Today is Monday,
th
April 27 , 2015
Pre-Class:
Today we are reviewing.
Have your questions ready!
Today’s Agenda
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Review
Review
Birds?
Review
Review Game Rules
• I will ask a question to the class.
• Each participant (that’s you) writes down the
answer silently.
– Not each group…each individual.
• After a few moments, I will say, “Compare
answers.”
• Each of you will look at what the other wrote.
Review Game Rules
• Did you each get the right answer?
– 2 points.
• Did one of you get the right answer?
– 1 point.
• Neither of you?
– For shame. 0 points.
– And eternal guilt.
Review Game Rules
• The List of Do Nots:
– Do not talk to each other, make noises, gesture,
give answers (my discretion here) between when
the question has been read and when I say,
“Compare answers.”
• Doing so will result in a disqualification for that round.
Don’t believe me? Try it.
– Do not fall asleep when I’m getting scores.
• If you’re not paying attention, I’m not giving you points.
Review Question 1
• During any eclipse, the Moon, Earth, and Sun
all align. What is the correct order of those
celestial bodies during a total solar eclipse,
starting with the Sun?
– Sun  Moon  Earth.
Review Question 2
• During any eclipse, the Moon, Earth, and Sun
all align. What is the correct order of those
celestial bodies during an annular solar
eclipse, starting with the Sun?
– Sun  Moon  Earth.
Review Question 3
• What’s the difference between an annular
solar eclipse and a total solar eclipse?
– During an annular solar eclipse, the Moon’s
primary shadow does not quite touch the Earth’s
surface. The Sun shows an annulus (ring of fire)
around the Moon.
– During a total solar eclipse, the Moon’s primary
shadow does touch the Earth’s surface and the
Sun’s corona is visible around the Moon.
Review Question 4
• The Moon’s main shadow during an eclipse is
called what? What is the “secondary” shadow
of the Moon called? MUST GET BOTH FOR
CREDIT.
– Primary shadow = Umbra.
– Secondary shadow = Penumbra.
Review Question 5
• Imagine three separate spacecraft.
– Spaceship 1 flies 10 light years/hour.
– Spaceship 2 flies 10 astronomical units/hour.
– Spaceship 3 flies 10 parsecs/hour.
• Which spaceship is flying fastest?
– Spaceship 3.
– One parsec equals 3.26 light years or 63,235.29 AU.
Review Question 6
• BONUS NON-ASTRONOMY QUESTION
• You may wager any/all of your points.
• Category: Inventions
• When electricity was in the early days of
becoming commercialized, two men debated
(feuded over) which type of current should be
used, alternating current (AC) or direct current
(DC). Who were these two men/sides in the War
of the Currents?
– Pro AC: Nikola Tesla
– Pro DC: Thomas Edison
Review Question 7
• The equivalent of longitude on the celestial
sphere is known as…what?
– Right ascension (RA or ).
Review Question 8
• In what units is RA measured?
– Hours/minutes/seconds (time).
• NOT degrees (°).
Review Question 9
• If neither the Northern Hemisphere nor the
Southern Hemisphere is more directly angled
toward the Sun, what type of day of the year
is it?
• (Hint: There are two of these days each year)
– The day is an equinox.
Review Question 10
• What are the names of the two equinoxes?
– Vernal (spring) equinox.
– Autumnal (fall) equinox.
Review Question 11
• What’s 3.45 x 10-3 in scientific notation?
• 0.00345
Review Question 12
• What’s (3 x 10-3) x (5 x 10-5) in scientific
notation?
• 1.5 x 10-7
Review Question 13
• What’s (3 x 10-3) + (5 x 10-5) in scientific
notation?
• 3.05 x 10-3
Review Question 14
• BONUS NON-ASTRONOMY QUESTION
• You may wager any/all of your points.
• Category: Birds
• Which bird has the longest migration route (by
distance) each year?
– The Arctic Tern (12,000+ miles from the Arctic
Circle to the Antarctic Circle).
Review Question 15
• If you were looking down on the solar system
from above the Sun, which way would Saturn
be revolving?
– Counterclockwise. All planets in the solar system
rotate counterclockwise (as does the Sun).
Review Question 16
• Fill in the blanks – you must get all of them for
credit:
• The Apollo 11 astronauts landed in one of the
___-colored regions of the moon, which is rich
in lava-like rock. These regions are collectively
called ___.
– dark … maria
Review Question 17
• How are the Moon and Sun oriented relative
to Earth when there is a neap tide?
– They are at right angles to one another,
“canceling” each other’s gravity.
Review Question 18
• What does synchronous rotation mean?
– Like Earth’s Moon, the periods of rotation and
revolution are equal.
– In other words, the same side of the Moon always
faces Earth.
Review Question 19
• For the Moon, in days, how long does that
period of synchronous rotation take?
– 27.3 days.
Review Question 20
• What do we call that period? Be specific.
– A synodic month.
Review Question 21
• How long does it take for a synodic day?
– 24 hours. If you’re thinking 29.5 days, you’re
thinking of a synodic month.
Review Question 22
• BONUS NON-ASTRONOMY QUESTION
• You may wager any/all of your points.
• Category: Sports
• From its founding until 1967, the NHL only
had six teams. Which six cities did those
teams call home?
– New York (Rangers), Chicago (Blackhawks), Detroit
(Red Wings), Boston (Bruins), Montreal
(Canadiens), Toronto (Maple Leafs).
Review Question 23
• Which star appears to move relatively very
little in the Northern Hemisphere’s night sky?
– Polaris, which is nearly at a +90° declination.
Review Question 24
• Which side of the Moon is estimated to be
older?
– The far side of the Moon, since it has many more
craters than the near side.
Review Question 25
• The seasons are due in large part to the axial
tilt of the Earth. Over many thousands of
years, the Earth’s axis appears to “wobble”
much like a top that is losing kinetic energy.
What is the name for that axial wobble, due in
large part to the gravity of the Moon?
– Precession.