cycle  
3. The variation in its distance from the Sun  
4. The tilt of its rotation axis to the plane of its orbit 

    

Why aren’t there lunar and solar eclipses every month? 

1. The Moon varies in its distance from the Earth so much that its shadow misses the Earth or it misses the Earth’s shadow.  
2. The Moon’s orbit is inclined 5 degrees to the ecliptic.  
3. These eclipses do occur each month but at different locations on Earth.  
4. Most occur during the daytime and cannot be seen.  

 

In 1 second, light leaving Los Angeles will reach approximately as far as 

1. San Francisco (about 500 km).  
2. London (roughly 10,000 km).  
3. The Moon (400,000 km).  
4. The nearest star (about 1 pc from Earth).  

 

 Write this number in scientific notation: 123,000. 

1. 1.23 x 10³  
2. 1.23 x 10⁵  
3. 1.23 x 10⁶  
4. 123 x 10⁵  

 

A star overhead will move through what angle in the course of 1 hour? 

1. 1.0 degree  
2. 30 degrees  
3. 7.2 degrees  
4. 0.5 degrees  
5. 15 degrees  

 

Why are the stars Betelgeuse and Rigel also known as alpha and beta Orionis? 

1. They are very young stars in the constellation Orion that are not quite fully developed.  
2. They are two stars that are close to, but not quite within, the constellation Orion.  
3. They are the two stars in the constellation Orion that are closest to Earth.  
4. They are two stars in Orion that are very close together and so need to be distinguished by letter designations.  
5. They are the two brightest stars in the constellation Orion.  

Night and day have approximately equal length at what time or times of the year? 

1. Vernal and autumnal equinoxes  
2. Summer equinox  
3. Winter equinox  
4. Summer solstice  
5. Winter solstice   

 

When a total lunar eclipse occurs, where is the Moon in its orbit around Earth when it enters Earth's umbra? 

1. The point closest to Earth's rotational axis  
2. The point at 90 degrees to the Sun  
3. On the same side of Earth as the Sun  
4. The point where the major and minor axes intersect  
5. At the opposite side of Earth from the Sun  

 

A "light-year" is a unit used for what kind of measurement? 

1.  Distance
2. Mass
3. Energy
4. Time
5. Speed

 

The Sun is about how many times bigger than Earth? 

1. 10
2. 5
3. 2
4. 450
5. 100

 

The phenomenon known as precession is due to a regular, periodic variation in what property of Earth's motion? 

1. The angular amount of the tilt of its rotational axis from the ecliptic  
2. The orientation of the plane of its orbit around the Sun  
3. The rate of its rotation about its axis  
4. Its distance from the Sun  
5. The direction in which its rotational axis points