Exam 1 for Astronomy

Which of these orbits will have the longest orbital period around the Sun?

Semimajor axis of 63 AU

How long does it take for Earth’s Moon to go through a full set phases?

29.5 days

A heliocentric model of the solar system with circular planetary orbits was published by

Copernicus

On Earth, you can see the entire celestial sphere over time if you are located at

the equator

In Newton’s law, F=ma, the quantity F (force) and the quantity a (acceleration) are

Directly proportional

Planets with highly eccentric orbits may be unlikely candidates for life because

Their temperature varies too much

Planets with highly eccentric orbits may be unlikely candidates for life because

Their temperature varies too much

The correct way to round 72,357,000 to three significant figures is

7.24×10^7

Due to Earth’s rotation, all non-circumpolar stars rise in the ___ and set in the ___

east, west

On the June solstice on Earth, the sun will be directly above ____ and all locations north of ____ will experience daylight all day

The Tropic of Cancer; the Arctic Circle

An astronomical unit (AU) is the

Average distance between Earth and the Sun

Knowing Earth’s orbital speed and Earth’s average distance from the Sun, one can calculate the

mass of the Sun

Astronomers discover an asteroid that orbits the sun with perihelion near Venus’s orbit and aphelion beyond Jupiter’s orbit. This comet will

Obey Newton’s laws of motion

Knowing Earth’s orbital speed and Earth’s average distance from the Sun, one can calculate the

mass of the Sun

Astronomers discover an asteroid that orbits the sun with parhelion near Venus’s orbit and aphelion beyond Jupiter’s orbit. This comet will

Obey Newton’s laws of motion

At what time of year is the sun highest on the meridian at noon?

Summer solstice

If the Moon was full one week ago, what phase should the Moon have today?

Third Quarter

In the Moon was full one week ago, what phase should the Moon have today?

Third Quarter

In an ellipse the ratio of the distance between the foci to the length of the major axis is

the eccentricity

Which object was predicted to exist before it was discovered?

Neptune

Which statement about Polaris is NOT true?

Polaris is visible to all observers on Earth

If the distance between Earth and the Moon doubled the gravitational force between them would.

Decrease by a factor of 4

If a solar eclipse occurs today, when is the soonest that the next possible eclipse can occur?

In 2 weeks at the next full moon

The most common element in the universe is

Hydrogen

If a solar eclipse occurs today, when is the soonest that the next possible eclipse can occur

In 2 weeks at the next eclipse season

Which of the following statements describes the orbital motion of most of the large objects in our solar system?

They orbit the sun in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from north

According to Newton’s laws, if you want to change the direction of an object’s motion you need to apply

A force

The constellation_____ contains the north celestial pole

Ursa Minor

The wobble of Earth’s axis over 26,000 years is formally called____

precession

The same side of the moon always faces toward Earth because

the moon rotates in the same amount of time that it orbits around Earth

Galileo observed a full set of phases for which planet

Venus

What is the angle of zenith on the sky?

90^o

Geocentric models of the solar system used epicycles to

explain the retrograde motion of planets

In what direction does a planet move, relative to background stars, when it is going retrograde?

From East toward West

At our latitude in Colorado Springs

About half of the visible stars are circumpolar and the other half rise and set each day

Which of the following does not represent the motion of an object when a net force is acting on the object?

An object travelling at a constant speed

Where on earth is there currently a high tide?

One the side of Earth facing toward the moon and the side facing away from the moon

How many constellations are there on the entire celestial sphere?

88

An angle exists between the ecliptic and the celestial equator because

Earth’s axis is tilted with respect to its orbit around the Sun

Which of the following eccentricities represents the most circular orbit?

e=0.05

Which orbit shape corresponds to an object that is traveling exactly at escape velocity?

Parabola

Galileo discovered four moons orbiting around which planet?

Jupiter

Why do we periodically add leap years to our calendars?

To account for the fact that a year is not a whole number of days

What are the units of acceleration in the metric system?

Meters per second squared

A full moon will rise

when the sun is setting

Who developed a geocentric model of the solar system that used circular orbits

Ptolemy

The number of degrees of arc that your location is east or west of the Prime Merdian is your

Longitude

You can decrease the force of gravity between two object by

Increasing the distance between the objects

Which of the following statements is NOT true on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes

The motion of the stars in the sky is different from other days

The gravitation force between two objects is_______ to the distance between the objects and ______ to the masses of the objects

Inversely proportional; directly proportional

About how often do eclipse seasons occur for Earth?

Every 6 months

Which law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction?

Newton’s third law

If the sun is halfway between the eastern horizon and your meridian then the local time is

9 am

At a latitude of +28^o how far above the horizon is the north celestial pole

28^o

Why is there a difference between Earth’s solar day and its sidereal day?

Earth is orbiting the Sun while it also rotates on its axis

How long does it take to travel from the Sun to earth if you’re traveling at the speed of light?

8.3 minutes

Which law describes the concept of inertia?

Newton’s first law

On March 20, Colorado will experience an astronomical event known as

Spring equinox

The Azimuth of a star located on the western horizon is

270 degrees

Which phase of the Moon rises at sunrise

New Moon

The zenith is

The point on the sky directly above and observer’s head

Which of these orbits is impossible to an object orbiting our sun?

an orbit with a semimajor axis of 1 AU and an orbital period of 7 years

In the metric system velocity is measured in units of____

m/s

The phase of the Moon today is a what??

look it up!

What is unique about the constellations of the zodiac?

Constellations of the zodiac lie along the ecliptic

Where on Earth will and observer have the greatest number of circumpolar stars on their sky?

On either the north pole or south pole