NAME _______________________________________________
Astronomy 121
Test 1
February 5, 2002
Multiple Choice Questions (60 points--2 points per question)
1. The daily paths of stars for an observer situated on the equator of the Earth are
best described as _______ .
a. circles centered on the zenith of the observer.
b. ellipses centered on the zenith of the observer.
c. circles which are tilted at 45o with respect to the horizon.
d. circles centered on the Summer Solstice
e. semi-circles centered on the north point on the horizon
2. The Solar day differs from the sidereal day because _______ .
a. the Earth's and the Moon's rotation periods are the same.
b. the rotation axis of the Earth is slowly precessing.
c. the Earth orbits around the Sun.
d. the Moon is slowing down the Earth's rotation.
e. the rotational and orbital periods of the Earth are identical.
3. If an observer sees only half of the Celestial Sphere
over the course of a year, at which of the following locations might
they live?
a. the North Pole
b. Eugene, OR (or near Eugene, OR)
c. the equator
d. near Santiago, Chile (latitude = 30o S)
e. any of the above sites.
4. If a total Lunar eclipse occurred 3 weeks ago, what is the
approximate phase of the Moon today?
a. new
b. first quarter
c. full
d. third quarter
e. waxing or waning gibbous
5. On the winter solstice, the Sun _______ .
a. reaches its furthest point south of the Celestial equator
b. crosses the Celestial equator moving northward
c. reaches its furthest point north of the Celestial equator
d. crosses the Celestial equator moving southward
e. circles parallel to the horizon for an observer at the equator
6. The location of the North Celestial Pole is determined by _______ .
a. the direction in which the Earth orbits about the Sun
b. the direction in which the Moon orbits about the Earth
c. the direction in which the Earth's rotation axis points
d. the direction in which the Sun moves on the Celestial Sphere
e. the direction in which the Moon rotates on its axis
7. You are near the equator of the Earth. You go outside and a waxing
gibbous Moon is rising. Roughly, what time is it?
a. noon
b. sunset
c. midnight
d. 9 pm
e. 3 pm
8. The Greeks believed that the Earth was spherical in shape because _______ .
a. the stars always rose in the east and set in the west
b. the full Moon was round
c. the phases of the Moon varied periodically
d. the Solar Day differed from the Sidereal Day
e. the shadow which covered the Moon during Lunar eclipses was curved
9. From his analysis of the data acquired by Tycho,
Kepler concluded that _______ .
a. the planets all orbited the Sun precisely in the ecliptic plane
b. planets closer to the Sun travel in their orbits
more quickly than planets farther
from the Sun
c. the Sun resides at the center of the orbits of the planets
d. the more slowly moving planets are found near the Sun
e. a planet exerts an equal and opposite gravitational force on the Sun
10. The morning and evening stars are not stars; they are
_______ .
a. actually comets
b. actually just the Moon
c. actually the Sun when it is near the Vernal Equinox
d. the planets Mercury and Venus
e. Wait, Mercury is always the morning star and Venus is always the
evening star
11. The true orbital period of the Earth is given by _______ .
a. the tropical year
b. the calendrical year
c. the lunar year
d. the sidereal year
e. the synodic period
12. The rising and setting of celestial objects over the
course of a night is caused by _______ .
a. the Earth's revolution about the Sun.
b. the Earth's rotation on its axis.
c. the motion of the Moon about the Earth.
d. the precession of the Earth's axis of rotation.
13. On what day does the Sun set for an observer at the South Pole of
the Earth?
a. the autumnal equinox (Sep 21)
b. the summer solstice (June 21)
c. the vernal equinox (Mar 21)
d. the winter solstice (Dec 21)
e. the Sun never rises at the South Pole
14. The fact that the Earth travels the fastest in its orbit in January when
it is the closest to the Sun may be understood through an application of
_______ .
a. Kepler's law of ellipses
b. Kepler's law of equal areas
c. Kepler's harmonic law
15. Triton falls into the ________ group of planets.
a. Terrestrial
b. Jovian
c. Uranian/Neptunian
d. Icy
e. Sun-like
16. A feature common to all of the Jovian planets is that _______ .
a. their atmospheres are primarily CO2
b. they are all large; larger than the Earth
c. they are Moon-like in chemical composition, that is,
they are mainly rock
d. they all orbit about the Sun in the clockwise
sense as viewed from the
North Celestial Pole
e. they are all Pluto-like in appearance
17. Which of the following facts must any theory for the formation of
the Solar System explain?
a. the orbital properties of the planets
b. the existence of three general classes of planets
c. the chemical composition of Mercury
d. only a & b
e. a, b, & c
18. Of the following planets, which planet's orbital
characteristics differs the
most from the other planets listed?
a. Venus
b. Earth
c. Uranus
d. Mercury
e. Jupiter
19. Of the following, which is a characteristic of the
Terrestrial planets?
a. they all have relatively high densities
b. they are all rocky with solid surfaces
c. they are small in size compared to the Jovian planets
d. they all contain large amounts of silicates, iron and nickel
e. all of the above are characteristics of the Terrestrial planets
20. The chemical composition of the Moon is most similar _______ .
a. to that of the Sun
b. to that of deep core of Venus
c. to that of the crust of the Earth
d. to that of Triton, the large moon of Neptune
e. to that of Mercury
21. Compared to the Jovian planets, Terrestrial planets
are, on average, _______ .
a. more dense and more massive
b. less dense and more massive
c. more dense and less massive
d. less dense and less massive
22. High tide occurred today at around 9 am. The phase of the Moon is
roughly _______ .
a. new
b. first quarter
c. full
d. waning gibbous
e. waning crescent
23. The Synodic Month is _______ .
a. the time between high and low tides on the East coast
b. how long it takes the Moon to move once around the Celestial Sphere
c. the interval between eclipse seasons
d. the time it takes for the axis of the Earth to precess around once
e. the period on which the lunar phases change
24. The altitude of the North Celestial Pole above the horizon for an
observer in Eugene, OR _______ .
a. is given by the longitude of Greenwhich, England
b. depends on the time of day, that is, where the Sun is
c. depends on the phase of the Moon
d. is 90o; it is at the zenith
e. is equal to the latitude of Eugene
25. The density of a planet gives strong clues to the _______ .
a. age of the planet
b. sidereal day of the planet
c. chemical composition of the interior of the planet
d. orbital period of the planet
e. existence of tides on the planet
26. The path of the Sun through the stars is known as the _______ .
a. Celestial Sphere
b. Celestial Equator
c. Vernal Equinox
d. Ecliptic
e. Precession
27. Solar and Lunar eclipses occur _______ .
a. only when the line of nodes points toward the Sun
b. at all full and new moons
c. only when the Sun is at the Summer and Winter solstices
d. only for an observer on the equator of the Earth
e. only at midnight and noon for an observer in Eugene, OR
28. A circumpolar star is a star _______ .
a. which doesn't rise or set over the course of a day
b. which can be seen only from the North Pole or South Pole
c. which circles about the North Celestial Pole during the course of a day
d. which only appears to an observer on the Equator of the Earth
e. which shows a relatively small annual trigonometric parallax
29. The maximum altitude reached by the Sun for an observer in Santiago, Chile
occurs on _______ .
a. the vernal equinox
b. the summer solstice
c. the autumanl equinox
d. the winter solstice
e. January 1st
30. Retrograde motion is _______ .
a. the reversal of the Sun's motion through the stars at the solstices
b. the reversal of the motion of a planet through the stars
c. the switching of the hours of daylight and darkness on the equinoxes
d. the shifting of a star's position due to the revolution of the Earth
about the Sun
Short Answer Questions (40 points)
1. Use a diagram (and words) to explain why there are roughly two high tides per day on an ideal
Earth.
2. Explain the origin of the annual seasonal variations on the Earth.
3. What are the dynamical regularities any theory for the origin of the Solar System must
explain? What important clue to the origin of the Solar System is given by these dynamical
regularities?
4. Heliocentric theories were first proposed in ancient times (by whom?).
The Heliocentric theory was not universally embraced until the 1600s.
Why? (What advancements led to its eventual acceptance?)
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Multiple Choice
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Short Answer
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