Astronomy Quiz 2 PDF

1. Comparing a solar eclipse to a lunar eclipse A) I find that there is no comparison worth making; the writer of this question is simply trying to fool me. B) The same number of people on Earth could witness either event C) More people on...

1. Comparing a solar eclipse to a lunar eclipse A) I find that there is no comparison worth making; the writer of this question is simply trying to fool me. B) The same number of people on Earth could witness either event C) More people on Earth could witness a solar eclipse than a lunar eclipse D) Fewer people on Earth could witness a solar eclipse than a lunar eclipse 2. Which of the following is not one of, nor a direct consequence of Kepler's Laws? A) A planet or comet in a non-circular orbit travels faster when it is nearer to the Sun and slower when it is farther from the Sun. B) More distant planets orbit the Sun at slower speeds. C) As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equal areas in equal times. D) The force of attraction between any two objects decreases with the square of the distance between their centers. 3. Detailed study of the exact duration of the solar year was in which school in Islamic Astronomy? A) Amman school B) Dubai school C) Cairo school D) Baghdad school 4. All of the following statements are true. Which one explains the reason that there is NOT a solar eclipse at every new moon? A) The orbital plane of the Moon is tilted slightly (by about 5 degrees) to the ecliptic plane. B) The Moon is only about 1/4 as large as Earth in diameter. C) The Moon goes through a complete cycle of phases about every 29 1/2 days. D) The nodes of the Moon's orbit precess with an 18-year period. 5. The same side of the Moon always faces Earth because A) Moon's period of rotation is longer than its period of revolution around Earth. B) Moon does not rotate as it completes one revolution around Earth. C) Moon rotates once as it completes one revolution around Earth. D) Moon's period of rotation is shorter than its period of revolution around Earth. 6. The ancient Greeks got a lot of attention for their contributions to science because A) They were the only ancient culture that kept written records of their astronomical observations B) They were the first people to realize that Earth is a planet orbiting the Sun C) The books of every other culture were lost in the destruction of the library of Alexandria D) They were the first people known to try to explain nature with models based on reason, mathematics, and geometry 7. What was the Ptolemaic model? A) The first scientific model to successfully predict solar and lunar eclipses B) An Earth-centered model of planetary motion described by Ptolemy C) Sun-centered model of planetary motion described by Ptolemy D) The Earth-centered model of the cosmos in which the Earth was surrounded by seven perfect spheres, one each for the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn 8. On a clear night when an observer in Sharjah sees a first quarter Moon, an observer in London would see A) A full moon B) A third quarter moon C) A new moon D) A first quarter moon 9. Which of the following was NOT observed by Galileo? A) Four moons orbiting Jupiter B) Mountains and valleys on the Moon C) Stellar parallax D) Phases of Venus 10. The heliocentric system is a system where A) Earth revolves around the Sun B) Sun rotates around the Earth C) Earth rotates around the Sun D) Sun revolves around the Earth 11. A waxing gibbous Moon rises A) Around 3:00 p.m. B) Around 3:00 a.m. C) Around 9:00 p.m. D) Around 9:00 a.m. 12. What color would the Moon have during a total lunar eclipse if Earth were to have no atmosphere? A) Blue, just because I love blueberries. B) Red, just because I love strawberries. C) Green, just because I love greenberries (does it exist???). D) Black, just because I love blackberries. 13. Scientists today do not accept the Ptolemaic model because A) It had no explanation for retrograde motion. B) It has been shown that Ptolemy faked his data. C) The work of Tycho and Kepler shows the heliocentric model was more accurate. D) It was too complicated, compared to Copernicus's heliocentric model. 14. Which of the following people did not accept a heliocentric model of the universe? A) Kepler. B) Copernicus. C) Galileo. D) Tycho. 15. A waning crescent Moon is observed A) near the western horizon just after sunset. B) near the eastern horizon just before sunrise. C) near the eastern horizon just after sunset. D) near the western horizon just after sunset. 16. The sidereal period of the Moon refers to the time taken by the Moon A) to rotate around itself with respect to the Sun B) to revolve around Earth with respect to the stars C) to rotate around itself with respect to the stars D) to revolve around Earth with respect to the Sun 17. Which concept was NOT a part of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion? A) All planetary orbits are ellipses. B) Epicycles are needed to explain the varying brightnesses of the planets. C) The square of the planet's period is proportional to the cube of its average distance. D) The line that connects the Sun to Mercury sweeps out the same area in equal intervals of time. 18. Kepler's first law worked, where Copernicus original heliocentric model failed, because Kepler described the orbits as A) Much larger than Copernicus had envisioned. B) Elliptical, not circular. C) Complex, with epicycles to account for retrograde motion. D) Around the sun, not the Earth. 19. A partial solar eclipse just occurred a week ago in Sharjah, what would be the phase of the Moon today? A) Third quarter B) Full C) First quarter D) New 20. You observe a full moon rising at sunset. What will you see 6 hours later? A) A waning gibbous moon B) A full moon on or near your meridian C) A third quarter moon D) A first quarter moon 21. The time length of the Saros cycle is A) 18 years, 28 days, 28 hours B) 8 years, 11 days, 18 hours C) 11 years, 18 days, 8 hours D) 18 years, 11 days, 8 hours 22. Which was a contribution made by Galileo to astronomy? A) His discovery that the Sun was not at the center of the Milky Way. B) His discovery that the planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits. C) His discovery that the planets revolve around the Sun (and not the Earth). D) His observations of the four moons of Jupiter, a mini-model of the solar system. 23. Kepler's third law is a relation between A) The year of a planet and its distance from the Sun. B) The day of a planet and its distance from the Sun. C) Mass of a planet and its distance from the Sun. D) The year of a planet and its day. 24. If the Moon is setting at 6 am, the phase of the Moon must be _________. A) Full Moon B) New Moon C) First quarter D) Third quarter 25. What does "waning Moon" mean? A) Shrinking B) Lighted C) Dark D) Growing 26. The synodic period of the Moon refers to the time taken by the Moon A) to revolve around Earth with respect to the Sun B) to revolve around Earth with respect to the stars C) to rotate around itself with respect to the stars D) to rotate around itself with respect to the Sun 27. The geocentric Ptolemaic system is a system where A) Sun revolves around the Earth B) Earth rotates around the Sun C) Sun rotates around the Earth D) Earth revolves around the Sun 28. In the solar system most planets and satellites A) do not move at all. B) move in unpredictable directions. C) move in a common direction. D) move in random directions. 29. Suppose that tonight the Moon is its New Moon phase. You are on the side of the Moon facing the Earth. What phase Earth do you see? A) Full Earth B) You can't see the Earth because it is eclipsed by the Sun C) First quarter Earth D) Third Quarter Moon 30. How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde motion of the planets? A) It held that the planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around the Earth, and that the combined motion sometimes resulted in a backward motion. B) It held that sometimes the planets moved backward along their circular orbits. C) It held that the planets resided on giant spheres that sometimes turned clockwise and sometimes turned counterclockwise. D) It held that this motion occurs as Earth passes by another planet in its orbit of the Sun. 31. What does "waxing Moon" mean? A) Shrinking B) Growing C) Dark D) Lighted 32. The great contribution of Nicholas Copernicus was to A) create a detailed model of our solar system with the Sun rather than Earth at the center B) discover the law of gravity C) discover the laws of planetary motion D) prove that the Earth is not the center of the universe 33. If it is 6:00 am where you live and you see a first quarter Moon, then the Moon must be A) This can't be. B) Setting into the western horizon. C) On the meridian. D) Rising from the eastern horizon. 34. One of the major discoveries of Galileo is A) moons of Jupiter B) summer solstice C) moon of earth D) moon phases 35. This phase of the Moon can never be observed during daylight. A) Waning crescent. B) First quarter. C) Waning gibbous. D) Full Moon. 36. Which was a contribution to astronomy made by Copernicus A) The planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits. B) c. He discovered the Sun was not at the center of the Milky Way. C) His telescope revealed the four moons of Jupiter, a model of the solar system. D) The planets revolve around the Sun (and not the Earth). 37. From which direction does a quarter Moon rise? A) Always to the North B) Always to the South C) Always to the West D) Always to the East 38. How much of the Moon is always lit? A) can't tell B) always changes C) half D) ¾ 39. If the Moon is setting at noon (12 pm), the phase of the Moon must be A) New moon B) Third quarter C) Full moon D) First quarter 40. From which direction does a quarter Moon rise? A) Always to the East B) Always to the North C) Always to the South D) Always to the West 41. Your likelihood of seeing a particular phase of the Moon depends on A) the time of day/night where you are located on Earth B) the position of the Moon in its orbit around Earth C) the angular separation between the Moon and the Sun D) Just a matter a chance 42. Kepler's second law (equal areas in equal times) implies that the planets move A) In elliptical orbits. B) slowest when closest to the Sun C) Fastest when closest to the Sun. D) Fastest when furthest from the Sun. 43. Why do we see lunar eclipses much more often than solar eclipses? A) The lunar eclipse is visible to much more of the Earth than a solar eclipse. B) Lunar eclipses occur more often than solar eclipses. C) The Moon is closer to the Earth than the Sun. D) Lunar eclipses last longer than solar eclipses. 44. Earth does not experience a solar eclipse every month because A) The Moon’s position is not aligned with the Earth’s orbit. B) of unpredictable weather patterns. C) its sometimes nighttime when the eclipse occurs. D) the moon always keeps its same side toward the Earth 45. The great contribution of Tycho Brahe was to ________. A) observe planetary positions with sufficient accuracy so that Kepler could later use the data to discover the laws of planetary motion B) discover four moons orbiting Jupiter, thereby lending strong support to the idea that the Earth is not the center of the universe C) discover that planets orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits with varying speed D) offer the first detailed model of a Sun-centered solar system, thereby beginning the process of overturning the Earth-centered model of the Greeks 46. We cannot see a new moon in our sky because________. A) a new moon is quite near the sun in the sky B) it is obscured by the Earth's shadow C) it is above the horizon during the daytime D) no sunlight is illuminating the Moon 47. Total solar eclipses, when they occur, are visible from A) any place on the Earth. B) a narrow path on the Earth. C) any place on the Earth where the Sun is visible. D) any place on Earth where the Sun and Moon are visible 48. A(n) _____________ is a Circle whose center is located on the circumference of another circle. A) Ellipse B) Epicycle C) Equant D) Deferent 49. A cycle of Moon phases can be seen from Earth because the A) Moon spins on its axis B) Moon revolves around Earth C) Moon's distance from Earth changes at a predictable rate D) Moon's axis is tilted 50. What do we mean by a geocentric model of the universe? A) A model of the Milky Way Galaxy that has our solar system located at its center. B) A model designed to explain what we see in the sky while having the Earth orbit the Sun. C) A model designed to explain what we see in the sky while having the Earth located in the center of the universe. D) It is the name given to sphere-shaped models that show all the constellations as they appear in our sky on the celestial sphere.