Jan 2007 Flashcards
At Glasgow, Latitude o56 N, the highest point on the Celestial equator is at
A. Altitude due South o56
B. Altitude due North o56
C. Altitude due South o34
D. Altitude due North o34
C
Leap years are years which are evenly
A. divisible by 4 excluding centuries unless divisible by 40.
B. divisible by 40 excluding centuries unless divisible by 400. C. divisible by 4 excluding centuries unless divisible by 400.
D. divisible by 5 excluding centuries unless divisible by 500.
C
The sixth planet, in order of distance from the Sun, is
A. Mars B. Jupiter C. Earth D. Saturn
D
Aldebaran has apparent magnitude 0.85 while Venus at max elongation has magnitude - 4.2.
A. Venus appears approximately 5 times fainter than Aldebaran.
B. Venus appears approximately 5 times brighter than Aldebaran.
C. Venus appears approximately 10 times fainter than Aldebaran. D. Venus appears approximately 100 times brighter than Aldebaran.
D
From Jupiter, 5.2 times further away from the Sun than the Earth, the Sun appears about
A. 5 times fainter
B. 25 times fainter
C. 5 time brighter
D. 25 times brighter
B
The best time of year to see an outer planet is
A. when it is at conjunction in winter.
B. when it is at quadrature in winter.
C. when it is at opposition in summer.
D. when it is at opposition in winter.
D
In Beijing (Latitude 39 55’ N, Longitude 116 23’ E) the Sun crosses the Local Meridian about
A. 8 hours before it does so in Greenwich.
B. 3 hours before it does so in Greenwich.
C. 8 hours after it does so in Greenwich.
D. 3 hours after it does so in Greenwich.
A
Greenwich Mean Time is
A. the average time measured by the real Sun in Greenwich.
B. the average time between lunar crossings of the Greenwich Meridian. C. the time each day at which the Sun crosses the Greenwich Meridian.
D. the time in Greenwich measured by the fictitious Mean Sun.
D
The parallax of the ‘fixed stars’ was undetected by early Greek astronomers because
A. they believed the earth was the centre of the universe.
B. the sun is the centre of the universe.
C. the stars are too nearby.
D. the stars are too far away.
D
Planets move around
A. the Earth in circular orbits.
B. the Earth in elliptical orbits with the Earth at the centre.
C. the Sun in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.
D. the Sun in elliptical orbits with the Sun at the centre.
C
The terrestrial planets of the Solar System, in order of increasing distance from the Sun, are
A. Venus, Mercury, Earth, Mars.
B. Mercury, Mars, Earth, Venus.
C. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars.
D. Mercury, Earth, Venus, Mars.
C
The new dwarf planets defined by the International Astronomical Union in 2006 include
A. Pluto, Mercury, Ceres.
B. Pluto, Ceres, Eris.
C. Pluto, Titan, Eris.
D. Pluto, Phobos, Ceres
B
The eccentricity of the elliptical orbit of a planet is
A. the angle that the axis of rotation of the planet makes with the normal to the plane of the orbit.
B. the ratio of the centre of the orbit to the focal point of the ellipse, divided by the minor semi-axis of the ellipse.
C. the ratio of the centre of the orbit to the focal point of the ellipse, divided by the major semi-axis of the ellipse.
D. the angle that the axis of rotation of the planet makes with the plane of the orbit.
C
The Solar Nebula Hypothesis states that
A. the planets were formed from material pulled from the sun by another star that passed close to it.
B. the Sun formed from a rotating disc of gas and dust and the planets formed billions of years after that.
C. the Sun and the planets formed at the same time from a rotating disc of gas and dust.
D. the planets were formed from the debris from the collision of two stars
C
The requirements needed for a planet to acquire a magnetic field by the dynamo effect are
A. fast rate of rotation, electrically conducting liquid core and convection currents in the mantle.
B. fast rate of rotation, electrically conducting solid core and convection currents in the core.
C. slow rate of rotation, electrically conducting solid core and convection currents in the core.
D. fast rate of rotation, electrically conducting liquid core and convection currents in the core.
D
The most likely hypothesis for the formation of the Earth’s Moon states
A. that the Moon was spun off the Earth by fast rotation.
B. that the Moon was formed from the debris of the collision of a Mars sized object with the Earth.
C. that the Moon was a body formed elsewhere and was captured by the Earth.
D. that the Moon was formed at the same time as the Earth by a process of coaccretion
B
The orbital period of Mercury (year length) is 88 Earth days. What is the rotational period of Mercury?
A. 59 Earth days
B. 1 Earth day
C. 88 Earth days
D. 2 Earth days
A
Which of these statements about Venus is NOT true?
A. Venus has an atmosphere that consists of 96% carbon dioxide.
B. Venus has a runaway Greenhouse Effect.
C. Venus has tectonic plate activity.
D. The surface of Venus is predominantly basalt.
C
The Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity
A. discovered evidence for water in Martian rocks.
B. discovered plate tectonic activity on Mars.
C. discovered the moons of Mars.
D. discovered a magnetic field on Mars.
A
The Valles Marinaris region of Mars is
A. a large impact basin on the surface of Mars. B. a huge shield volcano, 600 km in diameter and 25 km in height. C. a highland area in the Tharsis region of Mars. D. an enormous gash in the surface of Mars, about 5 000 km long.
D
