term 1 exam - UCQ Flashcards
What celestial event is the Heel Stone aligned with?
a.
Sunrise on the summer solstice
b.
Sunrise on the winter solstice
c.
Sunset on the vernal equinox
d.
Sunset on the summer solstice
e.
Sunset on the winter solstice
f.
Sunrise on the vernal equinox
a. Sunrise on the summer solstice
What does the term Solstice translate to?
a.
Equal night
b.
Sun equal
c.
Sun standing still
d.
Equant point
e.
Equal day
c. Sun standing still
On the equinox, the sun will rise and set in the directions of
a.
north of East and north of West, respectively
b.
north of East and south of West, respectively
c.
due West and due East, respectively
d.
We cannot know which direction unless we know where on Earth we are
e.
due East and due West, respectively
e. due East and due West, respectively
If you held your hand up to the sky, how many finger-widths would it take to span the full width of the Full Moon?
a.
One-tenth of the width of 1 finger
b.
The width of 2 fingers
c.
A half of the width of 1 finger
d.
The width of all 4 fingers
c. A half of the width of 1 finger
Which of the following cycles of the sky has NOT been recognizable to sky watchers since ancient times?
a.
The annual parallax of the stars
b.
The monthly phases of the Moon
c.
The annual cycle of the Sun
d.
The cycles of the visible planets
a. The annual parallax of the stars
Latitude measures what on Earth?
a.
Distance, in degrees, north or south of the equator
b.
Angle, in degrees, from the Sun to the Moon
c.
Distance, in degrees, east or west of the prime meridian
d.
Distance from the Earth to the Sun
a.Distance, in degrees, north or south of the equator
What causes Earth’s seasons to change throughout a full year?
a.
Our atmosphere gets thicker in the summer, making it warmer. It gets thinner in the winter, making it colder.
b.
The changing temperature of the Sun over one year causes our seasons to change.
c.
The Earth changes its physical distance from the Sun, closer to the Sun in the summer and farther from the Sun in the winter
d.
The changing amount of direct or indirect sunlight as a result of Earth’s tilted north-south axis
d. The changing amount of direct or indirect sunlight as a result of Earth’s tilted north-south axis
What is the shortest day of the year?
a.
Autumnal equinox
b.
Vernal equinox
c.
Summer solstice
d.
Winter solstice
d. Winter solstice
Other than the well-known solar alignment of Stonehenge, what other possible alignment of Stonehenge with the Sun can be interpreted from the site?
a.
Sunset on the winter solstice
b.
Sunset on the summer solstice
c.
Sunrise on the summer solstice
d.
Sunset on the autumnal equinox
e.
Sunrise on the winter solstice
a. Sunset on the winter solstice
Which of the following statements about the cycles of the Sun is FALSE?
a.
Polar days & polar nights only occur at latitudes north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle
b.
On the equinoxes, day and night are equal in length
c.
The latitude of 23.5°N was named the “Tropic of Cancer” because when it was named, the Sun was in the Cancer constellation on the day the Sun is directly overhead at this latitude
d.
In the northern hemisphere, the azimuth of the noon Sun is due North
d. In the northern hemisphere, the azimuth of the noon Sun is due North
What is the origin of our units of time (i.e., 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute?)
a.
The base of the Babylonian number system
b.
The base of the Egyptian number system
c.
The number of Babylonian constellations which rise at regular intervals throughout the night and day
d.
The number of Ancient Egyptian constellations which rise at regular intervals throughout the night & day
b. The base of the Egyptian number system
What about the Dec 21, 2012 date was significant for the Mayan culture?
a.
It is believed to be the date the Mayans thought to be the beginning of humanity
b.
It is the end of a 584 year cycle
c.
It was the end of the long count calendar
d.
It is the end of the 12th Baktun
e.
It was predicted to be the end of the world by the Mayans
c. It was the end of the long count calendar
Which of the following statements about the tables in the Mayan Dresden codex is FALSE?
a.
The rows of 4 Tzolk’in dates correspond to the appearances and disappearances of the planet Venus
b.
An eclipse was seen by the Maya, without fail, on every date predicted in their eclipse table
c.
The repeated occurrences of the number 177 and 148 tell us that the Maya recognized that eclipses have a tendency to occur after sequences of either 6 or 5 lunations
d.
The eclipse tables took decades of eclipse tracking in order for the full eclipse cycle to reveal itself, causing many other ancient civilizations to assume that eclipses are unpredictable
e.
The total number of rows in the tables enables the tables to be used for eternity
b. An eclipse was seen by the Maya, without fail, on every date predicted in their eclipse table
Which of the following statements about the zodiac constellations is FALSE?
a.
During the month of your birthday, your zodiac sign cannot be seen in the sky because it is below the horizon at night
b.
Your true zodiac sign is the constellation that passed through the zenith in the month that you were born
c.
The zodiac constellations are composed of the groups of stars that the Sun and the planets pass in front of throughout their cycles in the sky
d.
Our zodiac signs have shifted since they were first defined by the Ancient Greeks because of the precession of the Earth’s spin axis
b.
Your true zodiac sign is the constellation that passed through the zenith in the month that you were born
What is the Augural text’s purpose?
a.
Text in the Mayan eclipse tables that teaches Mayans how to perform certain rituals
b.
Text in the Mayan eclipse tables that foretells of great times as a result of an eclipse
c.
Text from the Dresden Codex that talks about the Venus cycle
d.
Text in the Mayan eclipse tables that foretells of possible bad outcomes from an eclipse
d.
Text in the Mayan eclipse tables that foretells of possible bad outcomes from an eclipse
The god Kukulkan’s name roughly translates to:
a.
Feathered dragon
b.
Plumed dragon
c.
Feathered lizard
d.
Plumed lizard
e.
Plumed serpent
e.
Plumed serpent
What base was the Babylonian number system in?
a.
16
b.
20
c.
60
d.
2
e.
10
c.
60
How long is the Venus cycle?
a.
29.5 days
b.
20 days
c.
584 days
d.
365.25 days
e.
584 years
c.
584 days
In present day we call it Mercury, but it was originally named what by the Babylonians?
a.
Hermes
b.
Nabu
c.
Ishtar
d.
Aphrodite
b.
Nabu
In the southern hemisphere, all stars appear to rotate around the south celestial pole. If you watched this motion over the course of one night, which direction would the circumpolar stars appear to be moving?
a.
east to west
b.
counter-clockwise
c.
clockwise
d.
west to east
e.
north to south
c.
clockwise
What is one of the main reasons Thales began searching for explanations of natural phenomena without invoking the use of gods?
a.
Thales was exposed to multiple religion’s views on why various natural phenomena occur
b.
Thales was best known for setting the earth ‘afloat’ in space
c.
Thales was the first to create a model of the universe and use the model to solve issues
d.
Earthquakes were really easy to predict.
a.
Thales was exposed to multiple religion’s views on why various natural phenomena occur
What specific measurement led Aristarchus to the belief that the Earth may not be at the centre of the solar system?
a.
He measured the Moon to be much further away than the Sun
b.
He measured the Sun to be much further away than the Moon
c.
He measured the size of the Sun to be much larger than the Earth
d.
He measured the size of the Sun to be much smaller than the Earth
e.
He measured the Moon to be about half the size of Earth
c.
He measured the size of the Sun to be much larger than the Earth
Which of the following observations does not show us that Earth is round?
a.
Earth’s shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse is always round
b.
Distant ships disappear on the horizon bottom-first
c.
When an observer walks south, the southern constellations rise up more rapidly than they would if Earth were flat
d.
When the Sun is directly overhead, shadows on Earth disappear
d.
When the Sun is directly overhead, shadows on Earth disappear
What did Aristotle believe about comets?
a.
They cannot be celestial bodies because they do not appear eternal
b.
They orbit the Earth in constant circular motion between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
c.
They orbit the Sun in highly eccentric elliptical orbits
d.
They are new stars being born
a.
They cannot be celestial bodies because they do not appear eternal
The model of which astronomer has the Antikythera Mechanism been tentatively attributed to, and why?
a.
Ptolemy, because the vases and other treasures discovered with the Antikythera Mechanism were known to have come from Alexandria, where Ptolemy lived
b.
Eudoxus, because the paths of the planets predicted by the device match their paths in his lifetime
c.
Hipparchus, because some of the device’s components appear to be based on his theory of the moon’s motion
d.
Apollonius, because the Roman writer Cicero declared that sophisticated astronomical devices were found among the ruins of Perga, where Apollonius lived
c.
Hipparchus, because some of the device’s components appear to be based on his theory of the moon’s motion
What does the term ‘Sidereal Year’ refer to?
a.
The time it takes for the Sun’s position on the sky to move through the entire zodiac and return to its starting position
b.
The length of an epicycle of Mars
c.
The length of an epicycle of Jupiter
d.
The time it takes between two successive summer solstices, for example
e.
The time it takes for the Sun to orbit the Earth once
a.
The time it takes for the Sun’s position on the sky to move through the entire zodiac and return to its starting position
Which of the following statements about Earth’s precession is FALSE?
Question 7Answer
a.
Due to precession, Polaris disappears every 26,000 years
b.
It was used to determine that the celestial globe on the Farnese status of Atlas was constructed from Hipparchus’ star catalogue
c.
It causes the Sun’s position in the sky at a given date and time to shift by a small angle each year
d.
It was discovered by Hipparchus
a.
Due to precession, Polaris disappears every 26,000 years
Which of the following statements about The Almagest is FALSE?
Question 8Answer
a.
It was originally written entitled Mathematical Treatise by Ptolemy
b.
It is the name of the 2nd book that Aristarchus wrote and was thought lost to obscurity
c.
The title The Almagest is the Latin translation for the book’s Arabic title, which was The Greatest Book in Arabic
d.
It is often considered to be one of the first comprehensive astronomical textbooks
b.
It is the name of the 2nd book that Aristarchus wrote and was thought lost to obscurity
Pythagoras built a very large cult/religion, who believed that…
a.
they should worship numbers and mathematical laws as if they were gods
b.
that the universe cannot be known fully, and we cannot trust our sense to observe it
c.
the universe was full of a fifth element called quintessence
d.
earthquakes are causes by water sloshing around underneath the ground we walk on
a.
they should worship numbers and mathematical laws as if they were gods
