1. The Astronomical Unit (AU) is the average distance between
a) the Earth's north and south poles
b) the Moon and the Earth
c) the Sun and Neptune
d) the Sun and the Earth
e) the Sun and the nearest star
2. What is the length of the AU?
a) 13,000 miles
b) 300,000 km
c) 92 million miles
d) 1 light minute
e) 4 light seconds
3. The radius of the Sun's planetary system out to Neptune in AU is roughly
a) 10 b) 20 c) 30 d) 80 e) 160
4. The distance to the nearest star (other than the Sun) in light years is
a) 0.4 b) 4 c) 40 d) 400 e) 4000
5. The speed of light in miles per second is
a) 18,600
b) 186,000
c) 300,000
d) 30 million
e) 30,000
6. The Earth's diameter is roughly
a) 8000 kilometers
b) 4000 kilometers
c) 238,000 miles
d) 25,000 miles
e) 13,000 kilometers
7. The Sun's diameter is how many times that of Earth?
a) 10,000 b) 1000 c) 100 d) 10 e) 1
8. The correct order of planets in DECREASING distance from the Sun is
a) Mars, Venus, Earth, Mercury
b) Mars, Earth, Venus, Mercury
c) Venus, Mars, Earth, Mercury
d) Mars, Mercury, Venus, Earth
e) Mercury, Earth, Venus, Mars
9. The correct order of planets in INCREASING distance from the Sun is
a) Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune
b) Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
c) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
d) Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn
e) Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter
10. The diameter of our Galaxy in light years is roughly
a) 0 b) 100 c) 10,000 d) 100,000 e) a billion
11. The Earth is actually in the shape of an oblate spheroid because of its
a) gravity
b) rotation
c) orbital revolution about the Sun
d) oceans
e) high atmospheric pressure
12. The latitude of the Earth's equator is
a) 0 degrees
b) 90 degrees north
c) there is no latitude at the equator
d) 180 degrees south
e) 180 degrees north
13. A city is 2/3 of the way from the equator to the north pole. Its latitude
is
a) 0 degrees north
b) 30 degrees north
c) 45 degrees north
d) 60 degrees north
e) 90 degrees north
14. The latitude of Champaign-Urbana is
a) 15 degrees north
b) 25 degrees north
c) 40 degrees north
d) 45 degrees north
e) 55 degrees north
15. If you were to stand at the north pole of the Earth, the stars would
move
a) to your right parallel to the horizon
b) to your left parallel to the horizon
c) straight up or down perpendicular to the horizon
d) to your right at an angle of 45 degrees to the horizon
e) to your right at an angle of 45 degrees to the horizon
16. If your latitude were 33 degrees north, what would be the altitude of the
north celestial pole?
a) 0 degrees
b) 90 degrees
c) 67 degrees
d) 45 degrees
e) 33 degrees
17. At what latitude is the north celestial pole at the Zenith?
a) 0 degrees
b) 30 degrees N
c) 45 degrees N
d) 60 degrees N
e) 90 degrees N
18. A star on the celestial equator appears to rise
a) exactly south
b) in the northeast
c) exactly east
d) in the southeast
e) exactly north
19. A star is 45 degrees north of the celestial equator. Where will it rise
for an observer at the Earth's equator?
a) exactly south
b) exactly east
c) in the northeast
d) in the southeast
e) exactly north
20. A star is 10 degrees from the north celestial pole. Where will it set for
an observer at Urbana?
a) exactly south
b) exactly west
c) northwest
d) southwest
e) it won't set, but will be circumpolar
21. Where would none of the sky be circumpolar?
a) Urbana
b) south pole
c) equator
d) Greenwich, England
e) nowhere; you would see the same no matter where you are
22. Where would you see the most circumpolar stars?
a) Urbana
b) south or north poles
c) equator
d) Greenwich, England
e) nowhere; you would see the same no matter where you are
23. If you lived at equator, what would be at (or pass through) your
zenith?
a) the North Celestial Pole
b) the South Celestial Pole
c) the celestial equator
d) the north point of the horizon
e) the south point of the horizon
24. The celestial meridian
a) runs from the south point of the horizon through the zenith to the
north point of the horizon
b) runs through the east and south points of the horizon and the
nadir
c) runs through the west, south, and east points of the horizon
d) lies along the horizon
e) lies along the celestial equator
25. The celestial equator runs
a) through the zenith as seen from everywhere on Earth
b) from the west point of the horizon to north point
c) through the west and south points of the horizon
d) from the north point of the horizon to the east point
e) from the east point of the horizon to the west point