2. The brightness scale of Hipparchus divided the brightness of stars into six magnitudes. On this scale a sixth magnitude star would

be bright.
be faint.
be the most distant.
show the most variation

3. On the brightness scale, really bright objects like the moon or Venus have

magnitudes greater than 6.
magnitudes larger than 12.
negative numbers representing their magnitudes.
magnitudes less than one, but never negative.

4.The Greeks used the concept of the celestial sphere to explain the perceived motions of objects in the sky. This imaginary sphere (see p.14,16)

carried the stars and sun around the Earth daily.
was large and crystalline (transparent).
was around the Earth, with the Earth at the center.
all the above.

5. The imaginary line in the sky known as the ecliptic (see p.22)

is a line around the heavens above the Earth's equator.
is a great circle that divides the celestial sphere into two equal hemispheres.
also defines the plane of the Earth's orbit.
is the apparent path of the sun's motion around the Earth.
C and D

6. The celestial equator is a line in the heavens

along which the sun appears to move and it crosses the ecliptic at an angle of 23.5 degrees.
directly above the Earth's equator and it crosses the ecliptic at an angle of 23.5 degrees.
along which the sun appears to move and it crosses the ecliptic at an angle of 12.5 degrees.
that also defines the plane of the Earth's orbit which is 32.5 degrees wide.

7. Which one of the following is not caused by one of the Earth's motions?

day and night
the changing height of the sun in the sky during the year
the apparent circular motion of a Foucault Pendulum
seasons
the phase of the moon

8. During an equinox the sun rises (see Helps & Hints in the packet)

due east and we have the longest day the year.
due east and we have the shortest day of the year.
at its most northly point and we have the longest day of the year.
at its most southerly point and we have the shortest day of the year.
due east and the length of the day and night are equal.

9. The summer solstice occurs on the day when the sun

rises at its most northly point and reaches its hightest position in the sky.
rises at its most northly point and drops to its lowest position in the sky.
rises at its most southerly point and drops to its lowest position in the sky.
is at its highest position at sunrise when viewed by observers in the southern hemisphere.

10. The Earth's seasons are created mainly by the

sun's motion around the Earth.
tilt of the Earth's axis.
wobble of the Earth on its axis.
distance the Earth is from the sun.
all the above.

11. Choose the correct statement concerning precession.

Precession is the slight wobble of the Earth as it rotates.
Precession is due to the gravitational influence of the sun and moon.
Precession can be detected by changes in the position of stars.
Precession causes the axis of the Earth to slowly describe a cone.
all the above

12. A fourth magnitude star is about 2.5 times (see Helps & Hints)

brighter than a fifth magnitude star.
fainter than a fifth magnitude star.
larger than a fifth magnitude star.
smaller than a fifth magnitude star.

Lesson 3 "Cycles of the Sky"

13. When the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun (exactly) we have a (see p.28)

new moon.
moon at first quarter.
full moon.
gibbous moon.

14. Choose the correct sequence of lunar phases.

waning gibbous-crescent-full-first quarter
third quarter-waning crescent-new-waxing crescent
first quarter-waxing crescent-full-waxing crescent
first quarter-waxing gibbous-full-waning crescent

15. If the people in India see a full moon, people in the United States (when it becomes night here) will see which phase?

new moon
waxing crescent
full moon
waxing gibbous

16. The time it takes the moon to revolve around the Earth relative to the background of stars is called its

sidereal period.
synodic period.
phase period.
lunar period.

17. If you were on the moon's surface during its first quarter, the Earth's phase would be

new.
quarter.
full.
gibbous.

18. The sun's influence on tides is

only a factor at new moon.
greater than the moon's effect.
only about half as great as the moon's effect.
less during the winter.

19. The highest tides are called (see p.27)

spring tides and occur in March and April.
neap tides and occur in December and January.
neap tides and occur during the first and third quarter phases of the moon.
spring tides and occur during new and full moons.

20. Which of the following has the least effect on the height of tides? (see p.27,Study Guide)

rotation of the Earth
shape of the ocean floor
shape of the coastline
winds

21. The main reason coastlines usually have two high tides a day is that the

sun causes one and the moon the other.
moon causes one and the gravitational influence of the planets causes the other.
moon causes one and the rotating Earth the other.
tidal forces generate two bulges on opposite sides of the Earth.

22. Choose the correct statement comparing total solar and lunar eclipses.

Solar eclipses tend to last longer and occur during new moon.
Solar eclipses are seen by more people and occur during full moon only.
Lunar eclipses are seen by more people and occur during new moon
Solar eclipses are much shorter and occur during new moon.

23. When the moon's umbral shadow is seen from the Earth when the moon is at apogee, (see Helps & Hints)

a total eclipse occurs
an annular eclipse occurs.
a very short total eclipse occurs.
a partial eclipse occurs.

24. The moon goes through a node about every two weeks, but the line of nodes only points towards the sun twice a year. Therefore, eclipse seasons occur (see Helps & Hints, p.35,36)

at every new and full moon.
at apogee or perigee.
about every six months.
mainly at perigee.

25. If the moon's orbital plane around the Earth coincided with the plane of the ecliptic (assume no other change from the present conditions), which one of the following would be correct?

all solar eclipses would become total as viewed from all areas of the Earth
the average lunar eclipses would become considerably shorter
the average solar eclipses would become considerably longer
two eclipses would occur each month
annular eclipses could no longer occur

Prepared by: Mike Mitchell

Be sure to review your quizzes before taking the test.