Questions for Test # 1

A. You will be expected to know all of the material presented in slide sets 1 through 6

B. Be sure to review all of the daily quizzes and homework assignments

C. Be sure that you can answer all of the questions posted here

East

West

Southern Horizon

C

1. Which planets known in ancient times moved on the celestial sphere like figure A? Which planets moved like figure B? Which planets (ancient definition) moved like figure C.
2. What conditions must be satisfied for a lunar eclipse to occur?
3. What conditions must be satisfied for a solar eclipse to occur?
4. Suppose you observe Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon and a few constellations on a particular night at 9:00 p.m. If you go out the very next night at the same time, which objects are in about the same place (with respect to the horizon and to each other) and which have noticeably moved? Assume naked eye observations – no instruments.
5. What are dark cloud constellations?
6. Why don’t we have a total eclipse of the sun every month?

7. If you are sailing in temperate latitudes, why is it a bad idea to navigate simply by aligning your boat with a particular star over an extended length of time?
8. Which of the following are mostly products of human culture and which are universal? Explain.

Solstices, constellations, equinoxes, the synodic month, the week, the ecliptic, signs of the zodiac, lunar standstills, Venus “year”

9. Assume that you are observing from Cerritos College. In the above diagram identify
1. North celestial pole
2. South celestial pole
3. Zenith
4. Nadir
5. Sunrise on June 21
6. Sunrise on March 21
7. Sunrise on December 21
8. Maximum northern lunar standstill
10. Now assume that you are standing on the North Pole. Using the above diagram locate the
1. North celestial pole
2. South celestial pole
3. Zenith
4. Nadir
11. Now assume that you are standing on the equator. Using the above diagram locate the
1. North celestial pole
2. South celestial pole
3. Zenith
4. Nadir
12. What is meant by retrograde motion?
13. What is the synodic month?
14. What is the sidereal month?
15. What is a draconic month?
16. What does the “helical rising or setting of a star” mean?
17. What is the saros cycle?
18. What is the ecliptic?
19. List the seven objects known in ancient times that moved on the celestial sphere?
20. Relate the names of the days of the week to astronomical objects (i.e., Tuesday =?).
21. What is a solar calendar?
22. What is a lunar calendar?
23. What is meant by intercalation?

24. What is archaeoastronomy?
25. What is a henge?
26. The heel stone at Stonehenge is definitely aligned with what celestial phenomenon?
27. What is the approximate date for the earliest stone structures at Stonehenge? What famous structures were being built in North Africa at about the same time?
28. What was Stonehenge constructed and used for according to astronomer/archeologist Gerald Hawking?

29. What do the Maya number symbols below represent (regular counting numbers, not time count)?

30. What would these numbers represent if they were specifying dates?
31. How did the Maya write the counting numbers 3, 10, 20 and 31?
32. What do Quetzalcoatl, Aphrodite, and Kukulcan have in common?
33. What ratio did the Maya use to match the Venus year to the Solar year?
34. The Maya developed a calendar that kept in step with the Venus cycle, accurate to one day in 500 years. Why is it difficult to achieve this level of accuracy when constructing any calendar based on the motion of heavenly bodies?
35. Why did the Maya use five different images to represent Venus (Kukulcan) on the codices (decorated panels)?
36. How is the Lunar New Year, celebrated in Asian cultures, related to the position of the sun on the celestial sphere?
37. Why were 11 days dropped from the calendar in 1752 in England and the American colonies?
38. How is Halloween related to the position of the sun on the celestial sphere?
39. How does the Georgian calendar differ from the Julian calendar?

40. Referring to the map below, which of the following places experience a zenith passage of the sun? How can you tell? Stonehenge, Yucatan, Greece, Italy, Mt. Wilson, Peru

41. Does any state of the US experience a zenith passage? Explain your answer.

Sample Multiple Choice

Multiple Choice

Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1.

The diagram above represents the celestial sphere to an observer standing in the center. For an observer at the terrestrial equator, which small letter represents the celestial north pole?

a.	__	d.	__
b.	__	e.	__
c.	__

____ 2.

Suppose you see the moon close to the horizon as shown above at 6:30 a.m. (in the morning). Which of the following statements is true

a.	You are facing east
b.	You are facing west
c.	You are facing south
d.	You are facing north
e.	Not enough information to say for sure

____ 3. How is the draconic month defined?

a.	The time period from one new moon until the next new moon
b.	The time it takes for the moon to return to the same node
c.	The time it takes for the moon to return to the same location on the celestial sphere
d.	The time period from new moon to full moon
e.	A series of lunar eclipses occuring at 18 year intervals

____ 4. A period of 19 years used to synchronize the solar and lunar calendars

a.	the lunar standstill cycle
b.	the saros cycle
c.	the draconic "year"
d.	the Metonic cycle
e.	the Sothic cycle

____ 5. At the time of the summer solstice (northern hemisphere)

a.	the hours of daylight and darkness are approximately equal
b.	there are more hours of darkness than daylight
c.	there are more hours of daylight than darkness
d.	the sun is closest to the earth
e.	the sun is most distant from the earth

____ 6.

The decimal equivalent of the above Mayan number is

a.	520
b.	2500
c.	5002
d.	2020
e.	1020

____ 7. The heel stone at Stonehenge definitely seems to be aligned with what astronomical phenomenon?

a.	summer solstice
b.	winter solstice
c.	vernal equinox
d.	autumnal equinox
e.	northern lunar standstill