Astro 101 - Exam 1 UMich (UPDATED
2026) EXAM QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS (100% CORRECT ANSWERS)
A+ GRADED | ALREADY PASSED!!
what is our planet in the solar system -CORRECTANSWER part of the solar system, in
the milky way galaxy, in local group of galaxies, in local supercluster
how did we come to be -CORRECTANSWER the Big Bang which produced hydrogen
and helium
where did elements come from -CORRECTANSWER the big bang produced H and He,
which are the base of other elements constructed in stars
how old are we in comparison to the universe -CORRECTANSWER human civilization
is a second of a year, and our own life is a fraction of a second
how is earth moving -CORRECTANSWER earth rotates on an axis once a day and
orbits the Sun at 1 AU (150 million kilometers)
how can we specify the position of an object in the local sky -CORRECTANSWER
altitude above the horizon and direction along the horizon
,why do stars rise and set -CORRECTANSWER because of Earth's rotation
why do the constellations we see depend on latitude and time of year -
CORRECTANSWER your location determines which constellations are hidden by earth
the time of year determines the location of the Sun and the celestial sphere
what causes the seasons -CORRECTANSWER the tilt of the Earth's axis
what are the summer and winter solstices -CORRECTANSWER when the Northern
hemisphere gets its most and least direction sunlight
what are the spring and fall equinoxes -CORRECTANSWER when both hemispheres
get direct and equal sunlight
how does the orientation of Earth's axis change with time -CORRECTANSWER the tilt
remains about 23.5 degrees (so the season pattern is not affected) but the the cycle
slowly and subtly changes the orientation of earth's axis every 26,000 years
why do we see phases of the moon -CORRECTANSWER half the Moon is lit by the
Sun, half is in shadow, and its appearance to us is determined by the relative positions
of the Sun, Moon, and Earth
, what causes eclipses -CORRECTANSWER -Lunar eclipse: Earth's shadow on the
Moon
-Solar eclipse: Moon's shadow on Earth
-Tilt of Moon's orbit means eclipses occur during two periods each year
what was mysterious about the planetary motion in our sky -CORRECTANSWER like
the sun and moon, planets usually drift eastward relative to the stars from night to night,
but sometimes, for a few weeks or few months, a planet turns westward in its apparent
retrograde motion
how did the Greeks explain planetary motion -CORRECTANSWER The Ptolemaic
model had each planet move on a small circle whose center moves around Earth on a
larger circle
Copernicus -CORRECTANSWER created a Sun-centered model
Tycho -CORRECTANSWER provided the data needed to improve Copernicus' model
Kepler -CORRECTANSWER found a model that fit Tycho's data
Kepler's 1st Law of Planetary Motion -CORRECTANSWER each planet orbits the sun in
a path called an ellipse with the sun at one focus
2026) EXAM QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS (100% CORRECT ANSWERS)
A+ GRADED | ALREADY PASSED!!
what is our planet in the solar system -CORRECTANSWER part of the solar system, in
the milky way galaxy, in local group of galaxies, in local supercluster
how did we come to be -CORRECTANSWER the Big Bang which produced hydrogen
and helium
where did elements come from -CORRECTANSWER the big bang produced H and He,
which are the base of other elements constructed in stars
how old are we in comparison to the universe -CORRECTANSWER human civilization
is a second of a year, and our own life is a fraction of a second
how is earth moving -CORRECTANSWER earth rotates on an axis once a day and
orbits the Sun at 1 AU (150 million kilometers)
how can we specify the position of an object in the local sky -CORRECTANSWER
altitude above the horizon and direction along the horizon
,why do stars rise and set -CORRECTANSWER because of Earth's rotation
why do the constellations we see depend on latitude and time of year -
CORRECTANSWER your location determines which constellations are hidden by earth
the time of year determines the location of the Sun and the celestial sphere
what causes the seasons -CORRECTANSWER the tilt of the Earth's axis
what are the summer and winter solstices -CORRECTANSWER when the Northern
hemisphere gets its most and least direction sunlight
what are the spring and fall equinoxes -CORRECTANSWER when both hemispheres
get direct and equal sunlight
how does the orientation of Earth's axis change with time -CORRECTANSWER the tilt
remains about 23.5 degrees (so the season pattern is not affected) but the the cycle
slowly and subtly changes the orientation of earth's axis every 26,000 years
why do we see phases of the moon -CORRECTANSWER half the Moon is lit by the
Sun, half is in shadow, and its appearance to us is determined by the relative positions
of the Sun, Moon, and Earth
, what causes eclipses -CORRECTANSWER -Lunar eclipse: Earth's shadow on the
Moon
-Solar eclipse: Moon's shadow on Earth
-Tilt of Moon's orbit means eclipses occur during two periods each year
what was mysterious about the planetary motion in our sky -CORRECTANSWER like
the sun and moon, planets usually drift eastward relative to the stars from night to night,
but sometimes, for a few weeks or few months, a planet turns westward in its apparent
retrograde motion
how did the Greeks explain planetary motion -CORRECTANSWER The Ptolemaic
model had each planet move on a small circle whose center moves around Earth on a
larger circle
Copernicus -CORRECTANSWER created a Sun-centered model
Tycho -CORRECTANSWER provided the data needed to improve Copernicus' model
Kepler -CORRECTANSWER found a model that fit Tycho's data
Kepler's 1st Law of Planetary Motion -CORRECTANSWER each planet orbits the sun in
a path called an ellipse with the sun at one focus
