Seasonal variations on a planet's surface are caused by

the tilt of the planet's spin axis with respect to the perpendicular to its orbital plane.

clouds that periodically form and disappear as the planet orbits the Sun.

volcanoes that erupt periodically because of tidal interactions and obscure the atmospheres of planets.

the variation of the planet's distance from the Sun during its passage around its elliptical orbit.

The nightly motion of objects across our sky from horizon to horizon is caused by

the rotation of the Earth on its axis.

the motion of the solar system around the Galaxy.

the revolution of the Earth around the Sun.

the rotation of the whole celestial sphere of stars around the fixed Earth.

Over the period of one complete year, an observer at the South Pole would be able to see what fraction of the overall sky?

Somewhat less than 50%, except in a leap year

A variable amount, depending on his longitude.

As an observer moves toward increasing latitude, the number of circumpolar stars

increases if the location of the observer is east of the Greenwich Meridian but decreases if the location is west of this meridian.

remains approximately constant.

Twice per year, when day and night are equal in length, the Sun is at one of two positions in the sky known as equinoxes. These points are the intersections of which two planes in the sky?

Celestial meridian and celestial equator

Ecliptic and celestial meridian

To someone on Earth who is watching a total lunar eclipse,

the Sun is hidden below the horizon.

the Sun is hidden behind the Moon.

the Sun is relatively high in the sky because the Earth-Moon line is at right angles to the Earth-Sun line.

the Moon is hidden behind the Sun.

Two celestial coordinates, which together describe a star's position precisely in our sky, are

right ascension and declination.

right ascension and sidereal time.

From any location on Earth, the zenith defines a direction

vertically above the North Pole.

vertically above a point on the equator.

The ecliptic can be defined as

the path traced out by the Sun in our sky over one year against the background stars.

the extension of the Earth's equator onto the sky.

the plane that is perpendicular to the Earth's spin axis.

the path traced out by the Moon in our sky in one month against the background stars.

Where would you have to be in order to see the north celestial pole directly over your head (i.e., in your zenith)?

At a position about 1 degree away from the South Pole, to account for precession

Are the constellations seasonal?

Yes, on a summer night many of the constellations you can see are different from those you can see on a winter night. But there are some constellations you can see all year long.

No, if you wait long enough, you can see all of the constellations on any clear night of the year.

Yes, on a summer night all the constellations you can see are different from those you can see on a winter night.

Yes. As the year progresses, the constellations change their positions with respect to each other. So every night brings a different mixtue of summer and winter constellations.

Polaris, the "pole star," is at present

within 1 degree of the north celestial pole.

precisely at the north celestial pole, by definition.

above the Earth's magnetic pole.

exactly perpendicular to the ecliptic plane (ecliptic pole).

Why is the period between two successive full Moons NOT equal to the Moon's orbital period, or sidereal month?

Because the Earth-Moon system is also orbiting the Sun

These two time intervals are not related because full Moon time depends on the Moon's rotation period about its own axis.

Because the Moon's orbit is inclined at about 5 degrees to the Earth's orbital plane

Because the Moon's orbit is elliptical, and the Moon therefore moves irregularly around the Earth

the slow coning motion of the spin axis of the Earth, similar to that of a spinning top.

the gradual reversal of the Earth's magnetic field.

the motion of the Earth along its orbital path during a year.

the daily spinning motion of the Earth, producing the apparent motion of the Sun and the stars.

In modern astronomy, the constellations are

88 non-overlapping sky regions, covering the whole sky.

specific patterns of stars that point to certain directions that are useful for navigation.

13 specific regions of stars through which the planets and Moon appear to move in our sky.

a small number of well-defined and separate groups of stars in our sky.

What is the major factor that governs whether a solar eclipse is total rather than annular, when viewed from the center of the eclipse path on Earth?

The altitude of the observing site, because observers on a mountaintop are closer to the Moon and this affects the eclipse geometry

The phase of the Moon; total eclipses occur at new Moon, whereas annular eclipses occur at quarter Moon

Astronomy - Chapter 1

Authored by Austin Grant

Other Sciences

9th - 12th Grade

Used 148+ times

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30 questions

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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

When we watch the nighttime sky, we find that

the stars and constellations remain fixed in our sky, not rising or setting in a time as short as one night because they are so far away.

most stars and constellations slowly rise in the east and set in the west.

most stars and constellations slowly rise in the west and set in the east.

all stars and constellations reach their highest point in the sky at midnight.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What is the phase of the Moon during a total lunar eclipse?

New

Full

Gibbous

First quarter

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

The Arctic Circle is defined as a line on the Earth where

the Sun always shines, winter or summer.

the Sun can be seen for 24 hours on at least one day of the year.

the Sun is always 23.5 degrees or more above or below the horizon.

the Sun never shines at any time of the year.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

The Moon does not look completely dark when it is in the Earth's shadow during a total solar eclipse because

of light reflected from the clouds on the Earth, the earthshine.

atmospheric refraction bends red solar light onto the Moon.

there are faint emissions from the tenuous lunar atmosphere, excited by solar wind bombardment.

there is a remnant glow from the hot lunar surface.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

If you follow a line through the "pointer stars" (the two stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper farthest from the handle) away from the open end of the dipper, the first moderately bright star you come to is

Polaris, the North Star.

Spica, in Virgo.

Arcturus, in Bootes.

Vega, in Lyra.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

The reason that leap years have an extra day is to account for the fact that

the Earth's rotation period is slowly increasing because of tidal effects.

the year is not exactly equal to an integral number of days.

the day is not exactly 24 hours because of the Earth's periodically varying rotation period.

the length of the year varies with a period of four years because of precession.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

The tilt angle of the Earth's spin axis to the direction perpendicular to the ecliptic (known as the ecliptic pole)

is 90 degrees and fixed.

varies rapidly through the year from 23.5 degrees to -23.5 degrees.

is 23.5 degrees and fixed.

is 0 degrees and fixed because this defines the ecliptic plane.

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Astronomy - Chapter 1

When we watch the nighttime sky, we find that

What is the phase of the Moon during a total lunar eclipse?

The Arctic Circle is defined as a line on the Earth where

The Moon does not look completely dark when it is in the Earth's shadow during a total solar eclipse because

If you follow a line through the "pointer stars" (the two stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper farthest from the handle) away from the open end of the dipper, the first moderately bright star you come to is

The reason that leap years have an extra day is to account for the fact that

The tilt angle of the Earth's spin axis to the direction perpendicular to the ecliptic (known as the ecliptic pole)

Seasonal variations on a planet's surface are caused by

The average distance from the Earth to the Sun, 149,600,000 km, can be written in shorthand notation as

The length of time for the Moon to move from new Moon to new Moon is known as one synodic month. Compared to one full orbital period with respect to the star background, or one sidereal month, this synodic month is

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