Astro 101 Exam 1 Umich Questions and
Correct Answers
Earth-Moon system distance unit: Ans: kilometers
Solar system distance unit: Ans: AU
galaxy distance unit: Ans: light-years
earth-sun distance: Ans: 150,000,000 km
farther we look in distance, farther we look in time means: Ans:
light takes time to reach earth, we observe objects as they were in
the past, further away, the older the object we observing is
observable universe Ans: 14 billion light years
universe is expanding? Ans: average distance between galaxies is
growing with time
ecliptic plane Ans: plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun, tilted a
bit upwards from equator
Polaris is a special star because Ans: in line with earths axis of
rotation and only star in the night sky that doesn't move, above
earth's north pole
from michigan you can see Ans: stars near the north celestial pole
and stars near the celestial equator
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In the northern hemisphere the altitude of the pole star is _____
the latitude of the observer Ans: equal to
daily east west motion of stars sun and moon is caused by? Ans:
daily west east rotation of earth
changes in stars seen at night? Ans: annual orbit of earth around
sun
What causes Summer to be warmer than Winter in Michigan? Ans:
The Sun is up longer in the Summer and The Sun is higher in the
sky in the Summer
What causes the seasonal changes in the Sun's path that we
observe? Ans: The tilt of Earth's rotational axis
what causes phases of the moon Ans: monthly orbit of moon
around earth
moon phase? Ans: Half of the Moon is ALWAYS receiving light
from the Sun
The Phase of the Moon seen from Earth depends on what portion
of the side of the moon receiving light is facing Earth
Lunar Phases are caused by how much of the Ans: Moon's surface
illuminated by the sun is facing the Earth
Which type of Eclipse are you more likely to see Ans: lunar eclipse
arc minutes in full circle Ans: 21,600
arc seconds in full circle Ans: 1,296,000
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