Mastering Astronomy: the seasons

in winter, Earth's axis points towards the star Polaris. in spring:

the axis also points toward Polaris

when it is summer in Australia, the season in the United States is

winter

If the sun rises precisely due east

it must be the day of either the spring or fall equinox

Rank seasons closest to the sun in Northern Hemisphere (distance):

Winter
Spring
Fall
Summer

Rank seasons closest to the sun in Southern Hemisphere (distance):

Summer
Fall
Spring
Winter

Which statement best describes how variation in the Earth-Sun distance affects the seasons?

The variation in Earth-Sun distance over the course of each year has virtually no effect on the seasons.

What is the cause of the seasons?

The tilt of Earth's axis causes different portions of the Earth to receive more or less direct sunlight at different times of the year

Why is it generally hotter in summer than in winter?

The sun is higher in the sky in summer
We have more hours of daylight

Rank based on how much time the person spends in daylight from most to least.
0
23.5 (towards sun)
23.5(away from sun)
45
90

23.5 (toward sun)
0
23.5 (away from sun)
45
90

Rank the figures from most extreme seasons to least
0
23.5
23.5
45
90

90
45
23.5,23.5
0

Which of the following would you expect to have seasons most like Earth?
Uranus (axis tilt=97.9)
Mars(25.2)
Jupiter(3.1)

Mars

Which of the following would you expect to have the most extreme seasons?
Mars(25.2)
Neptune(29.6)
Uranus(97.9)
Jupiter(3.1)

Uranus

Which of the planets has essentially no seasons at all?
Mars(25.2)
Neptune(29.6)
Uranus(97.9)
Jupiter(3.1)

Jupiter

If we have a new moon today, when will we have a full moon?

in about 2 weeks

Why do the sun rays become parallel at the end of the animation?

The sun is so far away compared to the size of the moon's orbit that all the rays reaching the orbit come from essentially the same direction

Where along its orbit would the moon also have its daylight side on the right and its night side on the left?

everywhere along its orbit

At which point would we see all of the Moon's daylight side and none of its night side

at the position on the far left

At which position in its orbit would we see exactly half of the moons daylight face and half of its night face?

at the two points top and bottom

What do we see from earth that occurs for the same reason as the astronaut always pointing towards the earth?

We always see the same face of the moon

We cannot see a new mon in our sky because

A new moon is quite near a sun in the sky

Match these terms to Waxing Crescent, Waning Crescent or Full moon:
Occurs 3 days before new moon
occurs 14 days after the new moon
visible due south at midnight
sets 2-3 hours after the sun sets
visible near eastern horizon just before sunrise
visible ne

Waxing Crescent:
Sets 2-3 hours after the sun sets
visible near western horizon about an hour after sunset
Waning Crescent:
occurs about 3 days before new moon
visible near eastern horizon just before sunrise
Full Moon:
visible due south at midnight
rises

Lunar eclipses can occur only during a

Full moon

Suppose that instead of being inclined to Earth's orbit around the Sun, the Moon's orbit was in the same plane as Earth's orbit around the Sun. In this hypothetical situation, approximately how many solar eclipses would occur each year?

12

In reality, the Moon's orbit about Earth is tilted (by about 5�) with respect to Earth's orbit about the Sun. As a result, the actual number of solar eclipses that occur each year is approximately _____.

2

What conditions must exist for a solar eclipse to occur?

Moon must be passing through Earth's orbital plane

What conditions must exist for a lunar eclipse to occur?

Moon must be passing through Earth's orbital plane

If you could change the layout of the solar system, which of the following would cause a lunar eclipse to occur at least once every month in this hypothetical situation?

Change the Moon's orbital plane so it is in the same plane as Earth's orbit around the sun

A solar eclipse that occurs when the new moon is too far from the Earth to completely cover the Sun can be either a partial solar eclipse or a(n)________.

Annual eclipse

Anyone looking from the night side of Earth can, in principle, see a(n)

total lunar eclipse

During some lunar eclipse, the Moon's appearance changes only slightly, because it passes only through the part of Earth's shadow called the

Penumbra

A(n)______ can occur only when the Moon is new and has angular size larger than the sun in the sky

total solar eclipse

A partial lunar eclipse begin when the moon first touched Earth's

Umbra

A point at which the Moon crosses Earth's orbital plane is called a(n)

node

Suppose you lived on the Moon. Which of the following would be true?
Your mass would be less than your mass on Earth, but your weight would be the same as it is on Earth.
Your weight would be less than your weight on Earth, but your mass would be the same

Your weight would be less than your weight on earth, but your mass would be the same as it it on earth

A car is accelerating when it is
traveling on a straight uphill road at 30 miles per hour
traveling on a straight, flat road at 50 miles per hour
going around a circular track at a steady 200 miles per hour

going around a circular track at a steady 100 miles per hour

Which of the following statements is NOT one of Newton's Laws of Motion?
What goes up must come down.
For any force, there always is an equal and opposite reaction force.
In the absence of a net force acting upon it, an object moves with constant velocity

What goes up must come down

Which of the following examples describes a situation where a car is experiencing a net force?
The car is floating on a stationary boat.
The car is moving at constant speed.
The car is making a gradual turn.
The car is stopped on a hill.

The car is making a gradual turn

Compared to their values on Earth, or another planet your

Mass would be the same but your weight would be different

Rank the following strongest to weakest of the gravitational force acting on an asteroid
Earth
Moon
Sun
Hydrogen atom
Asteroid

Sun
Earth
Moon
Asteroid
Hydrogen Atom

Consider Earth and the Moon. As you should now realize, the gravitational force that Earth exerts on the Moon is equal and opposite to that which the Moon exerts on Earth. Therefore, according to Newton's second law of motion __________.
The Moon has a la

The moon has a larger acceleration than Earth, because it has a smaller mass

If Earth were twice as far from the Sun, the force of gravity attracting Earth to the Sun would be

One-quarter as strong

Suppose the sun shrank in size but its mass remained the same. What would happen to the orbit of the
Earth?

Earths orbit would be unaffected

Suppose you lived on the moon. Which of the following would be true?
Your weight would be less than your weight on Earth, but your mass would be the same as it is on Earth.
Both your weight and your mass would be less than they are on Earth.
Your mass wou

Your weight would be led than your weight on earth but your mass would be the same as it is on Earth

New moon

waxing crescent

first quarter

waxing gibbous

full moon

waning gibbous

last quarter

waning crescent