Review Questions for Astronomy 5 Midterm
and Final
Midterm covers first 70 questions, Final covers all
105.
|
1. |
A finger, held at arm’s
length, fills an angle of about |
A.
50 degrees.
B.
one hundredth of a degree.
C.
2 degrees.
D.
one tenth of a degree.
E.
10 degrees.
|
2. |
The coordinate used in the
terrestrial coordinate system to indicate angular distance north or south of
the equator is |
A.
azimuth.
B.
declination.
C.
longitude.
D.
altitude.
E.
latitude.
|
3. |
The point in the sky that is
located 90 degrees from the celestial horizon is the |
A.
node.
B.
equator.
C.
zenith.
D.
meridian.
E.
pole.
|
4. |
Which of the following would be the
coordinates of a star that is rising in the northeast? |
A.
azimuth 240 degrees, altitude 0 degrees
B.
azimuth 75 degrees, altitude 90 degrees
C.
azimuth 60 degrees, altitude 0 degrees
D.
azimuth 145 degrees, altitude 0 degrees
E.
azimuth 180 degrees, altitude 90 degrees
|
5. |
How many seconds of arc are
there in a degree? |
A.
12
B.
60
C.
3600
D.
206265
E.
360
|
6. |
The east-west coordinate in the
terrestrial coordinate system is |
A.
latitude.
B.
altitude.
C.
longitude.
D.
right ascension.
E.
azimuth.
|
7. |
What is the latitude of the
North Pole of the Earth? |
A.
0 degrees
B.
90 degrees
C.
180 degrees
D.
270 degrees
E.
45 degrees
|
8. |
The north-south line that passes
directly overhead is the |
A.
ecliptic.
B.
zenith.
C.
azimuth.
D.
horizon.
E.
meridian.
|
9. |
Which of the following
coordinates describes the angular distance of an object north or south of the
celestial equator? |
A.
latitude
B.
declination
C.
altitude
D.
right ascension
E.
azimuth
|
10. |
Which of the following is true? |
A.
A sidereal day is equal to a solar day on Venus.
B.
A sidereal day is about 4 minutes shorter than a solar day on the Earth.
C.
A sidereal day is equal to a solar day on the Earth.
D.
A sidereal day is about 4 minutes longer than a solar day on the Earth.
E.
A sidereal day is the same for all planets.
|
11. |
Suppose there is a star that
rises at 10 p.m. tonight. At what time will it rise one month from now? |
A.
9 p.m.
B.
midnight
C.
8 p.m.
D.
11 p.m.
E.
7 p.m.
|
12. |
An observer at a latitude of 41 degrees sees the Sun at the zenith at |
A.
spring and fall equinox
B.
every 28 days
C.
never—impossible
D.
every day
E.
summer and winter solstice
|
13. |
The ecliptic is the |
A.
apparent path of the Moon on the celestial sphere.
B.
plane of the Earth’s orbit projected onto the celestial sphere.
C.
projection of the Earth’s equator on the celestial sphere.
D.
plane of the Moon’s orbit.
E.
projection of the north celestial pole on the zodiac.
|
14. |
The Sun moves eastward among the
stars at the rate of about 30 degrees per |
A.
minute.
B.
month.
C.
hour.
D.
year.
E.
day.
|
15. |
When does the most northerly
sunrise occur? |
A.
autumnal equinox
B.
winter equinox
C.
winter solstice
D.
vernal equinox
E.
summer solstice
|
16. |
Which of the following best
describes the motion of the Moon? |
A.
toward the east with respect to the stars, eastward across the sky
B.
toward the west with respect to the stars, westward across the sky
C.
toward the east with respect to the stars, westward across the sky
D.
toward the west with respect to the stars, eastward across the sky
E.
toward the north with respect to the stars, southward across the sky
|
17. |
Precession can be detected by
noting the |
A.
the motion of the planets during retrograde motion.
B.
the westward motion of the stars during a night.
C.
The eastward motion of the Moon during the month.
D.
the motion of the Sun relative to that of the Earth.
E.
changes in the celestial coordinates of stars over many years.
|
18. |
What object was located at the
center of Aristarchus’s model of the solar system? |
A.
the central fire
B.
the Moon
C.
the Sun
D.
the Earth
E.
Jupiter
|
19. |
An object with an angular size
of 1 degree moves 10 times farther away. What is its new angular size? |
A.
10 minutes of arc
B.
6 minutes of arc
C.
33 seconds of arc
D.
10 degrees
E.
10 seconds of arc
|
20. |
How did Eratosthenes determine
the circumference of the Earth? |
A.
by noting the size of Earth’s umbral shadow
B.
by comparing the altitude of the Sun at different locations
C.
by estimating the Sun's size
D.
by sailing around it
E.
by assuming that the Earth and Moon are the same size
|
21. |
In Ptolemy’s model of the
solar system, the circle on which the center of the epicycle moved about the
Earth was called the |
A.
equant.
B.
orbit.
C.
capital.
D.
eccentric.
E.
deferent.
|
22. |
For what two planets is greatest
elongation less than ninety degrees? |
A.
Venus and Jupiter
B.
Mercury and Mars
C.
Mercury and Venus
D.
Mars and Saturn
E.
Jupiter and Saturn
|
23. |
What is the angular size of a 2
cm diameter coin at a distance of 1 km? |
A.
4”
B.
40’
C.
400’’
D.
40”
E.
4’
|
24. |
Why did Tycho
Brahe reject Copernicus’s model of the solar system? |
A.
He could not detect stellar parallax.
B.
The ellipse had not been discovered yet.
C.
Tycho was convinced by Kepler that Copernicus was wrong.
D.
He could not detect retrograde motion for Mars.
E.
Tycho found mistakes in Copernicus’s calculations.
|
25. |
The point of closest approach of
a planet to the Sun is called the |
A.
perihelion.
B.
inferior conjunction.
C.
focus.
D.
epicycle.
E.
aphelion.
|
26. |
Kepler’s law of equal
areas in equal time predicts that |
A.
planets all must lie in the same orbital plane.
B.
comets are often in unbound orbits.
C.
the sun must be at the center of the solar system.
D.
planets move fastest at perihelion.
E.
planets are in noncircular orbits.