Astronomy Exam 1 (Chapters 1-5) Exam Questions And Answers

Astronomy Exam 1 (Chapters 1-5) Exam Questions And Answers A line running from due north to due south through a point directly overhead is called - ANS a meridian Residents of the Southern Hemisphere cannot see the stars around the north celestial pole because - ANS Earth itself is in the way. A sky observer in the southern hemisphere would see stars moving which way? - ANS clockwise Is there any location on Earth where the entire sky is potentially visible within a 24 hour period (ignoring the fact that some stars can't be seen if it is daytime)? - ANS At the equator The equator is the only place on Earth where you can see the entire celestial sphere (day or night) over the course of 24 hours. - ANS True If a star rises on the eastern horizon, it will set on the western horizon 6 hours later. - ANS False Constellations are arbitrary groupings of stars in the sky. - ANS True Our Sun is the most massive and luminous star in the Milky Way. - ANS False Pluto is the only dwarf planet in our Solar System. - ANS False The heavy elements that make up most of Earth were formed via nuclear fusion in the center of our Sun. - ANS False The Local Group is a member of the Virgo Supercluster. - ANS True If a scientific theory cannot be tested, it is assumed to be true. - ANS False A crucial component of a scientific theory is that it is able to be tested by observations and thus proven true or false. - ANS True On the autumnal equinox, the lengths of both day and night are 12 hours. - ANS True The altitude of the Sun as it crosses the meridian changes during the year. - ANS True A person who lives at the equator will see the Sun directly overhead at noon every day of the year. - ANS False The seasons on Earth are caused by the change in distance between the Sun and Earth. - ANS False The apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere during a year is called the: - ANS ecliptic plane The ecliptic plane is defined by the motion of __________ in the sky. - ANS the Sun How far away on average is the Earth from the Sun? - ANS 150 million kilometers If you go out at exactly 9 P.M. each evening over the course of one month, the position of a given star will move westward by tens of degrees. What causes this motion? - ANS The revolution of the Earth around the Sun