Polaris, the present pole star, will return to be the pole star again after...
A. 2,000 years
B. 4,800 years
C. 26,000 years
D. 38,000 years
How long after the Universe began did our Solar System form?
A. about 4 billion years
B. about 2 billion years
C. about 6 billion years
D. about 12 billion years
E. about 9 billion years
If you note that the Moon is rising (or setting) at a particular time tonight, approximately when will it rise or set tomorrow?
A. about an hour later
B. about an hour earlier
C. about 4 minutes earlier
D. about 4 minutes later
E. at precisely the same time
From which of the locations below will you see the fewest circumpolar stars?
A. Quito, Ecuador (almost on the Equator)
B. Arecibo, Puerto Rico (latitude = 18 degrees)
C. Tuscon, Arizona (latitude = 32 degrees)
D. Charlottesville, Virginia (latitude = 38 degrees)
Now that the universe has been manufacturing elements besides hydrogen and helium for some time, what percentage of the mass in the universe has been converted into heavier elements?
A. 0.1-0.2%
B. 1-2%
C. 7-9%
D. 12-15%
E. 25%
On the first day of winter in the northern hemisphere (i.e. Charlottesville) in what direction do you see the sun rise?
A. East
B. South
C. Southeast
D. Northeast
The carbon contained within this sheet of paper was produced
A. when the universe was very hot during the Big Bang
B. by the radioactive decay of elements within the Earth
C. in the outer layers of the Sun
D. in the interior of a star long ago
E. by a combination of all the above in nearly equal quantity
The Earth's orbital motion around the Sun does NOT cause which of the following?
A. a change in the rising and setting times of the stars by a few minutes a night
B. different constellations to be visible at midnight at different times of the year
C. the Sun's motion from day to day along the ecliptic
D. the seasons
E. the daily risin
If you were able to see the celestial equator as a line on the sky while you were standing outside here in Charlottesville (latitude 38 degrees) how would it appear?
A. A line extending directly overhead from due North to due South
B. A line extending directly overhead from due East to due West
C. A line extending from due North rising 52 degrees above the Easter horizon and continued to due South
D. A line extending
The Spring Equinox will occur at 1:14am on March 20. At this instant...
A. the Sun reaches its most northerly position on the celestial sphere
B. the Sun reaches its most southerly position on the celestial sphere
C. the Earth reaches its closest distance from the Sun
D. the Sun enters the Northern celestial equator
E. the Su
The last quarter Moon sets at...
A. 6am (sunrise)
B. Midnight
C. 6pm (sunset)
D. Noon
What is the earliest that you could see a lunar eclipse after seeing a solar eclipse?
A. about 2 weeks later
B. about 3 months later
C. about 6 months later
D. about a year later
E. about 2 years later
Consider two stars - Alpha Lyrae and Beta Orionis - from constellations of Lyra and Orion respectively. Without actually seeing these stars which of the following statements can see say is certainly true?
A. Alpha Lyrae is the brightest star in the constellation of Lyra
B. Alpha Lyrae is brighter than Beta Orionis
C. Alpha Lyrae is the easternmost star in the constellation of Lyra
D. Beta Orionis is brighter than Alpha Lyrae
E. Both A and B are true
The difference between the Tropical Year and Sidereal Year is due to the effects of
A. Precession
B. Nutation
C. Regression
D. Retrograde Motion
E. Equinox
Which pair of stars in the list below are different in brightness by a factor of 10,000?
A. 4th vs. 12th magnitude
B. 1st vs. 16th magnitude
C. 7th vs. 12th magnitude
D. 1st vs. 21st magnitude
E. 9th vs. 19th magnitude
In a scale model of the Solar System in which the Sun is a basketball how large is the Earth?
A. the size of the period at the end of this sentence
B. the size of a golf ball
C. a bit smaller than a pea
D. a bit bigger than a tennis ball
How long does it take the Earth to complete one full rotation on its axis with respect to the distant stars?
A. One solar day
B. One sidereal day
C. 24 hours
D. Both A and C
E. Both B and C
How long does totality last for a typical solar eclipse?
A. a few seconds
B. a few minutes
C. about 15-20 minutes
D. about 2 hours
If you see the moon setting during a total lunar eclipse what time is it?
A. sunset
B. noon
C. sunrise
D. midnight
E. it could be at any time
Consider a planet where a leap year is required once every two years to keep the calendar in sync with seasons. Which choice from the list below is consistent with the length of this planet's year?
A. 427.33 days
B. 187.50 days
C. 55.10 days
D. 122.25 days
E. 756.20 days
The Moon has an angular size of 1/2 degree. Astronauts visiting a nearby asteroid finds themselves five times further from the Moon than the Earth. That astronaut would observe the Moon to have what angular size?
A. 1/5 degree
B. 1/10 degree
C. 1/2 degree
D. 2 1/2 degree
E. 5 degrees
You know that the bright star Vega is directly overhead at 11pm on August 1 every year. At what time will Vega be directly overheard on September 1?
A. 1am
B. 3am
C. 7pm
D. 9pm
E. 11pm
The best time of the year to go out to observe the constellation associated with your birthsign is...
A. on your birthday
B. one month before your birthday
C. one month after your birthday
D. six months before or after your birthday
E. three months before or after your birthday
The extremely bright planet that has been in the Western sky in the early evening all semester is...
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Mars
D. Saturn
Recently a team of scientists has inferred the presence of a rocky planet around another star that is so hot that it is evaporated away. This conclusion was drawn by observing...
A. features associated with gaseous iron and silicates (rock) in the spectrum of the star
B. irregular dimming of the light of the star with each orbit of the planet
C. a change in the observed orbital period (year) of the planet over time as its mass dec
Aurorae are trigged by which of the following?
A. a lack of sunlight during the long polar winter
B. solar activity/flares
C. meteor showers
D. extremely low temperatures at polar latitudes
E. rapid shifts of the location of the Earth's magnetic poles
You can see a total solar eclipse if you are in...
A. the Moon's penumbra
B. the Moon's umbra
C. The Earth's penumbra
D. the Earth's umbra
Roughly how many stars are there in a typical galaxy?
A. 10^6
B. 10^9
C. 10^11
D. 10^14
E. 10^19
What specific steps would you have to take if you wanted a chance to see the next total solar eclipse?
Consult your favorite archive of upcoming total solar eclipses and find the prediction for the path of the Moon's umbral shadow across the Earth for that event. Place yourself at some point on the path at the right time.
List a few observations you could make to determine whether an object you see up in the sky is likely a planet rather than a star
� found near the ecliptic
� brightest things in the sky
� will move with respect to the stars night-to-night
� stars twinkle, planet's don't (usually)
circumpolar star
stars that never set on the horizon because they are close enough to the celestial pole
asterism
a group of stars that are a part of a larger constellation
synodic month
the total time it takes the Moon to orbit around the Earth and be exactly in line with the Sun
opposition
when the Earth is between a superior planet and the Sun
zodiac
one of the 12 constellations that the Sun passes through every year, one for each month