Download IQ 2

IQ
• The most obvious
systematic motions in
the sky are the daily,
or diurnal, changes
caused by the Earth’s
rotation.
• T
• F
IQ
• True! The Earth’s rotation
causes the entire sky to
appear to sweep from east
to west once each day.
• This is (generally) the
“fastest” motion we
notice.
• The Earth’s rotation axis
points at the north and
south poles of the
“celestial sphere.”
• The Earth’s equator
projects to the equator of
the celestial sphere.
IQ
• Solar eclipses can
happen only near:
• A. New Moon
• B. Full Moon
• C. First quarter Moon
• D. Third quarter Moon
IQ
• A. New Moon is the
correct answer!
• A solar eclipse occurs
when the Sun is blocked
by the Moon. This can
only happen when the
moon is between the Earth
and the Sun, which is New
Moon.
IQ
• Lunar eclipses can
only happen at:
• A. New Moon
• B. First quarter
• C. Full Moon
• D. Third quarter
IQ
• C. Full Moon is correct.
• A lunar eclipse occurs when the
Earth blocks the Sun’s light
from the Moon. This can only
happen when the Moon is
opposite the Sun as seen from
the Earth - that is, the Earth is
between the Sun and Moon.
That happens only at Full
Moon!
IQ
• The Full Moon
always rises at:
• A: Midnight
• B. Sunset
• C. Sunrise
• D. It is always in the
sky
IQ
• B. Sunset is correct.
• The phases of the moon
refer to the pattern of
illumination on the
hemisphere facing Earth.
Full Moon occurs when the
entire hemisphere is
illuminated, which can only
occur when the Moon is
directly opposite the Sun as
seen from the Earth. The full
moon must rise just as the
sun sets.
IQ
• Polaris (the North
Star) just happens to
be near the Earth’s
rotation axis.
• T
• F
IQ
• The answer is True.
• Polaris just happens to be
near the pole. As time
progresses, the Earth’s
precession will move the
rotation axis away from
Polaris.
IQ
• The sun appears in the
zenith from Albuquerque:
• A. On the summer solstice
• B. On the winter solstice
• Only when the sun is
farthest from the Earth
• Never!
IQ
• D. Never!
• The sun can appear
directly overhead, in the
zenith, only if one lives
within 23.5° of the
equator. The latitude of
ABQ is 32°, so the sun
can never be directly
overhead.
IQ
• Astrology is a science.
• True
• False
IQ
• False is the correct
answer.
• Astrology does not use the
scientific method to verify its
techniques and predictions.
Principally because of the
Earth’s precession, the
constellations and sky signs of
astrology no longer match the
true positions of astronomical
objects.