Quiz #1 Review

Question 1

The lowest visible part of the sky is called the

Answer 1

horizon.

Question 2

What is directly overhead, or the highest point in the sky, is the

Answer 2

zenith.

Question 3

The line that divides the east from the west in the sky is the

Answer 3

meridian.

Question 4

How far east of North something in the sky is is the

Answer 4

azimuth.

Question 5

How high above the horizon something in the sky is is the

Answer 5

elevation / altitude.

Question 6

True or false: You cannot see the half of the sky below the horizon.

Answer 6

TRUE!

Question 7

How far North or South something is on the Earth’s surface is the

Answer 7

latitude.

Question 8

How far East or West something is on the Earth’s surface is the

Answer 8

longitude.

Question 9

Earth orbits around the Sun…

Answer 9

once per year.

Question 10

Earth rotates about its axis…

Answer 10

once per day.

Question 11

What is the difference between a sidereal day and a solar day?

Answer 11

sidereal day - one full rotation relative to the positions of the stars
solar day - one full rotations relative to the position of the sun

Question 12

The time of the day when the sun is at its highest point in the sky is the

Answer 12

apparent noon.

Question 13

True or False: the sun is always at zenith at apparent noon.

Answer 13

FALSE! Not necessarily true

Question 14

When the sun is at zenith, it’s called

Answer 14

Lahaina noon.

Question 15

Declination on the celestial sphere is the same thing as ________ on moving along the Earth’s surface.

Answer 15

latitude (north and south)

Question 16

Right ascension on the celestial sphere is the same thing as _________ on moving along the Earth’s surface.

Answer 16

longitude (east and west)

Question 17

When you communicate the position of things in space across the world, the ___________ and __________ ______________ are the same.

Answer 17

declination and right ascension (positioning on the celestial sphere!)

Question 18

The path of the Sun along the celestial sphere is called the

Answer 18

ecliptic.

Question 19

True or False: The ecliptic is the same as the celestial equator.

Answer 19

FALSE!

Question 20

What is the reason for the seasons?

Answer 20

Earth’s spherical shape and tilted axis affect the energy it receives from the Sun.

Question 21

What is the cycle of moon phases, in order?

Answer 21

New moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent

Question 22

What causes the phases of the moon?

Answer 22

The moon’s orbit around Earth.

Question 23

True or false: Half of the moon’s surface is illuminated by the Sun nearly all the time.

Answer 23

TRUE!

Question 24

Light reflected from the Sun to the Earth to the moon to the Earth is

Answer 24

earthshine

Question 25

When does the summer solstice take place?

Answer 25

June

Question 26

When does the winter solstice take place?

Answer 26

December

Question 27

When does the autumnal equinox take place?

Answer 27

September

Question 28

When does the vernal equinox take place?

Answer 28

March

Question 29

What happens during an equinox?

Answer 29

Both the day and night are 12 hours long (divides the perceived day exactly in half).

Question 30

What happens during the summer solstice?

Answer 30

The sun is at the highest point in the sky / it covers the most of the northern hemisphere all year.

Question 31

What happens during the winter solstice?

Answer 31

The sun is the least present all year / it covers the Southern Hemisphere the most and the northern hemisphere the least all year.

Question 32

What happens to stars near the north celestial pole (never rise, never set or rise and set?)

Answer 32

never set

Question 33

What happens to stars near the south celestial pole (never rise, never set or rise and set?)

Answer 33

never rise

Question 34

What happens to stars between the north celestial pole and the south celestial pole (never rise, never set or rise and set?)

Answer 34

rise and set

Question 35

The apparent displacement of an object depending on where you stand is the

Answer 35

parallax.

Question 36

The zodiac constellations are on the

Answer 36

ecliptic.

Question 37

What is our cosmic address?

Answer 37

We are on the planet Earth, in the Solar System, in the Milky Way galaxy, in the Virgo supercluster, in the universe.

Question 38

The line that separates day from night is the

Answer 38

terminator.

Question 39

The stars near the northern celestial pole that never set are also called

Answer 39

circumpolar stars.

Question 40

The higher the latitude of the Sun, the further north from the equator, making the Sun appear ________ in the sky.

Answer 40

lower

Question 41

The lower the latitude of the Sun, the further south from the equator, making the Sun appear ________ in the sky.

Answer 41

higher

Question 42

During a lunar eclipse, the _________ passes into the shadow of the __________.

Answer 42

the moon passes into the shadow of the Earth

Question 43

During a solar eclipse, the _________ is obstructed by the __________.

Answer 43

Sun is obstructed by the moon