Question 1

When a planet temporarily moves westward in the sky over the course of several weeks or months (instead of eastward, as it typically does) , we call it:

Accepted Answer

A)   precession
B)   ecliptic motion
C)   retrograde motion
D)   circumpolar motion
E)   rudeF) A) and C)
G) B) and E)

Question 2

In Ptolemy's system the planets orbit the Earth and not the Sun. How did the system explain the retrograde motion of planets like Jupiter?

Accepted Answer

A)   the planets were not moving along the ecliptic but all over the celestial sphere
B)   the planets moved in very elongated ellipses, and their speed in orbit changed radically over the course of a year
C)   the Sun moved among the planets, and pulled them out of their circular orbits
D)   the planets moved on a small circle whose center, in turn, circled a point near the Earth
E)   you can't fool me, Ptolemy's system did not include ANY explanation of retrograde motion _________________________________________________________________________2) 3 Astrology and AstronomyF) D) and E)
G) B) and E)

Question 3

The Sun's apparent path around the celestial sphere is called

Accepted Answer

A)   the horizon
B)   the circumpolar zone
C)   the celestial equator
D)   the celestial hot-zone
E)   the eclipticF) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 4

From horizon to opposite horizon, the sky takes up how much angular distance?

Accepted Answer

A)   90 degrees
B)   180 degrees
C)   360 degrees
D)   100 degrees
E)   you can't fool me, this number varies with latitudeF) C) and D)
G) A) and C)

Question 5

Someone who observes the sky every clear night in Boston for many years will NEVER get to see:

Accepted Answer

A)   the south circumpolar zone
B)   the north celestial pole
C)   the observer's zenith point
D)   the north circumpolar zone
E)   the Big DipperF) B) and C)
G) A) and E)

Question 6

As seen from the continental United States, the Big and Little Dipper

Accepted Answer

A)   are below the horizon throughout the year
B)   are at the zenith throughout the year
C)   are on the celestial equator throughout the year
D)   are in the north circumpolar zone throughout the year
E)   none of the aboveF) A) and C)
G) C) and E)

Question 7

In Copernicus' day, people were worried about the idea that the celestial sphere seemed to turn around us once a day because the Earth rotates. They argued that if the Earth were to rotate so fast, it should fly apart. According to our textbook, what was one response Copernicus had to this worry?

Accepted Answer

A)   Copernicus said that the presence of a large Moon kept the Earth from flying apart.
B)   Copernicus argued that God would never allow a planet with people to be exposed to that kind of danger
C)   Copernicus said that the Earth also orbits the Sun, and the motion around the Sun keeps the many parts of the Earth together
D)   Copernicus argued that the idea that the much larger celestial sphere is turning once a day (and the Earth is not)  meant that the celestial sphere would be torn apart even more
E)   You can't fool me, Copernicus never thought that the Earth was rotatingF) B) and D)
G) A) and C)

Question 8

Which of the following was NOT done by Hipparchus, the great ancient astronomer?

Accepted Answer

A)   compiled a pioneering catalog of the positions of hundreds of stars
B)   created the system of star magnitudes that we still use today
C)   discovered that the Earth has a motion called precession
D)   explained retrograde motion
E)   you can't fool me; Hipparchus did all of the aboveF) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 9

Which ancient Greek thinker suggested (long before Copernicus)  that the Earth is moving around the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)   Aristotle
B)   Aristarchus
C)   Eratosthenes
D)   Hipparchus
E)   ZorbaF) D) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 10

The star that is currently closest to the North Celestial Pole is:

Accepted Answer

A)   Arcturus
B)   Betelgeuse
C)   Polaris
D)   Rigel
E)   Nicole KidmanF) All of the above
G) A) and E)

Question 11

The slow tipping of the Earth's axis in a circle with a period of about 26,000 years is called:

Accepted Answer

A)   precession
B)   ecliptic motion
C)   retrograde motion
D)   deferential motion
E)   revolutionF) B) and C)
G) B) and E)

Question 12

The strip of the sky through which the Sun, the Moon, and the bright planets appear to move in the course of a year is called:

Accepted Answer

A)   the zodiac
B)   the celestial equator
C)   the circumpolar zone
D)   the horizon
E)   the asteroid beltF) A) and C)
G) B) and C)

Question 13

The south celestial pole and the north celestial pole lie in the sky directly above

Accepted Answer

A)   the Earth's equator
B)   the observer's zenith
C)   the ecliptic
D)   the Earth's axis
E)   the town of Bayonne, New JerseyF) A) and D)
G) All of the above

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT an argument for showing that the Earth must be round:

Accepted Answer

A)   during an eclipse of the Moon, the shadow of the Earth is always seen to be round
B)   when ships travel a large distance away, we see their hulls disappear first and their masts disappear last
C)   the height of the North Star changes as we travel to different latitudes
D)   photographs of the Earth from space always show a round body
E)   the Sun is seen blocking different constellations in the course of a yearF) A) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 15

If the Earth goes around the Sun, why is the ecliptic not lined up with the celestial equator?

Accepted Answer

A)   the ecliptic is a circle fixed in the sky, but the celestial equator is different for observers at different latitudes
B)   the Earth's orbit is not a circle but an ellipse
C)   the Earth's axis is tilted by about 23 degrees from the vertical
D)   the pull of the other planets makes the Earth wobble significantly in the course of a year
E)   the land mass of the Earth is more concentrated in the Northern HemisphereF) C) and D)
G) A) and E)

Question 16

Let's say we find a star that is located on the points or circles in the sky listed in the answer choices below. Then, on the same night, we move to a location on Earth that is some significant distance from our first location. There will now be a different star at or on:

Accepted Answer

A)   the celestial north pole
B)   the zenith
C)   the celestial equator
D)   the celestial south pole
E)   all of the aboveF) All of the above
G) A) and D)

Question 17

How did Eratosthenes measure the size of the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   by walking about one-quarter of the way around its circumference
B)   by measuring the times of sunrise in each of the four seasons
C)   by determining the parallax of the Moon and finding the size of its orbit
D)   by measuring the height of the Sun in the sky on the same day in two cities at different latitudes
E)   by asking Aristotle who knew everythingF) B) and C)
G) A) and E)

Exam 2: Observing the Sky: the Birth of Astronomy

From horizon to opposite horizon, the sky takes up how much angular distance?

Correct Answer
verified

Which ancient Greek thinker suggested (long before Copernicus) that the Earth is moving around the Sun?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following was NOT done by Hipparchus, the great ancient astronomer?

Correct Answer
verified

How did Eratosthenes measure the size of the Earth?

Correct Answer
verified

Someone who observes the sky every clear night in Boston for many years will NEVER get to see:

Correct Answer
verified

In Copernicus' day, people were worried about the idea that the celestial sphere seemed to turn around us once a day because the Earth rotates. They argued that if the Earth were to rotate so fast, it should fly apart. According to our textbook, what was one response Copernicus had to this worry?

Correct Answer
verified

The strip of the sky through which the Sun, the Moon, and the bright planets appear to move in the course of a year is called:

Correct Answer
verified

Let's say we find a star that is located on the points or circles in the sky listed in the answer choices below. Then, on the same night, we move to a location on Earth that is some significant distance from our first location. There will now be a different star at or on:

Correct Answer
verified

When a planet temporarily moves westward in the sky over the course of several weeks or months (instead of eastward, as it typically does) , we call it:

Correct Answer
verified

The Sun's apparent path around the celestial sphere is called

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following is NOT an argument for showing that the Earth must be round:

Correct Answer
verified

As seen from the continental United States, the Big and Little Dipper

Correct Answer
verified

The slow tipping of the Earth's axis in a circle with a period of about 26,000 years is called:

Correct Answer
verified

In Ptolemy's system the planets orbit the Earth and not the Sun. How did the system explain the retrograde motion of planets like Jupiter?

Correct Answer
verified

The south celestial pole and the north celestial pole lie in the sky directly above

Correct Answer
verified

If the Earth goes around the Sun, why is the ecliptic not lined up with the celestial equator?

Correct Answer
verified

The star that is currently closest to the North Celestial Pole is:

Correct Answer
verified

Exam 2: Observing the Sky: the Birth of Astronomy

From horizon to opposite horizon, the sky takes up how much angular distance?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which ancient Greek thinker suggested (long before Copernicus) that the Earth is moving around the Sun?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following was NOT done by Hipparchus, the great ancient astronomer?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How did Eratosthenes measure the size of the Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Someone who observes the sky every clear night in Boston for many years will NEVER get to see:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In Copernicus' day, people were worried about the idea that the celestial sphere seemed to turn around us once a day because the Earth rotates. They argued that if the Earth were to rotate so fast, it should fly apart. According to our textbook, what was one response Copernicus had to this worry?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The strip of the sky through which the Sun, the Moon, and the bright planets appear to move in the course of a year is called:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Let's say we find a star that is located on the points or circles in the sky listed in the answer choices below. Then, on the same night, we move to a location on Earth that is some significant distance from our first location. There will now be a different star at or on:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When a planet temporarily moves westward in the sky over the course of several weeks or months (instead of eastward, as it typically does) , we call it:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Sun's apparent path around the celestial sphere is called

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is NOT an argument for showing that the Earth must be round:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

As seen from the continental United States, the Big and Little Dipper

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The slow tipping of the Earth's axis in a circle with a period of about 26,000 years is called:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In Ptolemy's system the planets orbit the Earth and not the Sun. How did the system explain the retrograde motion of planets like Jupiter?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The south celestial pole and the north celestial pole lie in the sky directly above

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If the Earth goes around the Sun, why is the ecliptic not lined up with the celestial equator?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The star that is currently closest to the North Celestial Pole is:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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