Questions for Test # 1

1. Which planets known in ancient times moved on the celestial sphere like figure A? Which planets moved like figure B?
2. List the seven objects known in ancient times which moved on the celestial sphere?
3. What conditions must be satisfied for a lunar eclipse to occur?
4. What conditions must be satisfied for a solar eclipse to occur?
5. 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.
6. 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?
7. Referring to the accompanying map, which of the following places experience a zenith passage of the sun? How can you tell?

Cuzco, Stonehenge, Yucatan, Greece, Italy

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

9. How did the Maya write the numbers 3, 10, 20 and 31?
10. What do Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Kukulcan have in common?
11. What ratio did the Maya use to match the Venus year to the Solar year?
12. 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?
13. What was Stonehenge constructed and used for according to astronomer/archeologist Gerald Hawking?
14. The Maya developed a calendar which 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?
15. Which of the following are mostly products of human culture and which are universal? Explain.

solstices, constellations, equinoxes, calendars, lunar standstills