Astronomy 1: Midterm 1 Practice Exam
True/False (+2 pts each)
Indicate whether the sentence or statement is true or false. Mark A on your scantron for true and B for false.
____
1. Only at the North Pole would Polaris be directly above the observer.
____
2. The penumbra represents the darkest part of the shadow.
____
3. The heliocentric theory states that the Sun is at the center of the Universe.
____
4. Your mass on the Moon will equal to your mass on Earth.
____
5. Astronomy is one example of a pseudoscience.
____
6. South is located at an azimuth of 180 degrees.
Multiple Choice (+2 pts each)
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____
____
____
____
____
7. During the equinox, how many hours of daylight would we have?
a. 9 hours.
b. 12 hours.
c. 24 hours.
d. 15 hours.
8. The fixed coordinates of an object on a celestial sphere (lines of longitude and latitude) are called
a. altitude and meridian.
b. altitude and azimuth.
c. right ascension and declination.
d. right ascension and azimuth.
e. altitude and declination.
9. Which of the following is correctly ordered from smallest in size to largest in size?
a. star, planet, solar system, galaxy, universe
b. planet, star, galaxy, solar system, universe
c. planet, star, solar system, galaxy, universe
d. star, planet, solar system, universe, galaxy
10. How far away from us is our Sun?
a. 120 light years away
b. 4.2 light years away
c. 1.3 light seconds away
d. 5 billion light years away
e. 8.3 light minutes away
11. Which of the following do the 12 signs of the zodiac line up with?
a. ecliptic
b. azimuth
c. equator
d. horizon
e. galactic center
____ 12. Who possessed the best observations of the orbits of the planets and had a gold nose?
a. Aristotle
b. Brahe
c. Copernicus
d. Kepler
e. Ptolemy
____ 13. A lunar eclipse does not occur every month because
a. the ecliptic plane is tilted 23.5 degrees from the celestial equator.
b. most of the time the moon’s angular size is not the same as the Sun due to its elliptical
orbit.
c. the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth’s axis of rotation prevents us from directly aligning with
the moon.
d. the moon’s orbit is inclined 5 degrees from the ecliptic plane.
____ 14. Circumpolar star are stars that
a. do not appear to move.
b. never rise or set.
c. move perpendicular to the horizon.
d. rise in the East and set in the West.
____ 15. According to Newton, the gravity of an object depends upon its
a. weight and mass.
b. weight and size.
c. size and distance.
d. mass and distance.
e. size and mass.
____ 16. Approximately how long does it take for the Moon to complete a full cycle of phases?
a. 1 year
b. 1 month
c. 1 week
d. 1 day
____ 17. During which time of the year do we have the longest amount of daylight hours?
a. Spring equinox
b. Winter solstice
c. Summer solstice
d. Fall equinox
____ 18. The imaginary line that runs through North, South, and the zenith is called
a. the celestial equator
b. the ecliptic
c. the meridian
d. right ascension
e. declination
____ 19. Who conducted the pendulum experiment to prove that the Earth rotates?
a. Johannes Kepler
b. Jean Leon Foucault
c. Galileo Galilea
d. Nicolaus Copernicus
Short Answer (+2-3pts)
Record the answers to these questions directly on the exam and NOT on the scantron.
20. a) What is precession? b) How long does the cycle of precession last? c) What causes it to occur? (+3pts)
21. What is an annular eclipse? To earn full points, please include as much detail as possible. Include in your
answer whether it is a type of solar or a type of lunar eclipse. (+3pts).
22. Describe two of Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion. (+2pts)
Short Answer (+4pts)
Record the answers to these questions directly on the exam and NOT on the scantron.
23. Ptolemy’s theory and Copernicus’ theory both explained the retrograde motion of planets. Explain a) what is
retrograde motion b) the differences between the two theories and how they explained why retrograde motion
occurred in each of these theories.
Phases of the Moon (+9pts total)
The following is a diagram of the Earth and Moon as it orbits the Earth in 8 different positions (A-H). Assume that the
Sun’s rays hit the Moon from the right. a) Draw with an arrow on the dashed circle, the direction of the Moon’s orbit
around the Earth. (+1pt) b) For each position, label the name of the correct phase (+4pts). c) In the circles provided, draw
what the side of the moon facing the Earth would look like as seen from Earth (+4pts). In your drawing, shade (darken)
the part of the moon that is dark and leave white the part that is lit.
24.