Astronomy 101 Practice questions and Verified
Answers
(Q01.01) The brightest stars in a constellation - ANSWER May actually be quite far away from
each other
(Q02.02) San Luis Obispo, CA is located at ~35N latitude. What is the altitude of the North Star
in SLO? - ANSWER 35 degrees above the horizon
(Q02.01) When does a vertical flagpole in San Luis Obispo NOT cast a shadow? - ANSWER Every
day at noon; every day at the time the Sun is highest in the sky; when the Sun is highest on the
summer solstice; when the Sun is highest on the winter solstice
(NONE OF THE ABOVE)
(Q02.02) If you are located in the continental U.S. on the first day of October, how will the
position of the Sun at noon be different two weeks later? - ANSWER It will have moved to a
position closer to the horizon
(Q02.03) For an observer in the continental U.S., which of the three shadow plots shown at the
right correctly depicts the path of the Sun's shadow for one day? - ANSWER Shadow Plot A
(north of east and west)
(Q02.04) Which of the following statements is true about the location of the Sun at sunrise
during the middle of winter? - ANSWER The Sun will rise south of east
(Q02.05) Which "X" could represent the position of the end of the stick's shadow made shortly
after sunrise on Sept. 21? - ANSWER None of the above, the "X" will be directly east
(Q03.01) When it is summer in the continental U.S., it is ___________ in Australia. - ANSWER
Winter
, (Q03.02) Looking at the images below, which letter (a-e) best represents winter in the U.S.? -
ANSWER "a" because it is facing the Sun but it is tilted away from it at the same time
(Q03.03) The tilt of the Earth changes over the course of a year. - ANSWER False
(Q03.04) Imagine that the Earth's orbit were changed to be a perfect circle about the Sun so
that the distance to the Sun never changed. How would this affect the seasons? - ANSWER We
would continue to experience seasons in essentially the same way we do now
(Q03.05)Imagine the Earth's orbit were changed to be a perfect circle about the Sun so that the
distance to the Sun never changed. How would this affect the seasons? - ANSWER We would
still experience seasons, but the difference would be much more noticeable
(Q03.06) How many of the Earth locations shown above (A-F) would be experiencing summer? -
ANSWER Three
(Q03.07) Which of the following locations experiences the smallest amount of change in
sunlight over the course of a year? - ANSWER Equator
(Q03.08) Which of the following describes one reason that the northern hemisphere and the
southern hemisphere have different seasons at the same time? - ANSWER During the time of
the year when the Sun is high in the sky in the northern hemisphere it will be low in the sky in
the southern hemisphere
(Q03.09) If the Earth were tilted more (say 60 degrees, rather than 23.5), then during winter in
SLO, we would - ANSWER experience cooler temperatures
(Q04.01) During the fill Moon phase, how much of the TOTAL Moon's surface is being
illuminated by sunlight? - ANSWER Half
Answers
(Q01.01) The brightest stars in a constellation - ANSWER May actually be quite far away from
each other
(Q02.02) San Luis Obispo, CA is located at ~35N latitude. What is the altitude of the North Star
in SLO? - ANSWER 35 degrees above the horizon
(Q02.01) When does a vertical flagpole in San Luis Obispo NOT cast a shadow? - ANSWER Every
day at noon; every day at the time the Sun is highest in the sky; when the Sun is highest on the
summer solstice; when the Sun is highest on the winter solstice
(NONE OF THE ABOVE)
(Q02.02) If you are located in the continental U.S. on the first day of October, how will the
position of the Sun at noon be different two weeks later? - ANSWER It will have moved to a
position closer to the horizon
(Q02.03) For an observer in the continental U.S., which of the three shadow plots shown at the
right correctly depicts the path of the Sun's shadow for one day? - ANSWER Shadow Plot A
(north of east and west)
(Q02.04) Which of the following statements is true about the location of the Sun at sunrise
during the middle of winter? - ANSWER The Sun will rise south of east
(Q02.05) Which "X" could represent the position of the end of the stick's shadow made shortly
after sunrise on Sept. 21? - ANSWER None of the above, the "X" will be directly east
(Q03.01) When it is summer in the continental U.S., it is ___________ in Australia. - ANSWER
Winter
, (Q03.02) Looking at the images below, which letter (a-e) best represents winter in the U.S.? -
ANSWER "a" because it is facing the Sun but it is tilted away from it at the same time
(Q03.03) The tilt of the Earth changes over the course of a year. - ANSWER False
(Q03.04) Imagine that the Earth's orbit were changed to be a perfect circle about the Sun so
that the distance to the Sun never changed. How would this affect the seasons? - ANSWER We
would continue to experience seasons in essentially the same way we do now
(Q03.05)Imagine the Earth's orbit were changed to be a perfect circle about the Sun so that the
distance to the Sun never changed. How would this affect the seasons? - ANSWER We would
still experience seasons, but the difference would be much more noticeable
(Q03.06) How many of the Earth locations shown above (A-F) would be experiencing summer? -
ANSWER Three
(Q03.07) Which of the following locations experiences the smallest amount of change in
sunlight over the course of a year? - ANSWER Equator
(Q03.08) Which of the following describes one reason that the northern hemisphere and the
southern hemisphere have different seasons at the same time? - ANSWER During the time of
the year when the Sun is high in the sky in the northern hemisphere it will be low in the sky in
the southern hemisphere
(Q03.09) If the Earth were tilted more (say 60 degrees, rather than 23.5), then during winter in
SLO, we would - ANSWER experience cooler temperatures
(Q04.01) During the fill Moon phase, how much of the TOTAL Moon's surface is being
illuminated by sunlight? - ANSWER Half
