Astro 10 Exam 2 UPDATED ACTUAL Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Highlands - CORRECT ANSWER - areas of the moon made of leftover volcanic ranges
with crust material and many craters, higher up than the Maria, ancient.
Maria - CORRECT ANSWER - dark areas of the moon resulting from earlier lava flow,
with few craters, new.
Terminator - CORRECT ANSWER - line between light and dark regions of the moon
caused by the extreme angle of the sun's light.
How is it Believed the Moon was Formed? - CORRECT ANSWER - a collision between a
mars-sized object and early, molten earth caused part of the earth's mantle to shoot out and
condense into the moon.
nebular theory - CORRECT ANSWER - Our Sun and the planets originated from the
collapse of an interstellar cloud of
dust and gas. Reason: conservation of angular
momentum
From Which Layer of the Earth Did the Moon Predominately Form? - CORRECT
ANSWER - the earth's mantle.
inferior/superior planets - CORRECT ANSWER - inferior: mars, venus.
superior: mars, jupiter, saturn (uranus and neptune later editions)
waxing/ waning gibbous/ crescent - CORRECT ANSWER - Light/Shadow moves frm R-
>L throughout all phases
in order:
, waxing crescent: huge shadow on left
waxing gibbous: small shadow on left
waning gibbous: small shadow on right
waning crescent: huge shadow on right
(this is so confusing sorry)
retrograde motion - CORRECT ANSWER - Each planet beyond Earth's orbit seems to
move backwards as viewed from Earth
inferior/superior conjunction - CORRECT ANSWER - inferior: Earth-Venus-Sun ("new")
superior: Earth-Sun-Venus ("full")
Sidereal vs. synodic month - CORRECT ANSWER - The Moon's sidereal orbital period
(the sidereal month) is ~27.3 days; this is the time interval that the Moon takes to orbit 360°
around the Earth relative to the "fixed" stars. The period of the lunar phases (the synodic month),
e.g. the full moon to full moon period, is longer at ~29.5 days.
planet vs star? - CORRECT ANSWER - A planet is NOT massive enough to fuse
hydrogen in its core -> this is the
primary difference!
• Planets shine by reflected starlight.
Lunar Eclipse - CORRECT ANSWER - occurs when the moon, earth and sun are aligned
if the moon passes behind the earth.
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Highlands - CORRECT ANSWER - areas of the moon made of leftover volcanic ranges
with crust material and many craters, higher up than the Maria, ancient.
Maria - CORRECT ANSWER - dark areas of the moon resulting from earlier lava flow,
with few craters, new.
Terminator - CORRECT ANSWER - line between light and dark regions of the moon
caused by the extreme angle of the sun's light.
How is it Believed the Moon was Formed? - CORRECT ANSWER - a collision between a
mars-sized object and early, molten earth caused part of the earth's mantle to shoot out and
condense into the moon.
nebular theory - CORRECT ANSWER - Our Sun and the planets originated from the
collapse of an interstellar cloud of
dust and gas. Reason: conservation of angular
momentum
From Which Layer of the Earth Did the Moon Predominately Form? - CORRECT
ANSWER - the earth's mantle.
inferior/superior planets - CORRECT ANSWER - inferior: mars, venus.
superior: mars, jupiter, saturn (uranus and neptune later editions)
waxing/ waning gibbous/ crescent - CORRECT ANSWER - Light/Shadow moves frm R-
>L throughout all phases
in order:
, waxing crescent: huge shadow on left
waxing gibbous: small shadow on left
waning gibbous: small shadow on right
waning crescent: huge shadow on right
(this is so confusing sorry)
retrograde motion - CORRECT ANSWER - Each planet beyond Earth's orbit seems to
move backwards as viewed from Earth
inferior/superior conjunction - CORRECT ANSWER - inferior: Earth-Venus-Sun ("new")
superior: Earth-Sun-Venus ("full")
Sidereal vs. synodic month - CORRECT ANSWER - The Moon's sidereal orbital period
(the sidereal month) is ~27.3 days; this is the time interval that the Moon takes to orbit 360°
around the Earth relative to the "fixed" stars. The period of the lunar phases (the synodic month),
e.g. the full moon to full moon period, is longer at ~29.5 days.
planet vs star? - CORRECT ANSWER - A planet is NOT massive enough to fuse
hydrogen in its core -> this is the
primary difference!
• Planets shine by reflected starlight.
Lunar Eclipse - CORRECT ANSWER - occurs when the moon, earth and sun are aligned
if the moon passes behind the earth.
