Astro 10 Midterm

ASTRONOMY 10 MIDTERM EXAM PART I FALL 2009

60 QUESTIONS – 50 POINTS: Part I of the midterm constitutes the “Take-Home” part of the entire Midterm Exam. Additionally, this “Take-Home” part is divided into two sub-parts.

The first sub-part can be found in your MasteringAstronomy account and is labeled “Midterm – Online Portion”. The questions asked there are directed at the first chapter listed in your reading assignment for Week 9 of the course (see your General Schedule of Activities document) and is conducted in the same manner as done with your weekly homework exercises where each question is worth 0.5 point. Therefore, this portion of the midterm has 20 questions for a total possible of 10 points.

The second sub-part of the “Take-Home” is given below with 40 questions for a total possible of 40 points (1 point per question). Clearly print the answers to these questions on the answer form provided. Return this answer form to the White Box by NOON, Friday, October 30. [Note: Spelling and units count on this exam!!!]

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Part II of the Midterm (worth 50 points) will be given in the week beginning October 26 in your scheduled 3^rd hour. Part II of the midterm will require a Scantron 882 form and #2 pencil. Midterm parts I and II are worth 100 points total!

The following 25 questions are directed at Exhibits A-T found at the end of this exam, the Star Charts SC-001 and SC-002, the Skygazer’s Almanac, and the motions and configurations of celestial objects in the sky.

1. See EXHIBIT A: For a Rocklin observer, the sun would rise closest to what point on September 22 of this year (A, B, or C)?

2. See EXHIBIT ‘B: The planet pictured will set at what time on the Summer Solstice of this year? (See Sky Gazer’s Almanac [SGA])

3. See EXHIBIT C: For this year, the planet pictured will rise at what time on the day that the planet in Exhibit B is in opposition? (see SGA)

4. See EXHIBIT D: Can an observer living anywhere on the equator ever witness the pictured planet rising when the planet Mercury is setting?

5. See EXHIBIT E: Which solar system model, the heliocentric or the geocentric, did the person in the exhibit support?

6. See EXHIBIT F: In the exaggerated elliptical orbit, what equinox will we experience when the Earth is near point B’?

7. See EXHIBIT G: The darker regions of the celestial body pictured are called what?

8. See EXHIBIT H: About what time of day will the Moon shown in this diagram cross the local meridian (noon, sunset, midnight, or sunrise)?

9. See EXHIBIT I: What is the planetary configuration of the planet Venus (Be very specific)?

10. See EXHIBIT J: If it is 3:00 PM for some local observer, judging from the position of the moon, what is its phase (be specific – two words needed)?

11. See EXHIBIT K: In most cases, objects like the one pictured are found in orbits closest to those of what two planets?

12. Name the object in Exhibit B, C, D, L, M, N, O, or P with the longest sidereal day.

13. See EXHIBIT Q: The image is that of a planet’s moon. Give the moon’s name.

14. See EXHIBIT R: If a planet is leaving the constellation shown while undergoing retrograde motion, what constellation is it entering? (See the SC-001 Constellation Chart)

15. See EXHIBIT S: On a particular day, it is determined that the Sun is about 10 degrees north of the constellation shown. What month is it? (See SC-001)

16. See EXHIBIT T: Which of the eight planets can be seen in the constellation shown? (See SC-002)

17. What time does the planet in Exhibit M rise on November 15 of this year? (See SGA)

18. The planet in Exhibit O will be in opposition on what day this year? (See SGA)

19. What is the Moon’s phase (New, First Quarter, Full, or Third Quarter) on the day the planet in Exhibit O transits at 8:20 PM? (See SGA)

20. Name the meteor shower that occurs five days before the planet in Exhibit P reaches opposition. (see SGA)

21. Because of the precession of the Earth’s axis of rotation, the star Polaris will not always be the ‘North Star’. In 7000 AD, what star will then be considered the North Star? (See SC-002)

22. An observer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, would observe the North Star at what altitude?

23. The Sun rises latest in the day at the onset of what season?

24. For an observer in Topeka, Kansas, what constellation would the sun appear to occupy on February 1?

25. Which star map (SC001 or SC002) contains stars never seen in Rocklin?

For the following 5 questions, match the items listed in the left column, with the planets listed in the right column. Each planet can be used once, more than once or not at all. (On your answer form, only write the letter that corresponds to the given question number; do not write out the planet name.)

26. Olympus Mons A. Mercury

27. Ishtar highlands B. Venus

28. Meteor Crater C. Earth

29. Caloris Basin D. Mars

30. Valles Marineris

For the following 5 questions, match the entries listed in the left column, with the satellites listed in the right column. Each satellite can be used once, more than once or not at all. (On your answer form, only write the letter that corresponds to the given question number; do not write out the satellite name.)

31. Most jumbled surface with few craters A. Titan

32. Satellite with atmosphere B. Europa

33. Satellite with active ice geysers C. Io

34. Satellite with apparent ice floes on surface D. Miranda

35. Galilean satellite with highest density E. Enceladus

The following 5 questions are directed at basic physics ideas and their application to astronomy.

36. An object is observed from Earth to have its spectral lines blue-shifted. Is the object moving away from Earth or towards the Earth?

37. A particular hot gas exhibits a red spectral line and a blue spectral line. Which color represents electrons undergoing the greater energy jumps between orbits within the atoms of the gas?

38. If the net force on an object is zero, the object will maintain a constant velocity. (True or False)

39. For the same net force applied to two objects, one more massive than the other, which one will have the least acceleration, the more massive one or the less massive one?

40. The acceleration due to gravity of a free-falling object near the Earth’s surface is independent of the object’s mass. (True or False)

EXHIBITS PAGE

C

B

A

NE E SE

A.