ASTRO 101 Module 1: Quiz 1 (Ch. 1 & Ch. 2)

Which of the following has your "cosmic address" in the correct order?

You, Earth, Local Group, Local Supercluster, solar system, Milky Way Galaxy, universe.

You, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, solar system, Local Group, Local Supercluster, universe.

You, Earth, solar system, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, Local Supercluster, universe.

You, Earth, solar system, Local Group, Local Supercluster, Milky Way Galaxy, universe.

You, Earth, solar system, Local Group, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Supercluster, universe.

Question 2

1 / 1 pts

How do the speeds at which we are moving with Earth's rotation and orbit compare to the speeds of more familiar objects?

Earth's rotation carries most people around the axis at about the speed at which the Space Shuttle orbits Earth, and Earth's orbit carries us around the Sun at nearly the speed of light.

Earth's rotation carries most people around the axis at about the speed of a commercial jet, and Earth's orbit carries us around the Sun at about the speed of a military jet.

Earth's rotation carries most people around the axis at about the speed of a car on the freeway, and Earth's orbit carries us around the Sun at about the speed of a commercial jet.

Earth's rotation carries most people around the axis faster than a commercial jet travels, and Earth's orbit carries us around the Sun faster than the Space Shuttle orbits Earth.

Question 3

1 / 1 pts

Relative to the age of the universe, how old is our solar system?

It is nearly the same age as the universe.

It is about one-third the age of the universe.

It is about 1% as old as the universe.

It is between about 5% and 10% as old as the universe.

Question 4

1 / 1 pts

Which statement about motion in the universe is not true?

Except for a few nearby galaxies, all other galaxies are moving away from us.

The mysterious dark matter is the fastest-moving material in the universe.

Your speed of rotation around Earth's axis is faster if you live near the equator than if you live near the North Pole.

Some stars in the Milky Way Galaxy are moving toward us and others are moving away from us.

Question 5

1 / 1 pts

Astronomers infer that the universe is expanding because distant galaxies all appear to _________.

be growing in size

be made mostly of dark matter

rotate rapidly

be moving away from us, with more distant ones moving faster

Question 6

1 / 1 pts

When did humans learn that the Earth is not the center of the universe?

About 2,500 years ago.

We haven't; there is still considerable scientific debate about whether Earth is the center of the universe.

Within the past 500 years.

About 1,000 years ago.

Question 7

1 / 1 pts

How are galaxies important to our existence?

Deep in their centers, galaxies created the elements from which we are made.

Without galaxies, there could not have been a Big Bang.

Without galaxies, the universe could not be expanding.

Galaxies recycle material from one generation of stars to the next, and without this recycling we could not exist.

Question 8

1 / 1 pts

Why do the patterns of the stars in our sky look the same from year to year?

Because the stars in the constellations all move at the same speeds and in the same directions, so they don't change their relative positions.

Because the stars in the constellations are so far away.

Because the stars in the constellations are not moving.

Because the stars in the constellations move so slowly --- typically about the speed of a snail --- that their motions are not noticeable.

Question 9

1 / 1 pts

Using the ideas discussed in your textbook, in what sense are we "star stuff"?

Movie stars and other people are all made of the same stuff, so we all have the potential to be famous.

The overall chemical composition of our bodies is about the same as that of stars.

We could not survive without light from our star, the Sun.

Nearly every atom from which we are made was once inside of a star.

Question 10

1 / 1 pts

Suppose we look at two distant galaxies: Galaxy 1 is twice as far away as Galaxy 2. In that case ________.

we are seeing Galaxy 1 as it looked at an earlier time in the history of the universe than Galaxy 2

Galaxy 2 must be twice as old as Galaxy 1

Galaxy 1 must be twice as big as Galaxy 2

we are seeing Galaxy 1 as it looked at a later time in the history of the universe than Galaxy 2

Question 11

1 / 1 pts

The Sun's path, as viewed from the equator, is highest in the sky on _________.

the summer solstice

the day when Earth is closest to the Sun

the winter solstice

the spring and fall equinoxes

Question 12

1 / 1 pts

During the period each year when we see Mars undergoing apparent retrograde motion in our sky, what is really going on in space?

Earth and Mars are getting closer together.

Earth is catching up with and passing by Mars in their respective orbits.

Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the Sun.

Mars is moving around the Sun in the opposite direction from which Earth is moving around the Sun.

Question 13

1 / 1 pts

If our year were twice as long (that is, if Earth took twice as many days to complete each orbit around the Sun), but Earth's rotation period and axis tilt were unchanged, then _________.

the four seasons would each be twice as long as they are now

the cycle of precession would take 13,000 years instead of 26,000 years

stars would take twice as long to rise and set

the Earth would not have seasons

Question 14

1 / 1 pts

It's 6 am and the Moon is at its highest point in your sky (crossing the meridian). What is the Moon's phase?

Full.

New.

Third quarter.

First quarter.

Question 15

1 / 1 pts

You observe a full moon rising at sunset. What will you see at midnight?

A waning gibbous moon.

A first quarter moon.

A full moon high in the sky.

A third quarter moon.

Question 16

1 / 1 pts

An angle of 1 arcsecond is _________.

less than the thickness of a human hair held at arm's length

about the width of a finger held at arm's length

about the width of your fist held at arm's length

slightly more than the width of a basketball held at arm's length

Question 17

1 / 1 pts

The Andromeda Galaxy is faintly visible to the naked eye in the constellation Andromeda. Suppose instead it were located in the same direction in space as the center of the Milky Way Galaxy (but still at its current distance). How would it appear to the eye in that case?

It would look about the same, but would be in the constellation Sagittarius instead of Andromeda.

We could not see it at all.

It would be much brighter, because it would be illuminated by the many stars in the center of our galaxy.

It would look about the same, but it would be harder to pick out because its cloud-like appearance would make it blend in with the cloud-like appearance of the Milky Way in our sky.

Question 18

1 / 1 pts

Which of the following statements about the celestial sphere is NOT true?

The Earth is placed at the center of the celestial sphere.

The "celestial sphere" is another name for our universe.

The celestial sphere does not exist physically.

When we look in the sky, the stars all appear to be located on the celestial sphere.

Question 19

1 / 1 pts

For most of history, the lack of observable stellar parallax was interpreted to mean that _________.

Galileo's theories of the universe were essentially correct

stars must all lie at the same distance from Earth, on the celestial sphere

Earth is stationary at the center of the universe

stars were too far away for parallax to be measured with available technology

Question 20

1 / 1 pts

In any particular place on Earth, certain constellations are visible in the evening only at certain times of the year because _________.

on any particular night, we can only see stars that are directly opposite (180 degrees away from) the Sun in the sky

some constellations are circumpolar

during some times of year, some constellations drop below the southern horizon

our evening view of space depends on where Earth is located in its orbit around the Sun