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What is a circumpolar star?


A) a star that is close to the north celestial pole
B) a star that is close to the south celestial pole
C) a star that always remains above your horizon
D) a star that makes a daily circle around the celestial sphere
E) A star that is visible from the Arctic or Antarctic circles

F) None of the above
G) C) and E)

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Which of the following best describes why we have seasons on Earth?


A) The tilt of Earth's axis causes different portions of the Earth to receive more or less direct sunlight at different times of year.
B) Earth's elliptical orbit means we are closer to the Sun and therefore receive more intense sunlight at some times of year than at others.
C) The tilt of Earth's axis causes the northern hemisphere to be closer to the Sun than the southern hemisphere in summer, and visa versa in winter.
D) The varying speed of Earth in its orbit around the Sun gives us summer when we are moving fastest and winter when we are moving slowest.

E) A) and B)
F) B) and C)

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Why is the Moon not completely invisible (it appears as a very deep red color) to the naked eye during a total lunar eclipse?

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The Moon shines through reflected light ...

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The Moon's orbit around the Earth is tilted by about 5 degrees with respect to Earth's orbit around the Sun. As a result, the approximate number of solar eclipses that occur each year is approximately


A) 12.
B) 2.
C) 24.
D) 0.

E) All of the above
F) A) and B)

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It is possible to see the full moon rising just before sunrise.

A) True
B) False

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What do astronomers mean by a constellation?


A) A constellation is a region in the sky as seen from Earth.
B) A constellation is a group of stars related through an ancient story.
C) A constellation is any random grouping of stars in the sky.
D) A constellation is a group of stars that are all located in about the same place in space.

E) A) and B)
F) None of the above

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You can find the tilt of Earth's axis by measuring the angle between your horizon and the North Star.

A) True
B) False

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Cognitive Dissonance? You are talking to a friend who insists that the seasons are caused by a varying Earth-Sun distance over the course of a year. What other fact does your friend likely know that completely contradicts this view of how the seasons are caused? Can you think of other examples of two beliefs that many people feel are both true but which completely contradict each other? How does science view this situation?

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Cognitive dissonance refers to the menta...

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Consider the following statement, and explain whether or not it is sensible: If you had a very fast spaceship, you could travel to the celestial sphere in about 100 years.

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This statement does not make s...

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If Earth's axis had no tilt, would we still have seasons? Why or why not?

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We would no longer have seasons, because...

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Ancient people who knew the saros cycle could


A) completely predict every lunar eclipse.
B) completely predict every solar eclipse.
C) predict what type of eclipse would occur.
D) predict when they'd see the next total solar eclipse in their area.
E) predict when an eclipse would happen, but not necessarily what type and where it would be visible.

F) A) and E)
G) C) and E)

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Which of these (hypothetical) modifications would cause lunar eclipses to happen once per month?


A) Make the Moon orbit the Earth twice as fast.
B) Relocate the Moon to twice its current distance from the Earth.
C) Change the Moon's orbital plane so it tilts the opposite way.
D) Change the orbital plane of the Moon so it lies in the same plane as Earth's orbit around the Sun.

E) B) and D)
F) C) and D)

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What makes the North Star, Polaris, special?


A) It is the brightest star in the sky.
B) It is the star straight overhead.
C) It appears very near the north celestial pole.
D) It is the star directly on your northern horizon.
E) It can be used to determine your longitude on Earth.

F) A) and B)
G) A) and E)

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By locating the north celestial pole (NCP) in the sky, how can you determine your latitude?


A) The altitude of the NCP is the same as your latitude.
B) The altitude of the NCP is your angular distance from the North Pole.
C) The direction of the NCP is the same as your latitude.
D) The direction of the NCP is the angular distance from the North Pole.
E) The altitude of the NCP is the same as your distance from the North Pole.

F) B) and E)
G) All of the above

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


A) A full moon high in the sky
B) A first quarter moon
C) A waning gibbous moon
D) A third quarter moon

E) A) and D)
F) C) and D)

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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 ________.


A) stars would take twice as long to rise and set
B) the cycle of precession would take 13,000 years instead of 26,000 years
C) the four seasons would each be twice as long as they are now
D) the Earth would not have seasons

E) A) and D)
F) A) and B)

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In addition to the conditions required for any solar eclipse, what must also be true in order for you to observe a total solar eclipse?


A) Earth must lie completely within the Moon's umbra.
B) Earth must lie completely within the Moon's penumbra.
C) Earth must be near aphelion in its orbit of the Sun.
D) The Moon's umbra must touch the area where you are located.
E) The Moon's penumbra must touch the area where you are located.

F) A) and B)
G) A) and E)

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If the Moon is relatively far from Earth, so that its umbra does not reach Earth, someone directly behind the umbra will see


A) a penumbral lunar eclipse.
B) a partial lunar eclipse.
C) a partial solar eclipse.
D) an annular eclipse.
E) no eclipse.

F) C) and D)
G) B) and E)

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What effect or effects would be most significant if the Moon's orbital plane were exactly the same as the ecliptic plane?


A) Solar eclipses would be much rarer.
B) Solar eclipses would be much more frequent.
C) Total solar eclipses would last much longer.
D) both A and C
E) both B and C

F) C) and D)
G) A) and E)

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At approximately what time would a first quarter moon rise?


A) 6 A.M.
B) 9 A.M.
C) noon
D) 6 P.M.
E) midnight

F) A) and E)
G) B) and C)

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