ASTRONOMY 1010 COMPREHENSIVE EXAM
SCRIPT VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS
●● Are constellation stars all at the exact same distance from the sun or
at different distances?
Answer: Different distances
●● Are constellation stars scattered all across our galaxy or just the
neighbors of the sun in the milky way?
Answer: Nearby the sun in the milky way
●● On a "short" human civilization timescale, do constellations change
shape or stay the same shape?
Answer: Relatively stay the same position in relation to us
●● Zenith means...
Answer: "overhead" for your location
●● Our constellation sphere has how many constellations?
Answer: 88
, ●● What is special about Polaris (the North star)?
Answer: Above the north pole, only above the horizon in the northern
hemisphere, and it always points due north
●● What does Polaris tell you?
Answer: It is on the horizon at the equator; higher in the sky as you
move north; overhead at North Pole
●● Why is the sky blue during the day?
Answer: The atmosphere scatters sunlight... it scatters blue light better
than red. Blue sunlight bounces around and comes to our eyes from all
directions
●● Why don't we see stars during the day?
Answer: stars above horizon during the day are too faint to see
compared to a blue day sky
●● Why can't we see seasonal stars? Because Earth spins on its axis or
orbits the sun?
Answer: Because "night" side of the earth faces different parts of the
celestial sphere as it orbits the sun
●● Name for the plane of Earth's orbit and of solar system...also the path
of Sun on the sky...?
SCRIPT VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS
●● Are constellation stars all at the exact same distance from the sun or
at different distances?
Answer: Different distances
●● Are constellation stars scattered all across our galaxy or just the
neighbors of the sun in the milky way?
Answer: Nearby the sun in the milky way
●● On a "short" human civilization timescale, do constellations change
shape or stay the same shape?
Answer: Relatively stay the same position in relation to us
●● Zenith means...
Answer: "overhead" for your location
●● Our constellation sphere has how many constellations?
Answer: 88
, ●● What is special about Polaris (the North star)?
Answer: Above the north pole, only above the horizon in the northern
hemisphere, and it always points due north
●● What does Polaris tell you?
Answer: It is on the horizon at the equator; higher in the sky as you
move north; overhead at North Pole
●● Why is the sky blue during the day?
Answer: The atmosphere scatters sunlight... it scatters blue light better
than red. Blue sunlight bounces around and comes to our eyes from all
directions
●● Why don't we see stars during the day?
Answer: stars above horizon during the day are too faint to see
compared to a blue day sky
●● Why can't we see seasonal stars? Because Earth spins on its axis or
orbits the sun?
Answer: Because "night" side of the earth faces different parts of the
celestial sphere as it orbits the sun
●● Name for the plane of Earth's orbit and of solar system...also the path
of Sun on the sky...?
