Version A

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Write your name at the top of this quiz as well as on your answer sheet, and hand them both in at the end of the quiz. WRITE YOUR VERSION ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET. Feel free to write or draw on the quiz.
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CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER FOR EACH PROBLEM.

1. In Astronomy, the term `Declination' refers to:
a) The lines on the sky that run parallel to the Earth's equator.
b) The path the Sun takes on the sky.
c) The point on the sky directly above the observer.
d) The lines on the sky that run from the Celestial North Pole to the Celestial South Pole.
e) The line that divides the sky into the eastern half and the western half.

a) The lines on the sky that run parallel to the Earth's equator.

2. The Vernal Equinox is:
a) The path of the Sun on the sky.
b) The point on the sky directly above the observer.
c) The lines on the sky that run from the Celestial North Pole to the Celestial South Pole.
d) One of two days in the year that the Sun is directly above the Earth's equator.
e) The longitude = zero line on the Earth.

d) One of two days in the year that the Sun is directly above the Earth's equator.

3. Which of the following objects is 4.3 light years away?
a) The Sun.
b) The Moon.
c) Betelgeuse.
d) Polaris.
e) alpha Centauri.

e) alpha Centauri.

4. The time period between a full moon and the next full moon is:
a) 28 days.
b) 6 months.
c) 23 hours 56 minutes.
d) 27.3 days.
e) 29.5 days.

e) 29.5 days.

5. A third quarter moon is seen:
a) when the Sun and the Moon are on opposite sides of the Earth.
b) in the second half of the night and in the morning.
c) in the first half of the night and in the afternoon.
d) all night long from sunset to sunrise.
e) all day long from sunrise to sunset.

b) in the second half of the night and in the morning.

6. During New Moon, the angle between the Moon and the Sun in the sky is:
a) 180 degrees.
b) 135 degrees.
c) 90 degrees.
d) 45 degrees.
e) less than or equal to 5 degrees.


e) less than or equal to 5 degrees.

7. Which of the following happens approximately once every 26,000 years?
a) Pluto orbits the Sun once, relative to the stars.
b) Mercury orbits the Sun once, relative to the Earth.
c) The Vernal Equinox happens.
b) From the point of view of an observer on the Earth, a star makes one complete orbit around the Earth.
e) The Earth precesses once on its axis.

e) The Earth precesses once on its axis.

8. Which of the following is NOT true about the Moon?
a) It orbits the Earth in 29.5 days, relative to the Sun.
b) It always keeps the same face to the Earth.
c) It is synchronously rotating with the Earth.
d) It does not spin on its axis.
e) It undergoes a lunar eclipse approximately every six months.

d) It does not spin on its axis.

9. When an astronomer says that Mars is at opposition, what does this mean?
a) Mars is on the opposite side of the Sun (the far side) from the Earth.
b) Mars is on the other side of the Earth from the Sun.
c) Mars is between the Earth and the Sun.
d) Mars is not visible at midnight from the Earth.
e) Mars is at its greatest distance from the Earth.

b) Mars is on the other side of the Earth from the Sun.

10. Polaris is on the horizon for:
a) People on the Earth's equator, all night long.
b) People at the North Pole, all night long.
c) People in Johnson City, all night long.
d) People in Johnson City, twice a day.
e) People in Johnson City, during the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes.

a) People on the Earth's equator, all night long.

11. The number 200,000 can be written:
a) 2 X 10^-5.
b) 2 X 1⁵.
c) 2 X 10⁵.
d) 2 X 10⁶.
e) 2⁵

c) 2 X 10⁵.

12. The shadow of the Earth on the Moon:
a) Is responsible for the phases of the Moon.
b) Causes solar eclipses.
c) Causes lunar eclipses.
d) Occurs every full moon.
e) Occurs every new moon.

c) Causes lunar eclipses.

13. The Moon is at its highest point in the sky (near the meridian) at midnight when it is in which of the following phases?
a) Full.
b) First quarter.
c) Third quarter.
d) None of the above.
e) All of the above.

a) Full.

14. If you were lost at sea in the northern hemisphere of Earth, how could you determine your latitude?
a) measure the angle between the zenith and the northern horizon.
b) measure the angle between Polaris and the celestial equator.
c) measure the angle between Polaris and the northern horizon.
d) measure the angle between Polaris and the celestial meridian.
e) measure the angle between Polaris and the ecliptic.


c) measure the angle between Polaris and the northern horizon.

15. Which of the following objects is NOT always found near the ecliptic?
a) the Moon.
b) the Sun.
c) Mars.
d) Venus.
e) Polaris.


e) Polaris.

16. Two trees seen in the distance, Trees A and B, both have angular sizes of 10 degrees, but tree B is 10 times further away than tree A. Tree A is known to be 20 feet tall. How tall is Tree B?
a) 2 feet tall.
b) 10 feet tall.
c) 20 feet tall.
d) 200 feet tall.
e) 2000 feet tall.

d) 200 feet tall.

17. The Earth spins once on its axis relative to the stars:
a) every 23 hours 56 minutes.
b) every 24 hours.
c) every 27.3 days.
d) every 29.5 days.
e) every 365 days.

a) every 23 hours 56 minutes.

18. On the Summer Solstice:
a) the Right Ascension of the Sun is 0 hours.
b) the Declination of the Sun is -90 degrees.
c) The Declination of the Sun is 0 degrees.
d) The Declination of the Sun is 23.5 degrees.
e) The Declination of the Sun is 90 degrees.

d) The Declination of the Sun is 23.5 degrees.

19. The angle between the Sun, Earth, and Moon is approximately 45 degrees during:
a) a full moon.
b) a crescent moon.
c) a first or third quarter moon.
d) a gibbous moon.
e) all phases of the Moon.

b) a crescent moon.

20. A sidereal year for Mercury is:
a) 365 Earth days.
b) 88 Earth days.
c) 367 Earth days.
d) 26,000 Earth years.
e) 8 Earth years.

b) 88 Earth days.