WorksheetsAncient Civilizations and Astronomy
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 13mins
What is thought to be one of the main purposes of building Stonehenge?
to predict the future
to predict celestial events and seasons
to create a lasting memorial to the gods
to confound and confuse future historians
The ability to predict seasons & celestial events were very important to the ancients because
otherwise they would not know the time of day.
there was no other way to figure out planetary movements.
it allowed for crops to be planted and to keep track of time
the phases of the Moon was very important to know.
The Maya used a very sophisticated observatory called _______ to study the heavens.
Chichen Itza
Stonehenge
the pyramids
the Caracol
The 1000 year-old Mayan observatory was much more sophisticated than Stonehenge because it was
located in a more advantageous geographical area.
able to predict the position of Venus and more celestial events.
created by aliens.
not as old or broken down.
Why was the supernova of 1054 A.D. so important to astronomy?
because the Chinese were able to view it
it was the first time that a star actually blew up
the event was one of the first to be recorded world-wide
supernovas were (and still are) fairly common events
Terms like "azimuth" "zenith" and major star names like "Betelgeuse" originated from
Western European countries during the Renaissance.
Latin words with roots from the Ancient Greeks.
Muslim cultures during the Middle Ages.
Muslim cultures during the Middle Ages.
Why did the Ancient Greeks consider the stars to be "fixed" and non-moving?
stars did not change positions over time like planets
the stars were represented by the gods
stars were considered to be so old they couldn't move
they knew that the stars were always there
Then Sun & the Moon's movement across the heavens were ______ according to the Ancient Greeks.
slightly erratic leading to eclipses
predictable
not very predictable
bizarre
Why were planetary motions unpredictable?
because they were representative of the Greek gods
planets "wandered" or moved in backward loops unexpectedly
ancient peoples had very little insight into the heavens
they did not represent the stars so they were unpredictable
The "backward loops" that most planets would appear to do once a year is called
planetary motion.
retrograde motion.
prograde motion.
a mystery.
Retrograde motion was adequately explained by the geocentric theory and by Ptolemy's model.
True
False
Ptolemy used epicycles and deferents in his heliocentric model to explain planetary motion.
True
False
The geocentric model of the universe was basically accepted for over one thousand years.
True
False
The Ancient Greeks considered the _____ a perfect shape and had to represent the heavens.
parabola
the Earth
circle
Moon to be
Why was the Ptolemaic model of the universe accepted for so long?
no one had ever thought of a better explanation
people were prone to superstition
it basically explained most of the movements of the planets
religious & cultural reasons liked to put Earth at the center
Aristarchus (of ancient Greece) correctly predicted the _______ theory of the Universe.
geocentric
heliocentric
earth-centered
sun-centered
Heliocentric theory has the ____ revolving around the Sun, with only the ____ orbiting Earth.
Moon, planets
Moon, Sun
stars, Moon
planets, Moon
How did the heliocentric model of the Universe explain retrograde motion of the planets?
orbital speeds led to the illusion of retrograde motion
planetary motion was apparent and not real
by using epicycles & deferents
the model did not fully explain retrograde motion
What was the main reason why the heliocentric model made more sense than the geocentric model?
it was simpler
it fully explained planetary motion
it explained why the stars were "fixed" in the night sky
it did not require over 80 "circles within circles"
Why did Copernicus wait to publish his book on heliocentricity?
there wasn't enough scientific data
he wasn't sure if his theory was correct
he was fearful of the repercussions
the theory was originally Aristarchus' idea
