Astro 10 Exam 1 UPDATED Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
What do the stars in a constellation physically have to do with each other? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Absolutely nothing
How does the earth orbit the sun looking face on(top-down) - CORRECT ANSWER - In a
perfect circle with the sun int he center, perfectly circular.
If the Sun is located in the constellation of Taurus at noon today, in which constellation will it be
at 6pm today? - CORRECT ANSWER - Taurus, we stay in. Sun is in a constellation for a
month(12 zodiac constellations)
The star Polaris appears just barely above your horizon. Where are you? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Cameroon in equatorial Africa. Polaris is the North Star, so north would be
exactly laying on horizon in middle of earth
What actually causes the starstrails, stars to make these streaks, or "trails" on the photographs -
CORRECT ANSWER - The Earth slowly rotates on its axis
Which of the above time-lapse pictures could have been taken in northern Alaska? - CORRECT
ANSWER - The one that shows the full star circle straight above in the sky because its
close to north pole
How long was the exposure to make the star trails photograph (above) labeled "A"? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Period of Earth's rotation axis is 24 hours, so the stars trace out full circles in
24 hours. This one is 8 hours because it looks around 1/4 circles
Imagine a planet identical to Earth in every way EXCEPT that its orbit is perfectly circular.
What would the seasons be like on this planet? - CORRECT ANSWER - Same as Earth's.
Earth's is almost perfectly circular orbit
, At which of these times would the Sun appear highest in the sky (closest to overhead) as seen
from North America? - CORRECT ANSWER - At noon on the summer solstice.
Temperatures are warmer in summer primarily because - CORRECT ANSWER - The sun
appears higher in the sky. If the sun is higher in the sky on average, like it is in summer, then on
average every bit of the ground will be getting a more concentrated dose of sunlight, which will
heat it up more.
Assume you live in central Asia. Let's say you go outside on the fourth of July and note the
position of the Sun in the sky at noon -- when it reaches its highest point during the day. Then
you go out again the following month (in August) and again note the position of the Sun in the
sky at noon. In August, how will the Sun's noon location compare to its noon location in July? -
CORRECT ANSWER - it will be lower in August. sun is highest up during summer
The two images below were taken from a location in the SOUTHERN hemisphere. Each picture
shows the same 360-degree panoramic view, with multiple photos taken throughout the day
superimposed to illustrate the path of the Sun through the sky over the course of one day. The
images were taken on different days, 6 months apart. - CORRECT ANSWER - The one
with less hours of daylight, because southern hemisphere's june is actually winter time for them
If Earth's axis of rotation were NOT tilted, which of the following would be TRUE? -
CORRECT ANSWER - The equator would still be hot, and the North and South poles
would still be cold, on average.
Name moon phases in order: - CORRECT ANSWER - New (blank moon), waxing
crescent(moondeveloping on right side), first queater, waxing gibbous(almost half of right side),
full, waning gibbous, third queater, waning crescent(left sliver)
One month after a lunar eclipse, what phase will the Moon be in? it goes through all these phases
in 27 days - CORRECT ANSWER - Full. In a lunar eclipse (top series of images above),
the Earth's shadow falls on the moon when it is in the full phase, so the fully illuminated moon
gets obscured ("eclipsed") temporarily. This can only happen in the full phase, because the Earth
must be aligned exactly between the Sun and the Moon. Full moon about every month
Questions and CORRECT Answers
What do the stars in a constellation physically have to do with each other? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Absolutely nothing
How does the earth orbit the sun looking face on(top-down) - CORRECT ANSWER - In a
perfect circle with the sun int he center, perfectly circular.
If the Sun is located in the constellation of Taurus at noon today, in which constellation will it be
at 6pm today? - CORRECT ANSWER - Taurus, we stay in. Sun is in a constellation for a
month(12 zodiac constellations)
The star Polaris appears just barely above your horizon. Where are you? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Cameroon in equatorial Africa. Polaris is the North Star, so north would be
exactly laying on horizon in middle of earth
What actually causes the starstrails, stars to make these streaks, or "trails" on the photographs -
CORRECT ANSWER - The Earth slowly rotates on its axis
Which of the above time-lapse pictures could have been taken in northern Alaska? - CORRECT
ANSWER - The one that shows the full star circle straight above in the sky because its
close to north pole
How long was the exposure to make the star trails photograph (above) labeled "A"? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Period of Earth's rotation axis is 24 hours, so the stars trace out full circles in
24 hours. This one is 8 hours because it looks around 1/4 circles
Imagine a planet identical to Earth in every way EXCEPT that its orbit is perfectly circular.
What would the seasons be like on this planet? - CORRECT ANSWER - Same as Earth's.
Earth's is almost perfectly circular orbit
, At which of these times would the Sun appear highest in the sky (closest to overhead) as seen
from North America? - CORRECT ANSWER - At noon on the summer solstice.
Temperatures are warmer in summer primarily because - CORRECT ANSWER - The sun
appears higher in the sky. If the sun is higher in the sky on average, like it is in summer, then on
average every bit of the ground will be getting a more concentrated dose of sunlight, which will
heat it up more.
Assume you live in central Asia. Let's say you go outside on the fourth of July and note the
position of the Sun in the sky at noon -- when it reaches its highest point during the day. Then
you go out again the following month (in August) and again note the position of the Sun in the
sky at noon. In August, how will the Sun's noon location compare to its noon location in July? -
CORRECT ANSWER - it will be lower in August. sun is highest up during summer
The two images below were taken from a location in the SOUTHERN hemisphere. Each picture
shows the same 360-degree panoramic view, with multiple photos taken throughout the day
superimposed to illustrate the path of the Sun through the sky over the course of one day. The
images were taken on different days, 6 months apart. - CORRECT ANSWER - The one
with less hours of daylight, because southern hemisphere's june is actually winter time for them
If Earth's axis of rotation were NOT tilted, which of the following would be TRUE? -
CORRECT ANSWER - The equator would still be hot, and the North and South poles
would still be cold, on average.
Name moon phases in order: - CORRECT ANSWER - New (blank moon), waxing
crescent(moondeveloping on right side), first queater, waxing gibbous(almost half of right side),
full, waning gibbous, third queater, waning crescent(left sliver)
One month after a lunar eclipse, what phase will the Moon be in? it goes through all these phases
in 27 days - CORRECT ANSWER - Full. In a lunar eclipse (top series of images above),
the Earth's shadow falls on the moon when it is in the full phase, so the fully illuminated moon
gets obscured ("eclipsed") temporarily. This can only happen in the full phase, because the Earth
must be aligned exactly between the Sun and the Moon. Full moon about every month
