Version A

Chose the best answer.
Write your name at the top of this quiz as well as on your answer sheet, and hand them both in at the end of the quiz. WRITE YOUR VERSION ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET. Feel free to write or draw on the quiz.

CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER FOR EACH PROBLEM.

1. The Moon sets at midnight when it is in which of the following phases?
a) Full.
b) First quarter.
c) Third quarter.
d) None of the above.
e) All of the above.

b) First quarter.

2. The Declination of the Sun is 23.5 degrees:
a) Always.
b) Never.
c) On the Summer Solstice.
d) On the Winter Solstice.
e) On the Vernal and Autumnal Equinox.

c) On the Summer Solstice.

3. An arcminute is:
a) the distance light travels in a minute.
b) 1/3600th of a degree.
c) 1/60th of a degree.
d) 4.3 A.U.
e) the angle covered by a fist held at arm's length.


c) 1/60th of a degree.

4. Venus:
a) can only be observed near midnight.
b) is always observed on the Celestial Equator.
c) is always found in one of the circumpolar constellations.
d) orbits the Sun in the opposite direction from the rest of the planets.
e) is always observed near the ecliptic.

e) is always observed near the ecliptic.

5. What do we call an eclipse when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, but its angular size is too small to block the face of the Sun?
a) a lunar eclipse.
b) a red eclipse.
c) an annular eclipse.
d) a corona eclipse.
e) This never happens: the Moon's angular size is always much larger than that of the Sun.

c) an annular eclipse.

6. The synodic period of Mars is:
a) 8.3 minutes.
b) 23.5 hours.
c) 23 hours 56 minutes.
d) 24 hours.
e) 780 days.


e) 780 days.

7. The time period 27.3 days is:
a) The time it takes light to reach us from the closest star besides the Sun.
b) The length of a sidereal day.
c) The length of a sidereal month.
d) The sidereal period for Neptune.
e) The precessional period of the Earth's north pole.


c) The length of a sidereal month.

8. The Celestial Meridian is:
a) The plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.
b) The path the Sun takes across the sky.
c) The line that goes through the zenith and divides the sky into East and West.
d) The points on the sky that lie directly above the Earth's equator.
e) The line on the sky that passes through the zodiacal constellations.

c) The line that goes through the zenith and divides the sky into East and West.

9. The precession (`wobbling') of the Earth causes the stars to slowly shift their positions relative to the Celestial Coordinate system. The Celestial North Pole traces a circle on the sky, moving from near Polaris, traveling past Deneb and Vega, and then back to Polaris. This precession has a period of:
a) 23 hours 56 minutes.
b) 29.5 days.
c) six months.
d) 780 days.
e) 26,000 years.


e) 26,000 years.

10. The Moon:
a) Orbits the Earth with a period of 27.3 days with respect to the stars.
b) Does not spin on its axis.
c) Spins once on its axis relative to the Sun every 23h 56m.
d) is about 3 Earth diameters away from Earth.
e) goes through its phases once every 27.3 days.


a) Orbits the Earth with a period of 27.3 days with respect to the stars.

11. During a full moon:
a) The angle between the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon is 90 degrees.
b) The Moon is on the horizon at midnight.
c) The Moon is below the horizon at midnight.
d) The Sun and Moon are on opposite sides of the Earth.
e) The Moon is near the meridian at noon.


d) The Sun and Moon are on opposite sides of the Earth.

12. Here in Johnson City, the angle between Polaris and the northern horizon:
a) is 8.3 arcseconds.
b) varies with the season between -23.5 degrees and 23.5 degrees.
c) is 36 degrees.
d) is 90 degrees.
e) is 0 degrees.

c) is 36 degrees.

13. Which of the following planets has the fastest speed in its orbit around the Sun, in km/s?
a) Mercury.
b) Earth.
c) Jupiter.
d) Neptune.
e) They all have the same speed.

a) Mercury.

14. The planet Saturn:
a) Is always located at the same RA and Declination on the sky.
b) Orbits the Sun in the opposite direction from the Earth.
c) Has a faster orbital velocity around the Sun, in km/s, than the Earth.
d) Is located in the constellation of Ursa Major.
e) Mostly drifts eastwards across the sky relative to the stars, but occasionally appears to turn around and go backwards.

e) Mostly drifts eastwards across the sky relative to the stars, but occasionally appears to turn around and go backwards.

15. The physical diameter of the Sun is 400 times that of the Moon, and the angular size is about the same. Therefore:
a) The time it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun is 400 times the time it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth.
b) The distance to the Sun is 400 times the distance to the Moon.
c) The distance to the Sun is 400² = 16,000 times the distance to the Moon.
d) A sidereal month is 400 times longer than a sidereal day.
e) A sidereal year is 400 times a sidereal month.

b) The distance to the Sun is 400 times the distance to the Moon.

16. During summer in Johnson City,
a) The Sun is closest to the Earth.
b) The Sun is on the Celestial Equator.
c) The Sun is at positive Declinations.
d) The Sun is at the zenith.
e) The Sun is at the vernal equinox.

c) The Sun is at positive Declinations.

17. What do we call the phase of the Moon when we see only the left half of the face of the Moon?
a) waxing gibbous.
b) first quarter.
c) second quarter.
d) third quarter.
e) waxing crescent.

d) third quarter.

18. The Moon is in synchronous rotation with the Earth. This means:
a) It orbits the Earth in the same time that it takes the Earth to spin once on its axis.
b) The Moon does not spin on its axis relative to the stars.
c) The Moon spins once on its axis for every orbit around the Earth.
d) The Moon spins fast enough to show all 360 degrees of its complete surface to the Earth during one orbital period around the planet.
e) The Moon's orbital period around the Earth is exactly the same as the Earth's orbital period around the Sun.

c) The Moon spins once on its axis for every orbit around the Earth.

19. Which of the following are the projection of the Earth's latitude lines onto the sky?
a) Declination.
b) Right Ascension.
c) Meridian.
d) Ecliptic.
e) Annulus.

a) Declination.

20. The Vernal Equinox happens:
a) about June 21.
b) about Sept 21.
c) about Dec 21.
d) about March 21.
e) When the Sun is closest to the Earth.

d) about March 21.