Deck 2: A User S Guide to the Sky

Question 1

Earth spins completely upright like a giant top.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The scale of apparent visual magnitudes extends into negative numbers to represent the faintest objects in the sky.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

What is an asterism?

A) A legend or folklore association to a grouping of stars
B) Less formally defined group of stars outside the official 88 constellations
C) The council of astronomers who defined the 88 constellations
D) The northern pivot point of the celestial sphere
E) Constellations close enough to a celestial pole that they do not appear to rise from the east and set in the west

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which is an example of an asterism?

A) Andromeda
B) Canis Major
C) Ursa Major
D) Big Dipper
E) Pegasus

Question 5

The nadir marks the point of the celestial sphere directly above your head.

Question 6

In ancient times, constellation boundaries were well defined.

Question 7

The International Astronomical Union established 88 constellations that represent a defined area of the sky.

Question 8

In a given constellation, the star designated with the Greek letter α  is always brighter than the star designated with the Greek letter   β .

Question 9

Which is an asterism of Pegasus?

A) Great Square
B) Orion
C) Andromeda
D) Scorpio
E) Cassiopeia

Question 10

The constellations are an ancient heritage handed down for thousands of years as ways to tell stories of mythical heroes and monsters.

Question 11

Because Earth's axis of rotation is inclined 23.4 degrees from vertical, the Sun moves into the northern sky in the spring and into the southern sky in the fall.

Question 12

What did the IAU establish in 1928?

A) The IAU classified Pluto as a dwarf planet.
B) The IAU published official names of all constellations.
C) The IAU recorded 88 constellations with defined boundaries.
D) The IAU recognized additional orbiting bodies in the Kuiper Belt.
E) The IAU recorded all the mythologies associated with 88 constellations.

Question 13

Astronomers describe the brightness of stars using the brilliance scale.

Question 14

The sky appears to rotate eastward around Earth each day, but that is a consequence of the westward rotation of Earth.

Question 15

From which language did the majority of star names originate?

A) Arabic
B) Latin
C) Greek
D) Spanish
E) Italian

Question 16

Most individual star names come from Latin and have been altered through passing centuries.

Question 17

The seasons are caused by Earth's orbit moving closer to or farther from the Sun.

Question 18

Flux is a measure of the light energy from a star that hits a collecting area of one square meter in one second.

Question 19

What was the purpose of the IAU establishing 88 official constellations?

A) To allow ancient stories of each constellation to be preserved
B) To name all constellations the same across any culture
C) To identify which constellation was created by which culture
D) To define boundaries for constellations including every part of the sky
E) To include additional, fainter stars within a constellation

Question 20

We are living in one of Earth's ice ages.

Question 21

If two stars have a magnitude difference of 5, what is their flux ratio?

A) 10.0
B) 12.6
C) 100.0
D) 250.0
E) 625.3

Question 22

If star A is 14.5 times brighter than star B, then what is their magnitude difference?

A) 1.2
B) 2.9
C) 63.1
D) 800
E) 6.2 × 10⁵

Question 23

Why is the term "arc" used to describe units of measure for angular distance?

A) To avoid confusion with the minutes and seconds of time
B) To describe the arc-shaped distance between the stars
C) To distinguish the base unit of 10 per degree
D) To distinguish the difference between northern and southern spheres
E) To describe the placement of the stars within each hemisphere

Question 24

What is the cause for the slow movement of reference marks, such as the celestial poles and equator, to move across the sky?

A) precession
B) evolution
C) climate change
D) continental drift
E) angular revolution

Question 25

Figure 2-4
Review the accompanying figure (Figure 2-4) and identify point C.

A) celestial equator
B) north celestial pole
C) south celestial pole
D) zenith
E) nadir

Question 26

Figure 2-4
Review the accompanying figure  (Figure 2-4) and identify point A.

A) south point
B) nadir
C) zenith
D) north celestial pole
E) south celestial pole

Question 27

Figure 2-4
Review the accompanying figure  (Figure 2-4) and identify point B.

A) zenith
B) north point
C) celestial equator
D) south celestial pole
E) north celestial pole

Question 28

Earth's rotation is connected with a very slow celestial motion that can be detected only over _____

A) centuries
B) decades
C) a year
D) a few months
E) short brief periods

Question 29

Figure 2-2
The star Vega has a magnitude of 0.03. Using the accompanying figure ( Figure  2-2) , which object is brighter than Vega?

A) Sun
B) Venus
C) Sirius
D) Polaris
E) full moon

Question 30

Even though modern astronomers know that stars are scattered through space at different distances, they still use what scientific model to describe celestial locations in the sky?

A) apparent visual magnitude
B) Copernican revolution
C) celestial sphere
D) scientific orb
E) planetarium dome

Question 31

Figure 2-1
Examine the accompanying figure (Figure 2-1) . Which term would be the correct scientific designation for Polaris in Ursa Minoris?

A) North Star
B)   α Ursa Major
C) -0.3 Ursa Minoris
D) α Ursae Minoris
E) β Ursae Minoris

Question 32

Betelgeuse is the brightest star of which constellation?

A) Orion
B) Ursa Minor
C) Ursa Major
D) Southern Cross
E) Cassiopeia

Question 33

What is the flux ratio of two stars whose difference in magnitude is 2.6?

A) 6.3
B) 10.8
C) 21.3
D) 632
E) 1090

Question 34

Which is a unit used to measure angular distance?

A) seconds
B) minutes
C) arc seconds
D) feet
E) kilometers

Question 35

What is the name of constellations that appear to never rise or set?

A) polar constellations
B) circumference constellations
C) circular constellations
D) celestial polar constellations
E) circumpolar constellations

Question 36

Figure 2-4
Review the accompanying figure  (Figure 2-4) . Where does the celestial equator always meet the horizon?

A) at the north and south celestial poles
B) at the north and south poles
C) at the east and west points
D) at the zenith and nadir
E) at the equinox

Question 37

Figure 2-3
In the above image (Figure 2-3) , what is the observer measuring?

A) angle
B) arc
C) distance
D) angular distance
E) angular momentum

Question 38

Which ancient astronomer recorded the magnitude of stars in his star catalog and was used successfully by astronomers for generations?

A) Ptolemy
B) Copernicus
C) Galileo
D) Kepler
E) Aristotle

Question 39

When can Sirius, a famous star of the Northern Hemisphere, be observed?

A) during summer
B) during spring
C) all year long
D) during winter
E) during fall

Question 40

Earth's rapid rotation makes its axis sweep out the shape of a cone, like a heavy top slowing down.  This motion is known as ____.

A) momentum
B) precession
C) revolution
D) precision
E) recession

Question 42

The Milankovitch hypothesis suggests that the shape of Earth's orbit, its precession, and tilted axis can influence climatic changes and thus cause _____.

A) hurricanes
B) ice ages
C) season shift
D) longer days
E) warmer weather

Question 43

Within the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox marks the start of ____.

A) winter
B) fall
C) summer
D) spring
E) a new year

Question 44

Describe the magnitude scale and compare the ancient method to the current methodology used today.

Question 45

On the day of the _______________ in late June, Earth's Northern Hemisphere is inclined toward  the Sun.

Question 46

Day and night cycles are caused by the ____ of Earth.

A) revolution
B) location
C) axis tilt
D) rotation
E) boundaries

Question 47

What date is the autumnal equinox for the Southern hemisphere?

A) December 21
B) September 22
C) June 22
D) March 20
E) December 25

Question 48

Why is Earth's orbit often referred to be a "nearly perfect circle" and not a true ellipse?

Question 49

When the Earth is at ________, it is at its closest point to the Sun in its orbit.

A) aphelion
B) precession
C) perihelion
D) the north celestial pole
E) its zenith

Question 50

Many of the ancient astronomers applied astrology alongside astronomy, but that no longer holds true for modern astronomers. Explain why astrology is no longer considered useful to the modern scientist.

Question 51

In about 12,000 years, the star closest to the north celestial pole will be __________.

A) Vega
B) Polaris
C) Sirius
D) the Sun
E) Venus

Question 52

If Earth rotated about its axis completely upright, what would we fail to experience?

A) holidays
B) seasons
C) weather
D) day and night
E) a 365 day year

Question 53

The eastward rotation of Earth causes the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars to move _______________ in the sky.

Question 54

Which planet is often called our most brilliant "morning star"?

A) Venus
B) Jupiter
C) Mars
D) Mercury
E) Saturn

Question 55

During which event does the Sun reach its most southern point in the celestial sphere within the Northern hemisphere?

A) nadir
B) summer solstice
C) vernal equinox
D) autumnal equinox
E) winter solstice

Question 56

What is the apparent path of the Sun against the background of stars?

A) ecliptic
B) zenith
C) nadir
D) elliptic
E) shadow

Question 57

Describe the process of precession.

Question 58

Earth _______________ once a year around the Sun.

Question 59

Due to the cycle of precession, in 12,000 years, which star will replace Polaris as the guiding North Star?

A) Betelgeuse
B) Sirius
C) Vega
D) Rigel
E) Spica

Question 60

Arc seconds are _______________th of an arc minute.

Question 61

What is the Milankovitch hypothesis and what evidence is there to support this hypothesis?

Question 62

Why do many people think stars are not in the sky during the daytime?

Question 63

In 1928, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) established _______________ official constellations with carefully defined boundaries that together include every part of the sky.

Question 64

Why can someone in the United States almost always be able to observe the constellations such as Ursa Major, Cassiopeia, and Perseus?

Question 65

Explain why we have seasons and compare/contrast the cycle of seasons for both hemispheres.

Question 66

Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of _______________ degrees.

Question 67

The ecliptic is often called the _______________ of Earth's orbit on the sky.

Question 68

Astronomers use the _______________ alphabet to identify the bright stars in a constellation in approximate order of brightness.

Question 69

Astrology is an example of _______________.

Question 70

Explain why it is difficult to see Mercury in the night sky.

Question 71

Scientists constructed a history of ocean temperatures using deep ocean cores that convincingly matched the predictions of the _______________, describing the cause of multiple ice ages on Earth.

Question 72

On the day of summer solstice, explain the position of Earth and the light received by each of the hemispheres.