PH109 Exploring the Universe, Spring, 2012, Test #1
Please indicate the best answer to the following questions on the answer sheet provided.
1) Which planet orbits fastest around the Sun?
a) Mercury, b) Venus, c) Earth, d) Jupiter
2) Which person invented Calculus?
a) Galileo, b) Kepler, c) Newton, d) Ptolemy
3) Polaris, the North Star, does not appear to move in the sky because:
a. The stars are fixed relative to each other.
b. It lies approximately over the northern axis of the Earth.
c. It is too nearby for its motion to be discernible.
d. It is located directly overhead for everyone on Earth.
4) When the sun appears to cross the celestial equator from the north to the south this is called
a) winter solstice, b) spring equinox, c) fall equinox, d) summer solstice
5) If we are at vernal equinox and I notice the sun is directly overhead at noon what can I say
a) my latitude is 23.5 degrees north, b) my latitude is 23.5 degrees south,
c) I am at the equator, d) I am at the north pole
6) Viewed looking down upon the North Pole, the Earth would be seen rotating:
a. clockwise, b. counter-clockwise, c. neither, it doesn't rotate, d. north to south
7) The observed changing positions of the stars during a night is the result of the
a) tilt of the Earth's axis , b) rotation of the Earth on its axis
c) rotation of the stars on their axes, d) revolution of the Earth around the sun
8) The phases of the moon are caused by
a) the moon moving in and out of Earth's shadow
b) different fractions of the moon being illuminated by the sun
c) different degrees of darkness on the moon
d) different amounts of the illuminated half of the moon being visible from Earth
9) If the Earth were inclined more on its axis than it currently is, what would be the consequences?
a) more drastic seasons, b) a longer year, c) less drastic seasons, d) no solstices or equinoxes
10) A planet in a highly elliptical orbit has its greatest speed when
a) it is closest to the Sun, b) when it is furthest from the Sun
c) when the Sun is on the equator, d) when the Sun is on the solstice
11) Why are there seven days of the week on our current calendars?
a) seven was the only number which was easily divided into the number of months of the year,
b) seven was considered a "magic" number,
c) that was how many celestial objects in the sky moved with respect to other objects,
d) the Roman kingdom of the time had seven regions
12) What do we call the event when the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon's surface
a) lunar eclipse, b) solar eclipse, c) evening solstice, d) shadow time
13) Galileo's observations of the gibbous phase of Venus proved
a. that Venus orbited the sun., b. that Earth orbited the sun.
c. that all of the planets orbited the sun., d. that the moon orbited Earth.
14) Which one of Kepler's laws explains what happens when a twilling ice skater brings their arms towards
their center?
a) the planets follow ellipses, b) P2 = a3, c) equal areas in equal times, d) Fg=GMM/d2
15) What did Galileo observe with the planet Jupiter that helped change the view of our solar system?
a) Jupiter had a giant “Red Spot” that rotated around the planet.
b) Jupiter was in orbit slower than the Earth.
c) Jupiter had four moons in orbit around it.
d) Jupiter was not perfect but had moving clouds of gas.
16) The apparent path of the sun around the celestial sphere against the background of the stars during the year is
a) celestial meridian, b) ecliptic, c) sun's diurnal circle, d) celestial equator
17) The angular distance of an object from the horizon is its
a) latitude, b) declination, c) altitude, d) right ascension
18) What time of day does the full Moon rise?
a) sunset, b) sunrise, c) noon, d) midnight
19) What is the approximate azimuth (az) elevation (el) of Venus just as it rises?
a) az= 140o, el= 10o b) az= 90o, el= 90o c) az= 90o, el=10o d) az=270o, el=10o
20) Retrograde motion is when
a) planets stop their forward motion in their orbit and perform a loop in the sky
b) planets that orbit the Sun in a clockwise direction suddenly go counter clockwise.
c) the apparent loop a planet makes in the sky when overtaken by another planet
d) when planets are held back one grade instead of advancing
21) The average distance from Earth to the sun is
a) 1 ly, b) 1 million km, c) 1 million miles, d) 1 AU
22) The vernal equinox occurs in the month of
a) December, b) March, c) June, d) September
23) The sun is highest (greatest declination) at the
a) vernal equinox, b) winter solstice, c) autumnal equinox, d) summer solstice
24) If an object is moving away from you, what effect do you observe in the spectrum of that object?
a) It appears red-shifted, b) The light appears to be moving faster.
c) All the spectral lines appear broadened, d) It appears blue-shifted.
25) Local noon corresponds to the time when the Sun is at the
a) zenith, b) meridian, c) nadir, d) ecliptic
26) A shift in the direction of an object caused by a change in the position of an observer is called
a) parallax, b) precession, c) the Coriolis effect, d) epicycle motion
27) I wake up in the middle of the night and notice that it is 12:00 midnight and that the Moon is on my
eastern horizon. What is the phase of the Moon that I see?
a) new Moon, b) first quarter, c) full Moon, d) third quarter
28) Why are there 12 months in a year on our current calendar?
a) the year is easily divisible into 12 parts, b) 12 was considered a "magic" number,
c) there are 12 lunar cycles in a year, d) because there are 12 Zodiac signs in the sky
29) I observe the spectra of a star and see that it periodically is red and then blue shifted what may I deduce
a) it is in some kind of binary orbit, b) its atoms are vibrating, c) it is very hot, d) it is very cold
30) A way of combining telescopes to synthesize a larger telescope is called
a) adaptive optics, b) interferometry, c) super position, d) reflecting telescope
31) A light year is
a) the characteristic size of light , b) the distance the Earth travels around the sun in one year
c) the distance light travels in one year, d) the time it takes light to travel around the Earth's orbit
32) England is about 1/4 of the way around Earth from Chicago. On a night when people in Chicago
see a full moon, people in England see
a) a new moon, b) a first quarter moon, c) a full moon, d ) a third quarter moon
33) Which constellation contains stars which "point" to the north star
a) Big Dipper, b) Orion, c) Little Dipper, d) Northern Cross
34) The point directly over an observer's head is that observer's
a) equator, b) pole, c) zenith, d) node
35) What is the relative size of the Moon to the Earth?
a) 1/4 as big, b) 1/2 as big, c) 1/3 as big, d) 1/10 as big
36) A police officer tells me that I my blue shift velocity exceeded posted limits. What does he mean?
a) you were speeding away from him, b) you were speeding toward him,
c) you were stopped, d) you were going too slow
37) All large modern telescopes are
a. Refractors, b. Cassegrains, c. Reflectors, d. Coudes
38) The ability of a telescope to image faint objects depends on the area of its lens. If I double the
diameter of a circular telescope, what happens to its ability to image faint objects?
a) remains the same, b) increases by two, c) increases by four, d) increase by five
39) One advantage of a refracting telescope is.
a) cheaper, b) bigger, c) better resolution, d) better color retention
40) Which event occurs more frequently?
a) lunar eclipse, b) solar eclipse, c) you win the lottery, d) you get hit by lightening