ASTRO 1 FINAL EXAM PSU
CERTIFICATION EVALUATION EXAMS
QUESTIONS AND COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
⩥ Proxima Centauri is a nearby star. Due to lookback time, we see it as
it was 4.2 years in the past. How far away is Proxima Centauri? Choose
all correct answers. Answer: -(the speed of light) x (4.2 years)
-4.2 Light Years
⩥ The top speed of the X-15 airplane -- the fastest piloted airplane on
Earth -- was 7200 km/h, or 2 km/s. (ref: to an external site.) If we could
send this airplane to visit the Sun and back, a round trip distance of 300
million km, how long would it take to make the trip? (Assume it goes
straight there and back without losing any time turning around. Also
assume it could fly outside Earth's atmosphere.) Express your answer in
years.
Shortcut: there are 30 million seconds in a year. Answer: 5 Years
⩥ If you walk 2.5 miles to class and it takes you 50 minutes, what is
your average speed in miles per hour (mph)? Answer: 3 MPH
⩥ Refer to the figure below. Where in their sky would the observer look
to see the star indicated by the unlabeled vertical down-pointing arrow?
Answer: High in the SouthEast
,⩥ Refer to the Figure in the previous question. Match the cardinal
directions (N, S, E, W) with the direction they are for the observer in the
picture. "Left" and "Right" mean toward the left and right sides of the
page as YOU are looking at it. All directions (up, down, left, right) are in
the plane of the page except "into page" and "out of page". Answer: -
North (Left)
-South (Right)
-East (Into Page)
-West (Out of page)
⩥ Two students are having the following discussion regarding at what
position(s) Star B rises and sets (if any), from the figure above: (this is
question 8 from the in-class worksheet "Position" from your workbook)
Student 1: Locations B1 and B3 are on my horizon because they are
rising and setting just like A1 and A3.
Student 2: Figure 1 shows that Star B is as low as it will get when it is
just above the northern horizon at B4. So Star B never goes below the
horizon.Which student is correct, if either? Answer: Only Student 2 is
correct
⩥ Imagine you are standing in the Northern hemisphere, like the
observer in the figure below. Looking directly North, you see a star just
above the horizon. Which star at which position could it be?(Make sure
you are referring to the figure below, and not the figure above, which has
the star positions numbered differently.) Answer: -Star B
, -Position 3
⩥ Below is an examples of a "star trails" picture. What actually causes
the stars to make these streaks, or "trails" on the photographs? Answer:
The Earth slowly rotates on its axis
⩥ How long was the exposure to make the star trails photograph in the
previous question? Answer: About 2 hours
⩥ In the star trails photo above, assume that the camera was pointed
directly up toward zenith. What can you conclude about the latitude on
Earth where the photo was taken? Answer: North or South Pole
⩥ Moon Phases Answer: new, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing
gibbous, full, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent, new
⩥ becoming fuller, or appearing to grow bigger or more in extent
Answer: waxing
⩥ becoming less full, diminishing, or appearing to become less in extent
Answer: waning
⩥ a bulging shape; more than half full; humpbacked Answer: gibbous
CERTIFICATION EVALUATION EXAMS
QUESTIONS AND COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
⩥ Proxima Centauri is a nearby star. Due to lookback time, we see it as
it was 4.2 years in the past. How far away is Proxima Centauri? Choose
all correct answers. Answer: -(the speed of light) x (4.2 years)
-4.2 Light Years
⩥ The top speed of the X-15 airplane -- the fastest piloted airplane on
Earth -- was 7200 km/h, or 2 km/s. (ref: to an external site.) If we could
send this airplane to visit the Sun and back, a round trip distance of 300
million km, how long would it take to make the trip? (Assume it goes
straight there and back without losing any time turning around. Also
assume it could fly outside Earth's atmosphere.) Express your answer in
years.
Shortcut: there are 30 million seconds in a year. Answer: 5 Years
⩥ If you walk 2.5 miles to class and it takes you 50 minutes, what is
your average speed in miles per hour (mph)? Answer: 3 MPH
⩥ Refer to the figure below. Where in their sky would the observer look
to see the star indicated by the unlabeled vertical down-pointing arrow?
Answer: High in the SouthEast
,⩥ Refer to the Figure in the previous question. Match the cardinal
directions (N, S, E, W) with the direction they are for the observer in the
picture. "Left" and "Right" mean toward the left and right sides of the
page as YOU are looking at it. All directions (up, down, left, right) are in
the plane of the page except "into page" and "out of page". Answer: -
North (Left)
-South (Right)
-East (Into Page)
-West (Out of page)
⩥ Two students are having the following discussion regarding at what
position(s) Star B rises and sets (if any), from the figure above: (this is
question 8 from the in-class worksheet "Position" from your workbook)
Student 1: Locations B1 and B3 are on my horizon because they are
rising and setting just like A1 and A3.
Student 2: Figure 1 shows that Star B is as low as it will get when it is
just above the northern horizon at B4. So Star B never goes below the
horizon.Which student is correct, if either? Answer: Only Student 2 is
correct
⩥ Imagine you are standing in the Northern hemisphere, like the
observer in the figure below. Looking directly North, you see a star just
above the horizon. Which star at which position could it be?(Make sure
you are referring to the figure below, and not the figure above, which has
the star positions numbered differently.) Answer: -Star B
, -Position 3
⩥ Below is an examples of a "star trails" picture. What actually causes
the stars to make these streaks, or "trails" on the photographs? Answer:
The Earth slowly rotates on its axis
⩥ How long was the exposure to make the star trails photograph in the
previous question? Answer: About 2 hours
⩥ In the star trails photo above, assume that the camera was pointed
directly up toward zenith. What can you conclude about the latitude on
Earth where the photo was taken? Answer: North or South Pole
⩥ Moon Phases Answer: new, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing
gibbous, full, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent, new
⩥ becoming fuller, or appearing to grow bigger or more in extent
Answer: waxing
⩥ becoming less full, diminishing, or appearing to become less in extent
Answer: waning
⩥ a bulging shape; more than half full; humpbacked Answer: gibbous
