Astronomy Exam 1 (Chapters 1-5) Questions With 100% Correct!!

Astronomy Exam 1 (Chapters 1-5) Questions With 100% Correct!! A line running from due north to due south through a point directly overhead is called a meridian Residents of the Southern Hemisphere cannot see the stars around the north celestial pole because Earth itself is in the way. A sky observer in the southern hemisphere would see stars moving which way? clockwise Is there any location on Earth where the entire sky is potentially visible within a 24 hour period (ignoring the fact that some stars can't be seen if it is daytime)? At the equator The equator is the only place on Earth where you can see the entire celestial sphere (day or night) over the course of 24 hours. True If a star rises on the eastern horizon, it will set on the western horizon 6 hours later. False Constellations are arbitrary groupings of stars in the sky. True Our Sun is the most massive and luminous star in the Milky Way. False Pluto is the only dwarf planet in our Solar System. False The heavy elements that make up most of Earth were formed via nuclear fusion in the center of our Sun. False The Local Group is a member of the Virgo Supercluster. True If a scientific theory cannot be tested, it is assumed to be true. False A crucial component of a scientific theory is that it is able to be tested by observations and thus proven true or false. True On the autumnal equinox, the lengths of both day and night are 12 hours. True The altitude of the Sun as it crosses the meridian changes during the year. True A person who lives at the equator will see the Sun directly overhead at noon every day of the year. False The seasons on Earth are caused by the change in distance between the Sun and Earth. False The apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere during a year is called the: ecliptic plane The ecliptic plane is defined by the motion of __________ in the sky. the Sun How far away on average is the Earth from the Sun? 150 million kilometers If you go out at exactly 9 P.M. each evening over the course of one month, the position of a given star will move westward by tens of degrees. What causes this motion? The revolution of the Earth around the Sun The shortest day of the year for a person living in the NORTHERN Hemisphere is the: winter solstice On which day of the year does the Sun reach its northernmost point in the sky? Summer solstice When the Northern Hemisphere experiences summer, the Southern Hemisphere experiences: winter The fact that we always see the same side of the Moon indicates that the Moon does not rotate about an axis. False When a solar eclipse occurs, the Sun lies between the Earth and Moon. False The Earth's rotational axis precesses in space and completes one revolution every: 26,000 years Leap years occur because: the Earth's orbital period is 365.24 days The Moon undergoes synchronous rotation, and as a consequence the: rotational period of the Moon equals the orbital period of the Moon around the Earth In regard to the phase of the Moon, the term waxing means: increasing in brightness If tonight the Moon is in the waxing gibbous phase, in three days the Moon will most likely be in the: full phase If there is a full Moon out tonight, approximately how long from now will it be in the third quarter phase? One week The observed phase of the Moon changes over the course of one night. t/f false At what time does a third quarter Moon rise? (Hint: A third quarter Moon occurs approximately 3 weeks after a new Moon.) 12 midnight During which lunar phase do solar eclipses occur? New Johannes Kepler obtained accurate data on the positions of the planets in the sky over time, which Galileo used to prove that planets revolved around the Sun. False Planets orbit the Sun on circular orbits. False A planet travels fastest when it is closest to the Sun. True As we move farther from the Sun, the circumferences of planetary orbits are larger and the speeds at which planets travel increase. False Planets with circular orbits travel at the same speed at all points in their orbits, whereas planets with elliptical orbits change their speeds at different points in their orbits. True When the Earth catches up to a slower moving outer planet and passes it in its orbit like a faster runner overtakes a slower runner in an outside lane, the planet: exhibits retrograde motion If the Sun is located at one focus of Earth's elliptical orbit, what is at the other focus? Nothing Which of the following is TRUE about a comet that is on an elliptical orbit around the Sun? The comet's speed is greatest when it is nearest the Sun. The time it takes a planet to complete one full orbital revolution is commonly known as its: Period Kepler's third law is a relationship between an orbiting object's: period and semimajor axis Isaac Newton was the first scientist to use a telescope for astronomical discoveries. False More massive objects fall faster in the Earth's gravitational field than less massive objects. False A kilogram of lead has more mass than a kilogram of feathers. False The only acceleration you experience on a merry-go-round is when it starts or stops. False Once two objects are far enough away from each other, they no longer exert any gravitational attraction on each other. False Astronauts in the space station feel weightless as they orbit the earth because there is no gravity acting on them. False