AST 220 Final Exam Questions with
Complete Solutions
If the Moon appears half lit, and is almost overhead about 6:00 AM, its phase is
A) first quarter.
B) waning crescent.
C) waxing crescent.
D) full.
E) third quarter. E
If new moon fell on March 2nd, what is the Moon's phase on March 14th?
A) waxing crescent
B) first quarter
C) waxing gibbous
D) waning crescent
E) full C
A solar eclipse can only happen during a
A) first quarter moon.
B) perihelion passage of the Sun.
C) new moon.
D) full moon.
,E) solstice. D
What will occur when the full moon is on the ecliptic?
A) a partial solar eclipse
B) a total lunar eclipse
C) a partial lunar eclipse if the Moon is at perigee
D) a total solar eclipse
E) an annular lunar eclipse B
If you are in the Moon's umbral shadow, then you are witnessing
A) nighttime.
B) some kind of lunar eclipse.
C) a total lunar eclipse.
D)a total solar eclipse.
E) a partial solar eclipse. D
The time for the Moon to orbit Earth, relative to the stars is
A) about 7 days.
B) 27.3 days.
C) 23 hours, 56 minutes.
D) 18 years, 11.3 days.
E) 29.5 days. B
,The interval from new Moon to first quarter is about a(n)
A) year.
B) day.
C) week.
D) hour.
E) month. E
The star Thuban in Draco
A) lies halfway between the bowls of the Big and Little Dippers.
B) lies as the center of the precession cycle.
C) is brighter than Polaris.
D) was an excellent north pole star in 3,000 BC.
E) is used to locate the vernal equinox. D
If Scorpius is now prominent in the summer sky, in 13,000 years it will be best seen
A) It will not be visible then at all. All of its stars will have vanished by then.
B) at the same season; the heavens do not change.
C) in the winter sky.
D) in the autumn.
E) in the spring sky. C
, If Taurus is now rising at sunset, which constellation will rise at sunset next month?
A) Aquarius
B) Gemini
C) Aries
D) Pisces
E) Scorpius B
The fact that the Earth has moved along its orbit in the time it took to rotate once is the reason
for
A) the difference between solar and sidereal time.
B) Earth's 23.5-degree tilt.
C) precession.
D) the position of the Celestial Equator.
E) seasons. A
When the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky, its phase is
A) first or third quarter.
B) waxing or waning gibbous.
C) full.
D) waxing or waning crescent.
E) new. E
You note that a particular star is directly overhead. It will be directly overhead again in
Complete Solutions
If the Moon appears half lit, and is almost overhead about 6:00 AM, its phase is
A) first quarter.
B) waning crescent.
C) waxing crescent.
D) full.
E) third quarter. E
If new moon fell on March 2nd, what is the Moon's phase on March 14th?
A) waxing crescent
B) first quarter
C) waxing gibbous
D) waning crescent
E) full C
A solar eclipse can only happen during a
A) first quarter moon.
B) perihelion passage of the Sun.
C) new moon.
D) full moon.
,E) solstice. D
What will occur when the full moon is on the ecliptic?
A) a partial solar eclipse
B) a total lunar eclipse
C) a partial lunar eclipse if the Moon is at perigee
D) a total solar eclipse
E) an annular lunar eclipse B
If you are in the Moon's umbral shadow, then you are witnessing
A) nighttime.
B) some kind of lunar eclipse.
C) a total lunar eclipse.
D)a total solar eclipse.
E) a partial solar eclipse. D
The time for the Moon to orbit Earth, relative to the stars is
A) about 7 days.
B) 27.3 days.
C) 23 hours, 56 minutes.
D) 18 years, 11.3 days.
E) 29.5 days. B
,The interval from new Moon to first quarter is about a(n)
A) year.
B) day.
C) week.
D) hour.
E) month. E
The star Thuban in Draco
A) lies halfway between the bowls of the Big and Little Dippers.
B) lies as the center of the precession cycle.
C) is brighter than Polaris.
D) was an excellent north pole star in 3,000 BC.
E) is used to locate the vernal equinox. D
If Scorpius is now prominent in the summer sky, in 13,000 years it will be best seen
A) It will not be visible then at all. All of its stars will have vanished by then.
B) at the same season; the heavens do not change.
C) in the winter sky.
D) in the autumn.
E) in the spring sky. C
, If Taurus is now rising at sunset, which constellation will rise at sunset next month?
A) Aquarius
B) Gemini
C) Aries
D) Pisces
E) Scorpius B
The fact that the Earth has moved along its orbit in the time it took to rotate once is the reason
for
A) the difference between solar and sidereal time.
B) Earth's 23.5-degree tilt.
C) precession.
D) the position of the Celestial Equator.
E) seasons. A
When the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky, its phase is
A) first or third quarter.
B) waxing or waning gibbous.
C) full.
D) waxing or waning crescent.
E) new. E
You note that a particular star is directly overhead. It will be directly overhead again in
