1. The Earth is at the aphelion point of its orbit (farthest from the Sun)
about
a) March 21
b) January 2
c) December 22
d) July 4
e) November 22
2. The Zodiac runs along the
a) celestial meridian
b) celestial equator
c) horizon
d) apparent path of the Sun
e) Milky Way
3. When viewed at the same time of night but two weeks apart, stars will
appear to shift to the west by how many degrees?
a) 1 b) 3.5 c) 5 d) 7 d) 14
4. The obliquity of the ecliptic is
a) 40 degrees north
b) 90 degrees south
c) 23.5 degrees
d) 45 degrees
e) 66.5 degrees
5. The vernal equinox is where the ecliptic meets the
a) celestial meridian
b) horizon
c) north point
d) NCP
e) celestial equator
6. The Foucault pendulum is evidence
a) for a spherical Earth
b) that the Earth is an oblate spheroid
c) that the Earth revolves about the Sun
d) for the obliquity of the ecliptic
e) for a rotating Earth
7. When is the Sun farthest north of the celestial equator?
a) June 21
b) December 22
c) March 21
d) September 23
e) January 1
8. Where on the horizon will the Sun set in Chicago on June 21?
a) somewhere in the northwest
b) somewhere in the southwest
c) it won't rise, as it is circumpolar
d) exactly west
e) exactly north
9. On what date does the Sun set exactly west (except at the poles)?
a) February 2
b) December 22
c) August 1
d) March 20
e) at no time
10. The seasons are caused by
a) changes in the Earth's gravity caused by the Moon
b) the obliquity of the ecliptic
c) annual variations in the brightness of the Sun
d) the changing distance between the Earth and the Sun
e) eclipses of the Sun by the Moon
11. When it is summer in Canada, what is the season in Australia?
a) summer
b) fall
c) winter
d) spring
e) no way to tell
12. Where can the Sun NOT be seen overhead sometime during the year?
a) equator
b) Chicago
c) Tropic of Cancer
d) Tropic of Capricorn
e) 10 degrees south latitude
13. Where can the Sun be circumpolar sometime during the year?
a) Urbana
b) equator
c) Tropic of Cancer
d) Tropic of Capricorn
e) the Antarctic Circle
14. If the obliquity of the ecliptic were 11 degrees, what would be the
latitude of the northern tropic?
a) 66.5 degrees north
b) 23.5 degrees north
c) 79 degrees north
d) 11 degrees north
e) 0 degrees
15. What is the maximum altitude the Sun can ever attain at either of the
Earth's rotation poles?
a) 0 degrees
b) 23.5 degrees
c) 45 degrees
d) 66.5 degrees
e) 90 degrees
16. It is colder in winter than in summer because
a) sunlight must pass through more air in winter than in summer and
more is absorbed.
b) in winter, sunlight must be reflected from the Moon
c) the Earth is farthest from the Sun
d) the gravity of the low Sun pulls cold air down from the north
e) the low angle of the Sun relative to the horizon makes sunlight
spread out over a larger area
17. Where in general would you get the worst sunburns?
a) north pole
b) south pole
c) Chicago
d) Arctic Circle
e) equator
18. Where (at what latitude) on Earth are twilights the shortest?
a) 0 degrees
b) 23.5 degrees S
c) 45 degrees S
d) 66.5 degrees S
e) 90 degrees S
19. Which constellation is most related to Ursa Minor?
a) Ursa Major
b) Canis Minor
c) Orion
d) Canis Major
e) Hercules
20. What constellation contains the North Celestial Pole?
a) Canis Major
b) Canis Minor
c) Ursa Minor
d) Ursa Major
e) Taurus
21. Which constellation is circumpolar (does not set) from Urbana?
a) Canis Major
b) Ursa Minor
c) Crux (the Southern Cross)
d) Orion
e) Sagittarius
22. Which constellation cannot be seen from Urbana?
a) Canis Minor
b) Ursa Minor
c) Crux (the Southern Cross)
d) Sagittarius
e) Leo
23. Which constellation contains the Winter Solstice?
a) Aries
b) Pisces
c) Gemini
d) Virgo
e) Sagittarius
24. The Big Dipper is in
a) Orion
b) Scorpius
c) Canis Minor
d) Orion
e) Ursa Major
25. Which is not a constellation of the Zodiac?
a) Leo
b) Scorpius
c) Sagittarius
d) Cepheus
e) Aquarius