ASTR 1010 Final Review Test
Questions Answered Correct 2025-
2026.
Total eclipses of both kinds are rare, but is one kind more visible than the other - Answer more
people can see a total lunar eclipse
What causes the "backwards" motion of planets relative to the stars ("retrograde motion") in
the heliocentric model - Answer planets closer to the sun orbit fast
In Boulder on the winter solstice the Sun will rise in the ____ and set in the __ - Answer
southeast, southwest
Your daughter the astronaut calls you from the Moon one day, and says 'I'm looking straight up
at a beautiful full Earth'. How will Earth change in her sky? (East and west have the same
meanings on the moon as on Earth) - Answer the phase will change to last quarter as the Earth
stays directly overhead
What naked-eye observation(s) supports the heliocentric theory of the solar system and
disproves the geocentric theory - Answer none of the above, the heliocentric model can not
be proven with naked eye observations
Because of precession... - Answer none of the above the naked eye can not see the effects of
precession in our lifetime
Which observation(s) show that Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbit plane - Answer the sun
rises in the southeast for part of the year and northeast for the other part
In the heliocentric model of the solar system, what planets can be seen in a 'full phase' (or
nearly full) through a telescope on Earth - Answer all planets
How old is the universe - Answer 14 billion years
Why does the moon rise and set - Answer because Earth rotates
, Which of the following is the largest - Answer distance to the nearest galaxy
Which way do circumpolar stars move around their celestial poles - Answer counterclockwise
in the north and clockwise in the south
Stellar parallax is not visible to the naked eye. Which one of the following changes would make
the greatest difference in making parallax easier to detect - Answer decrease the distance to
the stars
Which one of the changes would eliminate seasons on Earth - Answer Change the tilt of
Earth's axis form 23' to 0'
Your body is made mostly of H2O. Where was the element oxygen created - Answer it was
created inside stars
When is the Sun directly overhead at noon at the equator - Answer only on the equinoxes
(March 21 and September 23)
The constellation Taurusis visible on winter evenings but not summer evenings because -
Answer the location of Earth on its orbit
Billions of years ago, the Moon was significantly closer to the Earth. How would eclipses have
been different back then - Answer more solar eclipses would be total instead of annual
In other words, which observation is best explained with the 'model' that the Earth is a sphere -
Answer some constellations appear or disappear as you travel north or south
Suppose you live in the United States and you see a crescent moon in your evening sky tonight.
What will a friend in India see when it's night there - Answer your friend would also see a full
moon in her evening sky
In the heliocentric model of the solar system, what planets can be seen in a crescent phase
through a telescope on Earth? (You may ignore interference from the Sun.) - Answer only
Mercury and Venus
Questions Answered Correct 2025-
2026.
Total eclipses of both kinds are rare, but is one kind more visible than the other - Answer more
people can see a total lunar eclipse
What causes the "backwards" motion of planets relative to the stars ("retrograde motion") in
the heliocentric model - Answer planets closer to the sun orbit fast
In Boulder on the winter solstice the Sun will rise in the ____ and set in the __ - Answer
southeast, southwest
Your daughter the astronaut calls you from the Moon one day, and says 'I'm looking straight up
at a beautiful full Earth'. How will Earth change in her sky? (East and west have the same
meanings on the moon as on Earth) - Answer the phase will change to last quarter as the Earth
stays directly overhead
What naked-eye observation(s) supports the heliocentric theory of the solar system and
disproves the geocentric theory - Answer none of the above, the heliocentric model can not
be proven with naked eye observations
Because of precession... - Answer none of the above the naked eye can not see the effects of
precession in our lifetime
Which observation(s) show that Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbit plane - Answer the sun
rises in the southeast for part of the year and northeast for the other part
In the heliocentric model of the solar system, what planets can be seen in a 'full phase' (or
nearly full) through a telescope on Earth - Answer all planets
How old is the universe - Answer 14 billion years
Why does the moon rise and set - Answer because Earth rotates
, Which of the following is the largest - Answer distance to the nearest galaxy
Which way do circumpolar stars move around their celestial poles - Answer counterclockwise
in the north and clockwise in the south
Stellar parallax is not visible to the naked eye. Which one of the following changes would make
the greatest difference in making parallax easier to detect - Answer decrease the distance to
the stars
Which one of the changes would eliminate seasons on Earth - Answer Change the tilt of
Earth's axis form 23' to 0'
Your body is made mostly of H2O. Where was the element oxygen created - Answer it was
created inside stars
When is the Sun directly overhead at noon at the equator - Answer only on the equinoxes
(March 21 and September 23)
The constellation Taurusis visible on winter evenings but not summer evenings because -
Answer the location of Earth on its orbit
Billions of years ago, the Moon was significantly closer to the Earth. How would eclipses have
been different back then - Answer more solar eclipses would be total instead of annual
In other words, which observation is best explained with the 'model' that the Earth is a sphere -
Answer some constellations appear or disappear as you travel north or south
Suppose you live in the United States and you see a crescent moon in your evening sky tonight.
What will a friend in India see when it's night there - Answer your friend would also see a full
moon in her evening sky
In the heliocentric model of the solar system, what planets can be seen in a crescent phase
through a telescope on Earth? (You may ignore interference from the Sun.) - Answer only
Mercury and Venus
