Question 1
Question
Roughly how many Earths would fit inside the Sun?
Question 2
Question
In 1 second, light leaving Los Angeles reaches approximately as far as
Answer
-
San Francisco, about 500 km
-
London, roughly 10,000 km
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the Moon, 384,000 km
-
Venus, 45,000,000 km from Earth at closest approach
Question 3
Question
If Earth rotated twice as fast as it currently does, but its motion around the Sun stayed the same, then
Answer
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the night would be twice as long;
-
the night would be half as long
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the year would be half as long
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the length of the day would be unchanged
Question 4
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When a thin crescent of the Moon is visible just before sunrise, the Moon is in its
Answer
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waxing phase
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new phase
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waning phase
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quarter phase
Question 5
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If the Moon's orbit were a little longer, solar eclipses would be
Question 6
Question
Relative to the stars, as seen from Earth, through roughly how many degrees, arc minutes, or arc seconds does the Moon move in 1 hour of time?
Answer
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10 degrees
-
30 arc minutes
-
1 arc minute
Question 7
Question
The Moon lies roughly 384,000 km from Earth, and the Sun lies 150,000,000 km away. If both have the same angular size as seen from Earth, roughly how many times larger than the Moon is the Sun?
Question 8
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The stars in a constellation are physically close to one another.
Question 9
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The seasons are caused by the precession of Earth's axis.
Question 10
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If the direction of Earth's rotation were reversed, the solar day would be shorter than it is now.
Question 11
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The Moon does not rotate.
Question 12
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A lunar eclipse can occur only during a full Moon.
Question 13
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The angular diameter of an object is inversely proportional to its distance from the observer.
Question 14
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Once proved, a theory can never be changed.
Question 15
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The [blank_start]universe[blank_end] is the totality of all space, time, matter, and energy.
Question 16
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[blank_start]Astronomy[blank_end] is the study of the universe.
Question 17
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Planet [blank_start]Earth[blank_end] orbits a star called the [blank_start]Sun[blank_end], near the edge of the [blank_start]Milky[blank_end] [blank_start]Way[blank_end] Galaxy, which is just one among billions of galaxies in the [blank_start]universe[blank_end].
Answer
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Earth
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Sun
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Milky
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Way
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universe
Question 18
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Early observers grouped the thousands of stars visible to the naked eye into patterns called [blank_start]constellations[blank_end], which they imagined where attached to a vast celestial sphere centered on Earth.
Question 19
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A [blank_start]celestial[blank_end] [blank_start]sphere[blank_end] is an imaginary sphere surrounding Earth to which all objects in the sky were once considered to be attached.
Question 20
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[blank_start]Constellations[blank_end] have no physical significance, but are still used to label regions of the sky.
Question 21
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The points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects the celestial sphere are called the north and south [blank_start]celestial[blank_end] [blank_start]poles[blank_end].
Question 22
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The line where Earth's equatorial plane cuts the celestial sphere is the [blank_start]celestial[blank_end] [blank_start]equator[blank_end].
Question 23
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The nightly motion of the stars across the sky is the result of Earth's [blank_start]rotation[blank_end] on it axis.
Question 24
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A [blank_start]rotation[blank_end] is the spinning motion of a body about on its axis.
Question 25
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The time from one noon to the next is called a [blank_start]solar[blank_end] day.
Question 26
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The time between successive risings of any given star is one [blank_start]sidereal[blank_end] day.
Question 27
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Because of Earth's [blank_start]revolution[blank_end] around the Sun, we see different stars at night at different times of the year, and the Sun appears to move relative to the stars.
Question 28
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The Sun's apparent yearly path around the celestial sphere (or the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun) is called the [blank_start]ecliptic[blank_end].
Question 29
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We experience [blank_start]seasons[blank_end] because Earth's rotation axis is inclined to the ecliptic plane.
Question 30
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At the [blank_start]summer[blank_end] [blank_start]solstice[blank_end], the Sun is highest in the sky and the length of the day is greatest.
Question 31
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At the vernal and autumnal [blank_start]equinoxes[blank_end], Earth's axis of rotation is perpendicular to the line joining Earth to the Sun, so day and night are of [blank_start]equal[blank_end] length.
Question 32
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The interval of time from one vernal [blank_start]equinox[blank_end] to the next is one [blank_start]tropical[blank_end] year.
Question 33
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[blank_start]Precession[blank_end] is the slow "wobble" of Earth's axis due to the influence of the [blank_start]Moon[blank_end].
Answer
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Precession
-
Rotation
-
Revolution
-
Moon
-
Sun
Question 34
Question
As a result of [blank_start]precession[blank_end], the [blank_start]sidereal[blank_end] year is slightly longer than the [blank_start]tropical[blank_end] year, and the constellations migrate around the calendar over the course of thousands of years.
Answer
-
rotation
-
precession
-
revolution
-
tropical
-
sidereal
-
tropical
-
sidereal
Question 35
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The [blank_start]Moon[blank_end] emits no light of its own, but instead shines by reflected sunlight.
Question 36
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As the Moon orbits Earth, we see [blank_start]lunar[blank_end] phases as the amount of the Moon's sunlit face visible to us varies.
Question 37
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At [blank_start]new[blank_end] Moon, the Moon and the Sun are in nearly the same part of the sky, and the [blank_start]sunlit[blank_end] side of the Moon is oriented away from us.
Question 38
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At [blank_start]full[blank_end] Moon, the Sun and Moon are in opposite directions, from our perspective.
Question 39
Question
The time taken for the Moon to complete one orbit relative to the stars is 1 [blank_start]sidereal[blank_end] month. The time needed for the Moon to complete one cycle of phases is 1 [blank_start]synodic[blank_end] month.
Answer
-
synodic
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sidereal
-
synodic
-
sidereal
Question 40
Question
A [blank_start]lunar[blank_end] eclipse occurs when the Moon enters Earth's shadow.
Answer
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solar
-
lunar
-
total
-
partial
-
annular
Question 41
Question
A [blank_start]solar[blank_end] eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun.
Answer
-
solar
-
lunar
-
total
-
partial
-
annular
Question 42
Question
An eclipse may be [blank_start]total[blank_end] if the body in question (Moon or Sun) is completely obscured, or [blank_start]partial[blank_end] if only a portion of the surface is affected.
Answer
-
solar
-
lunar
-
total
-
partial
-
annular
-
solar
-
lunar
-
total
-
partial
-
annular
Question 43
Question
If the Moon happens to be too far from Earth for its disk to completely hide the Sun, an [blank_start]annular[blank_end] eclipse occurs.
Answer
-
solar
-
lunar
-
total
-
partial
-
annular
Question 44
Question
Because the Moon's orbit around Earth is slightly inclined with respect to the [blank_start]ecliptic[blank_end], solar and lunar eclipses do not occur every [blank_start]month[blank_end].
Question 45
Question
The [blank_start]scientific[blank_end] [blank_start]method[blank_end] is a methodical approach employed by scientists to explore the universe around us in an objective manner.
Question 46
Question
A [blank_start]theory[blank_end] is a framework of ideas and assumptions used to explain some set of [blank_start]observations[blank_end] and construct theoretical models that make [blank_start]predictions[blank_end] about the real world. These predictions in turn are [blank_start]amenable[blank_end] to further observational [blank_start]testing[blank_end]. In this way, the theory expands and [blank_start]science[blank_end] advances.
Answer
-
theory
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observations
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predictions
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amenable
-
testing
-
science
Question 47
Question
Observation, theory, and testing are the cornerstones of the [blank_start]scientific[blank_end] [blank_start]method[blank_end].