Download Test #1

Ph109 Exploring the Universe Test #1, Spring 2009
Indicate the best answer to the following questions on the answer sheet provided.
1) Looking down for the north pole in what direction does the Earth rotate?
a) clockwise, b) counter clockwise, c) it doesn’t, d) vertical
2) Which planet orbits fastest around the Sun?
a) Mercury, b) Venus, c) Earth, d) Jupiter
3) If the Earth were inclined more on its axis than it currently is, what would be the consequences?
a) more drastic seasons, b) a longer year, c) less drastic seasons, d) no solstices or equinoxes
4) Polaris, the North Star, does not appear to move in the sky because:
a. The stars are fixed relative to each other.
b. It lies approximately over the northern axis of the Earth.
c. It is too nearby for its motion to be discernible.
d. It is located directly overhead for everyone on Earth.
5) A planet in a highly elliptical orbit has its greatest speed when
a) it is closest to the Sun, b) when it is furthest from the Sun
c) when the Sun is on the equator, d) when the Sun is on the solstice
6) When the sun appears to cross the equator from the south to the north this is called
a) winter, b) spring, c) fall, d) summer
7) The phases of the Venus are caused by
a) the Venus moving in and out of Earth's shadow
b) different fractions of the Venus being illuminated by the sun
c) different degrees of darkness on the Venus
d) different amounts of the illuminated half of the Venus being visible from Earth
8) What do we call the event when the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon's surface
a) lunar eclipse, b) solar eclipse, c) evening solstice, d) shadow time
9) If we are at a winter solstice and I notice the sun is directly overhead at noon what can I say
a) my latitude is 23.5 degrees north, b) my latitude is 23.5 degrees south,
c) I am at the equator, d) I am at the north pole
10) The apparent path of the sun around the celestial sphere against the background of the stars during the year is
a) celestial meridian, b) ecliptic, c) sun's diurnal circle, d) celestial equator
11) The observed changing positions of the stars during a year is the result of the
a) tilt of the Earth's axis , b) rotation of the Earth on its axis
c) rotation of the stars on their axes, d) revolution of the Earth around the sun
12) Galileo's observations of the gibbous phase of Venus proved
a. that Venus orbited the sun., b. that Earth orbited the sun.
c. that all of the planets orbited the sun., d. that the moon orbited Earth.
13) What did Galileo observe with the planet Jupiter that helped change the view of our solar system?
a) Jupiter had a giant “Red Spot” that rotated around the planet.
b) Jupiter was in orbit slower than the Earth.
c) Jupiter had four moons in orbit around it.
d) Jupiter was not perfect but had moving clouds of gas.
14) What time does the first quarter rise
a) sunset, b) sunrise, c) noon, d) midnight
15) What is the approximate azimuth (az) elevation (el) of Venus just before it sets?
a) az= 140o, el= 20o b) az= 90o, el= 60o c) az= 90o, el=20o d) az=270o, el=20o
16) Retrograde motion is when
a) planets stop their forward motion in their orbit and perform a loop in the sky
b) planets that orbit the Sun in a clockwise direction suddenly go counter clockwise.
c) the apparent loop a planet makes in the sky when overtaken by another planet
d) when planets are held back one grade instead of advancing
17) The vernal equinox occurs in the month of
a) December, b) March, c) June, d) September
18) The sun is highest at noon (or greatest declination) at the
a) vernal equinox, b) winter solstice, c) autumnal equinox, d. summer solstice
19) If an object is moving toward you, what effect do you observe in the spectrum of that object?
a) It appears red-shifted, b) The light appears to be moving faster.
c) All the spectral lines appear broadened, d. It appears blue-shifted.
20) Local noon corresponds to the time when the Sun is at the
a) zenith, b) meridian, c) nadir, d) ecliptic
21) Why are there 12 months in a year on our current calendar?
a) the year is easily divisible into 12 parts, b) 12 was considered a "magic" number,
c) there are 12 lunar cycles in a year, d) because there are 12 Zodiac signs in the sky
22) A way of combining telescopes to synthesize a larger telescope is called
a) adaptive optics, b) interferometry, c) super position, d) reflecting telescope
23) Japan is about 1/2 of the way around Earth from Chicago. On a night when people in Chicago
see a full moon, people in Japan see
a) a new moon, b) a first quarter moon, c) a full moon, d ) a third quarter moon
24) Which event occurs more frequently?
a) lunar eclipse, b) solar eclipse, c) you win the lottery, d) you get hit by lightening
25) Star “a” appears reddish in color, while star “b” appears bluish white in color. This tells you that
a) star a is less luminous than star b, b) star a is hotter than star b,
c) star a is more luminous than star b, d) star a is cooler than star b
26) All wave phenomena are characterized by a wavelength, a frequency, and a velocity. They are related by the
 where C is the velocity of the wave,  is the wavelength, and  is the frequency. If I double the
wavelength of a wave, what happens to the frequency
a) it stays the same, b) it increases by 2, c) it decreases by 2, d) it increases by 4
27) A shift in the direction of an object caused by a change in the position of an observer is called
a) parallax, b) precession, c) the Coriolis effect, d) epicycle motion
28) The angular distance of an object from the horizon is its
a) latitude, b) declination, c) altitude, d) right ascension
29) I observe the spectra of a star and see that it periodically is red and then blue shifted what may I deduce
a) it is in some kind of binary orbit, b) its atoms are vibrating, c) it is very hot, d) it is very close
30) What is the relative size of the Moon to the Earth?
a) 1/4 as big, b) 1/2 as big, c) 1/3 as big, d) 1/10 as big
31) Constellations are
a) apparent patterns or designs of stars in the sky , b) physically, related arrangements of stars in the sky
c) still being developed by modern astronomers, d) guide our daily lives
32) The seasons on Earth occur primarily because the
a) Earth rotates on its axis, b) Earth's axis is tilted with respect to the ecliptic
c) Earth's distance from the sun changes through the year, d) Earth's orbit is an ellipse.
33) In the absence of excitation, electrons in an atom tend to be
a) in any allowed orbit , b) in the lowest allowed orbit, c) in the nucleus, d) not in the atom at all
34) Newton invented this to help him solve Kepler's equations
a) algebra, b) calculus, c) trigonometry, d) protractor
35) Retrograde motion is when
a) planets stop their forward motion in their orbit and perform a loop in the sky
b) planets that orbit the Sun in a clockwise direction suddenly go counter clockwise.
c) the apparent loop a planet makes in the sky when overtaken by another planet
d) when planets are held back one grade instead of advancing
36) The apparent path of the sun around the celestial sphere against the background of the stars
during the year is the
a) celestial meridian, b) ecliptic, c) sun's diurnal circle, d) celestial equator
37) I wake up in the middle of nowhere with amnesia. The only thing I can remember is my astronomy class. I
notice at night that the north star appears to be 25 degrees above my northern horizon. What can I write on
the note in the bottle I throw out to sea that will help my rescuers find me?
a) my longitude is 25 degrees, b) my latitude is 25 degrees,
c) my right ascension is 25 degrees, d) my declination is 25 degrees
38) Why are there seven days of the week on our current calendars?
a) seven was the only number which was easily divided into the number of months of the year,
b) seven was considered a "magic" number,
c) that was how many celestial objects in the sky moved with respect to other objects,
d) the Roman kingdom of the time had seven regions
39) Stars in a constellation are:
a) related by distance, b) related by age, c) related by size, d) not related.
40) When Earth sees the Moon as full how does the Moon view the Earth?
a) new Moon, b) first quarter, c) full Moon, d) third quarter Moon