Moon Phases Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What phase of the moon occurs when the unlit side faces the Earth?

Full Moon

Waxing Crescent

Waning Gibbous

New Moon (correct)

Which phase occurs approximately one week after the new moon?

Waning Quarter

Waxing Quarter (correct)

Waxing Crescent

Waxing Gibbous

Why are lunar eclipses more common than solar eclipses?

The moon is larger than the sun.

The Earth casts a larger shadow than the moon. (correct)

Solar eclipses are only visible in certain areas.

Lunar eclipses occur every month.

At what time does a full moon typically rise compared to the sun?

12 hours after the sun Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason solar eclipses occur less frequently than lunar eclipses?

The moon's orbit is tipped relative to the ecliptic plane. Signup and view all the answers

Which moon phase is easiest to see right after sunset?

Waxing Crescent Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic feature of the waning gibbous phase?

It rises approximately 3 hours before the sun. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about a solar eclipse is true?

It occurs when the new moon crosses the ecliptic plane. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary assumption of the geocentric universe model?

The earth is the center of the universe. Signup and view all the answers

What significant idea did Nicolaus Copernicus introduce?

The sun is the center of the universe. Signup and view all the answers

What does Kepler's first law of planetary motion state?

Orbits are elliptical with the sun at one focus. Signup and view all the answers

What observation did Tycho Brahe make that contributed to changes in astronomical understanding?

He observed a supernova. Signup and view all the answers

Kepler's second law indicates that a planet moves fastest when it is:

Near the sun. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following distinguishes Kepler's third law of planetary motion?

Distant planets orbit the sun at slower speeds. Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon can explain the apparent retrograde motion of Mars as observed from Earth?

Earth's faster orbit overtakes Mars. Signup and view all the answers

Which assertion regarding the celestial objects in the geocentric model is correct?

They revolve around the Earth. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Moon Phases

The moon's orbit is tilted by 5 degrees, which is why lunar eclipses happen.
A solar eclipse happens when the moon blocks the sun.
A lunar eclipse happens when the earth blocks the sun, casting a shadow on the moon.
New Moon: Unlit side faces the earth, rises with the sun, sets with the sun, not easily visible.
Waxing Crescent: 3-4 days after the new moon, rises about 3 hours after the sun, sets 3 hours after the sun.
Waxing Quarter: 1 week after the new moon, lit from the side, rises around 6 hours after the sun, sets around 6 hours after the sun.
Waxing Gibbous: 10-11 days after the new moon, rises around 9 hours after the sun, sets around 9 hours after the sun.
Full Moon: Two weeks after the new moon, only time when a lunar eclipse can occur, rises around 12 hours after the sun, sets around 12 hours after the sun, visible most of the night.
Waning Gibbous: 10-11 days before the new moon, rises around 3 hours before the sun, sets around 3 hours after the sun.
Waning Quarter: 1 week before the new moon, rises around 6 hours before the sun, sets around 6 hours after the sun.
Waning Crescent: 2-4 days before the new moon, rises around 3 hours before the sun, sets around 3 hours after the sun.

Solar Eclipse

Happens when the new moon crosses the ecliptic plane.
Occurs rarely due to the moon's tilted orbit.
Only casts a shadow on a small part of the earth.

Lunar Eclipse

Happens when the full moon crosses the ecliptic plane.
Can be seen from anywhere on earth.
More common than a solar eclipse, since the earth has a larger shadow.

Limitations of Moon's Orbit Simulation

Size of the sun and orbits are not to scale.
The tilt of the moon's orbital plane is incorrect.
The moon's rotation axis should be slightly tilted relative to its orbital axis.
The orbit should be perturbed ellipses, not circles.
The positions of the sun and earth should be affected by other objects in the solar system.
Orbits should not be centered on the sun or earth.
The orbital plane of the moon should precess around every 18 years.

Astronomy Before Copernicus

Observations:
- The sun, moon, and stars rise and set every day.
- The earth feels fixed.
- The stars seem to be unchanging.
- Everything falls to the earth.
- Planets experience retrograde motion.
Conclusions:
- The earth is the center of the universe.
- Everything revolves around the earth in circles.
- The planets move in circles within circles.
Assumptions:
- The heavens are perfect and incorruptible.
- Circles are perfect.

The Geocentric Universe

The earth is the center of the universe.
All celestial objects revolve around the earth.

Nicolaus Copernicus

Catholic/Canon scholar.
Diplomat.
Economist.
Translator.
Proposed a different idea:
- The sun is the center of the universe.
- Planets orbit the sun in circles.
- The moon orbits the earth.

Apparent Retrograde Motion

Earth orbits faster than Mars.
As the earth passes Mars, the position of Mars on the sky, compared to background stars, changes.
This explains retrograde motion.

Tycho Brahe

Danish nobleman.
Had his own island and observatory.
Exiled for political reasons.
Made extremely precise measurements of the motion of Mars.
Observed a supernova.
Used parallax to constrain the distance to objects.
His data revealed problems with existing models.

Johannes Kepler

Worked with Tycho Brahe's data.
Concerned about the inaccuracy of models for theological reasons.
Discovered a fix for Copernicus' model.
Kepler's First Law: The orbit of each planet about the sun is an ellipse with the sun at one focus.
Kepler's Second Law: A planet moves faster in the part of its orbit nearer the sun and slower further from the sun, sweeping out equal areas in equal times.
Kepler's Third Law: More distant planets orbit the sun at slower average speeds, obeying a precise mathematical relationship.

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Description

Test your knowledge about the different phases of the moon and their characteristics. This quiz covers the new moon, waxing and waning phases, and eclipses. Understand how these lunar events fit into the broader context of astronomy.