Distance and Location

Question 1

What is rotation of a planet or moon?

Answer 1

Circular movement around an imaginary axis through the center of a planet or moon.

Question 2

What is a planet’s revolution?

Answer 2

Time for the planet to make a complete orbit around the Sun.

Question 3

What is a kilometer?

Answer 3

The SI unit of length measurement.

Question 4

What is an Astronomical Unit?

Answer 4

A unit of length based on the average distance of the Earth to the Sun.

Question 5

What is a Light Year?

Answer 5

A distance unit based on how far light travels in one year.

Question 6

What is a Parsec?

Answer 6

Distance along an imaginary right triangle’s adjacent side that has an opposite side of 1 AU and an opposite angle of 1°.

Question 7

What is longitude?

Answer 7

Degree measurement of a meridian east or west of the prime meridian.

Question 8

What is latitude?

Answer 8

Degree measurement of a parallel north or south of the equator.

Question 9

What is a meridian?

Answer 9

An imaginary line on a globe that runs from the north pole to the south pole.

Question 10

What is a parallel?

Answer 10

An imaginary line that runs east to west around the globe.

Question 11

What is the latitude measurement for the Equator?

Answer 11

0 degrees latitude.

Question 12

What is the latitude measurement for the North Pole?

Answer 12

90 degrees N latitude

Question 13

What is the latitude measurement for the South Pole?

Answer 13

90 degrees S latitude

Question 14

What is the longitude measurement for the Prime Meridian?

Answer 14

0 degrees longitude

Question 15

What is the longitude measurement for the International Date Line?

Answer 15

180 degrees longitude

Question 16

Why is the International Date Line a zigzag line?

Answer 16

Countries want the day to be the same throughout

Question 17

How is latitude and longitude used to indicate a location?

Answer 17

Longitude and latitude form a grid system; where the lines meet locates a place.

Question 18

What is the best unit to use when measuring distances on Earth?

Answer 18

Kilometers

Question 19

What is the best unit to use when measuring distances between objects in the Solar System?

Answer 19

Astronomical Units

Question 20

What is the best unit to use when measuring distances between stars and globular clusters in the Milky Way?

Answer 20

Light Years

Question 21

What is the best unit to use when describing the distance between the Milky Way galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy?

Answer 21

Light Years

Question 22

What is the Celestial Sphere?

Answer 22

An imaginary dome upon which the stars appear.

Question 23

How does a person use azimuth to determine the location of a star in the sky?

Answer 23

The azimuth is a direction between 0 degrees and 360 degrees that tells which direction (N-S-E-W) a person should look along the horizon.

Question 24

How does a person use altitude to determine the location of a star in the sky?

Answer 24

The altitude is a place in the sky between the horizon (0 degrees) and the Zenith (90 degrees) directly overhead.

Question 25

What is the zenith?

Answer 25

A point directly above a person on the celestial sphere.

Question 26

What is the nadir?

Answer 26

A point directly below a person on the celestial sphere

Question 27

What is occurring when a star is rising?

Answer 27

It is moving from below the horizon into the observer's view.

Question 28

What is occurring when a star is setting?

Answer 28

The star is moving from view to below the horizon.

Question 29

What is a never set star?

Answer 29

A star that does not go below the horizon as it moves in the sky.

Question 30

What is the Celestial Equator?

Answer 30

An extension of the plane containing Earth's equator to the Celestial Sphere

Question 31

What is the Ecliptic?

Answer 31

An extension of the plane containing the path of the Earth around the Sun to the Celestial Sphere.

Question 32

What is right ascension in the Celestial Coordinate System?

Answer 32

Measurement in hours along the Celestial Equator used as one coordinate to determine the location of a star

Question 33

What is declination?

Answer 33

Measurement in degrees along an imaginary line from the North Celestial Pole to the South Celestial Pole that is used as one coordinate to locate a star.

Question 34

What is the starting reference point for right ascension?

Answer 34

The vernal equinox, which is 0 hours RA.

Question 35

If a star's right ascension falls on the winter solstice point, what is its coordinate?

Answer 35

The winter solstice falls on 18 hours RA