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Wright State University Lake Campus/Showcase/Jer S

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Chapter 4: Earth, Moon and Sky

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4.1 EARTH & SKY

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Q: What defines the location of the North and South Poles and the equator on planet Earth?


a) Earth’s axis of rotation


Q: What direction does the Earth move as it rotates

a) East



Q: A “Great Circle” is

a) An circle on the surface of a sphere whose center is at the center of the sphere.




Q: great circles passing perpendicular through the equator on a globe and used to help find coordinates on East are called


a) Meridians


Q: The Prime Meridian passes through which city and is designated as what deg.

a) Greenwich England / 0 deg.

Q: Starting at 0 degrees (Greenwich England) longitude is measured to what degrees east or west.
a) 180 deg.




Q: What is the name of the latitude designated 0 deg.


a) The equator



 Q: What is the latitude of the North Pole and South Pole respectively


a) 90 deg N / 90 deg S

 (Locating Places in the Sky)



Q: Much like latitude and longitude astronomers use coordinates called ______ and to denote positions in the sky


a) declination / right ascension




Q: The North and South Poles on planet Earth are called ________ by astronomers who use their fixed positions in the sky to help determine the positions of celestial objects.


a) Celestial Poles




Q: Declination is measured in the same way as longitude true or false


a) False … Declination is measured the same way as latitude thus Polaris the star nearest the north celestial pole is at +90 degrees.




Q: The suns path is also called it’s 


a) ecliptic




Q: Right ascension like longitude is based off of a point where the sun crosses the celestial equator, this point is called the ________

a) Vernal Equinox 




Q: Right Ascension also called (RA) can be expressed in degrees (angle) or in units of ______


a) time




Q: The 360 degrees of RA that it takes to go around the celestial sphere is equal to how many hours


a) 24 hours




Q: In regards to right ascension “RA 5h” is equal to how many degrees

a) 75 degrees (Each 15 deg. or arc is equal to one hour



Q: In what century did French Physicist Jean Focault demonstrate an unambiguous demonstration of the Earth's rotation

a) The 19th Century


4.2 The Seasons

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Q:The difference in the seasons becomes more pronounced the farther you travel from the equator T/F

a) T


Q: The seasons in the Southern hemisphere are ________ of the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere

a) Opposite


Q: The distance variation of the Earth to the Sun as the Earth travels it's orbital ellipse is about

a) 3%


Q: The seasons on Earth are caused by

a) The 23.5 degree tilt of Earth's axis


Q: In June the Sun is _______ of the celestial equator

a) North


Q: On or about what day does the Sun shine down most directly on the Northern Hemisphere

a) June 21st (The Summer Solstice)


Q: How far North of the equator does the Sun appear on the Summer Solstice

a) +23 deg.


Q: The Tropic of Cancer is -23 Deg. South T/F

a) F


Q: The Tropic of Cancer is +23 Deg. North T/F

a) T


Q: The Tropic of Capricorn is -23 Deg. South T/F

a) T


Q: The Tropic of Capricorn is +23 Deg. North T/F

a) F


Q: The latitude where the sun appears at the zenith at noon, on the first day of summer is called

a) The Tropic of Cancer


Q: During the Summer Solstice the Antarctic Circle receives 24 hours of sunlight T/F

a) F (Arctic Circle receives 24 hours of sunlight during the Summer Solstice)


Q: During the Winter Solstice the Antarctic Circle receives 24 hours of sunlight T/F

a) T (The Arctic Circle during the Winter Solstice receives no sunlight for a 24 hour period)


Q: The latitude at 23 degrees S. is called the _________

a) The Tropic of Capricorn


Q: When it is Winter in the Southern Hemisphere it is _________ in the Northern Hemisphere

a) Summer


Q: According to the text, Stonehenge was likely created for the purpose of

a) Determining when the shortest day of the year would arrive


Q: Along the equator local residents judge the seasons by the __________ rather than the amount of sunlight they receive.

a) the amount of rain


Q: Seasons are more pronounced along the equator T/F

a) F


Q: Seasons along the equator are less pronounced T/F

a) T


Q: Each year there are how many months of sunshine at each pole

a) 6


Q: The atmospheric effect of reflection allows us to see a little way over the horizon T/F

a) F


Q: The atmospheric effect of refraction allows us to see a little way over the horizon T/F

a) T


Q: What is the name of the atmospheric effect that allows us to see a little way over the horizon

a) Refraction


Q: Where on the planet is the effect of atmospheric refraction most dramatic

a) At the North and South Poles


Q: June 21st, the Summer Solstice is the hottest day of the Year T/F

a) F


Q: June 21st, the Summer Solstice is not the hottest day of the year T/F

a) T