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WorksheetsPlanetary Motion Quiz Review
Total questions: 10
Worksheet time: 5mins
Daily motion that repeat on a 24 hour cycle are called ___ motions. Examples are sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moonset, and the rising and setting of the planets.
proper
diurnal
rotational
precession
Ptolemy used epicycles to explain the motions of the sun, moon, and planets in his ____ model of the solar system. that had everything orbiting Earth.
heliocentric
geocentric
orrery
According to Kepler's 1st Law, planets orbit the sun in _____ orbits.
circular
oval
elliptical
epicycle
Earth has a variety of motions. It orbits the sun, with a period of 1 year. It rotates on it's axis once a day. It also "wobbles" on its axis over a period of 26,000 years. Currently our north pole points at Polaris. In the distant past, it pointed at Thuban, in the constellation Draco. This "wobble" is called _____.
nutation
precession
retrograde motion
What is an astronomical unit?
a light year
a parsec
the average distance from the Earth to the Sun
the average distance from the Earth to the Moon
How long is the period of Earth's revolution?
one day
one month
one year
When does the Earth have the highest speed - when close to the sun, or when far from the sun?
close to
far from
Which planet has an orbit with the lowest eccentricity?
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
When a planet is at perihelion it is ___.
closest to the sun in its orbit
farthest from the sun in its orbit
In orbits with low eccentricity ___.
The foci are far apart
The foci are close together
