Which of the following definitions best describes a constellation?
a region of the sky containing a certain star pattern
a group of very bright stars
a group of very faint stars
the dividing line between the north and south celestial hemispheres
Which of the following best describes the Big Dipper?
an asterism
a faint star near Polaris
the North Star
a constellation
What do stars in the same constellation have in common?
They probably formed at the same time
They must be part of the same cluster of stars in space
They must have been discovered at about the same time
They are in the same part of the sky as seen from the Earth
What languages do the standard constellation names come from?
Greek and Latin
Latin and Arabic
Greek and Arabic
Arabic and Sanskrit
Refer to Table 2-1. Which star in the table would appear brightest to an observer on Earth?
δ Dra
α Cet
Nim
α CMa
What causes the precession of the Earth’s rotation axis?
the force of gravity from the Sun and Moon on the Earth's equatorial bulge
the force of gravity from the Sun and Jupiter on the Earth–Moon system
the magnetic field of the Earth
the impacts of asteroids
A star is on the north point of the horizon. Where will the star be in 6 and 12 hours later
D
C
A
B
The Earth revolves in a counter clockwise direction around the sun at about 1 deg/day (360 deg and 365 days). Then this motion makes the sun to appear moving
1 deg per day eastward
1 deg per day westward
15 deg per day eastward
15 deg per day westward
not at all-the sun does not appear to move
Which of the following diagrams represent the area of the sky where an ancient Greek astronomer could observe the planets? (Ancient Greeks knew the 5 planets, in fact the word planet comes from the Greek word “planetes” = wanderer.)
A person in Nashville , TN observes Venus in the western part of the horizon. Six hours later Venus will be
low in the south
high in the south
not visible
nearly overhead
A person in Denver Colorado observes Jupiter in the eastern horizon right after the sunset. Where would the planet be after six hours?
low in the west
An observer in Lincoln Nebraska (latitude= 41 deg N) sees three stars rising in the eastern horizon. Which of these stars might later on pass through zenith point?
How many moons can be stacked from the horizon to the zenith?
90
360
180
40
Where is an observer's nadir?
the east point on the observer's horizon
the north point on the observer's horizon
the point directly opposite the observer's zenith
the point directly opposite the north celestial pole
If the apparent visual magnitude of a star is 7.3, what does this tell us about the brightness of the star?
It is one of the brighter stars in the sky
It is bright enough that it would be visible even during the day
It is not visible with the unaided eye
It appears faint because of its great distance from the Earth
The star Vega has an apparent visual magnitude of 0.03 and the star HR 4374 has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.87. It has been determined that both stars are at the same distance from the Earth. What does this information tell us about the two stars?
Together the two stars would have a magnitude of 4.9
Vega must produce less energy per second than HR 4374
Vega must produce more energy per second than HR 4374
Vega will appear fainter to us than HR 4374
What is the apparent visual magnitude of a star a measure of?
the star’s size as perceived by human eyes on Earth
the star’s temperature as perceived by human eyes on Earth
the star’s colour as seen by human eyes on Earth
the star’s brightness as seen by human eyes on Earth
Which of the following is equivalent to one-3,600th of a degree?
precession
second of arc
minute of arc
angular diameter
What is the term for the point on the celestial sphere directly above an observer, no matter where on the Earth the observer is located?
north celestial pole
south celestial pole
zenith
nadir
Where is the zenith for an observer standing at a point on the Earth’s equator?
directly overhead
near the horizon and towards the south
near the horizon and towards the west
the position depends on the time of day
If the Earth had an orbital tilt of 0 degrees (obliquity) then
The direct rays of the sun would shine on the equator
Day and night would be 12 long every day everywhere on the Earth
An observer at the equator would see the sun pass at zenith every day
There would not be no seasons
All of the above
The orbit of the Earth had an eccentricity 0.017. If the eccentricity increased to 0.65 what would happened to the Earth’s seasons?
More intense seasons
Less intense seasons
No appreciable change
On an imaginary planet that has an orbital tilt of 32 degrees, its corresponding Tropic of Cancer can be found at the latitude of
23.5° N
32° N
58° N
66.5° N
Which of the following locations are closer to the South Celestial Pole?
(RA= 14h Declination=+88°)
(RA= 14h Declination=-88°)
(RA= 23h Declination=2°)
(RA= 18h Declination=-66°)
Based on your computer clock lets say that today is August 31, 2015 the sun is
North on the Celestial equator moving North
South on the Celestial equator moving South
North on the Celestial Equator moving South
South on the Celestial equator moving North
How often is the sun at zenith for an observer at the equator?
Never
Twice per year
12 times per year
Every day
An observer in the northern hemisphere watches the sky for several hours. Due to the motion of the Earth, this observer notices that the stars near the north celestial pole appear to move. What pattern does this apparent movement follow?
clockwise around the celestial pole
counter-clockwise around the celestial pole
from left to right
from right to left
If an observer travels north, toward higher latitudes, how does the number of circumpolar stars that he or she sees in the sky change?
remains constant
decreases
increases
also depends on the longitude of the observer
If you were standing at the Earth's North Pole, which of the following would be located at the zenith?
the nadir
the star Vega
the celestial equator
the north celestial pole
How much of the night sky lies north of the celestial equator?
Less than half, because of the tilt of the equator to the ecliptic plane.
More than half, because of the precession of the poles
Exactly half
All of the night sky
Seen from Winnipeg (latitude 50 degrees North), where is the star Polaris in the sky?
40 degrees above the horizon
50 degrees above the horizon
For an observer in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, at a latitude of 73° North, what is the angle between the northern horizon and the north celestial pole?
17°
23.5°
27°
73°
For an observer in Oberon Bay, Australia, at a latitude of 39° South, what is the angle between the southern horizon and the south celestial pole?
39°
45°
51°
If the north celestial pole appears on your horizon, what is your latitude?
0°
45° N
90° N
90° S
50° N
50° S
An observer in the northern hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the illustration depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing?
due north
due south
due west
straight up, directly overhead
due east
An observer in the southern hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the illustration depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing?
Where in the sky would an observer at the Earth's equator see the celestial equator?
The celestial equator would be at 45 degrees above the northern horizon
The celestial equator would be at 45 degrees above the southern horizon
The celestial equator would coincide with the horizon
The celestial equator would be directly overhead
Which of the following best defines the ecliptic?
the plane that is perpendicular to the Earth's axis of rotation
the projection of the Earth's equator onto the sky
the path traced out by the Moon in our sky in one month against the background stars
the path traced out by the Sun in our sky over one year against the background stars
Which of the following describes a concept very similar to latitude?
right ascension
declination
magnitude
meridian
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