Shared Flashcard Set

Details

AST 3043 Test 1
Test bank for test 1
158
Astronomy
Undergraduate 1
09/18/2013
Click here to study/print these flashcards.

Create your own flash cards! Sign up here.

Additional Astronomy Flashcards

 

 

Cards

Term
In the altazimuth or horizon coordinate system, the
coordinate azimuth is measured
 Definition
eastwards around the horizon from N (formerly S)
through E (formerly W) to a point directly under the object
Term
Here in Gainesville, the daily motion caused by Earth's
rotation makes stars in the southern sky move
 Definition
in large arcs centered on the South Celestial Pole,
which is about 30 degrees below the horizon
Term
Which of the following is evidence that the Sun moves
eastwards with respect to the celestial sphere and the fixed
stars?
 Definition
the fact that different constellations are visible
at different times over the course of the year
Term
The approximate date on which the Sun passes through
what we call the autumnal (fall) equinox is
 Definition
Sept. 21
Term
The equatorial coordinate declination is ordinarily
measured in units of
 Definition
angle (degrees, arcminutes, arcseconds
Term
The tropical year is defined as the time for the Sun to go
completely around the celestial sphere with respect to
 Definition
the vernal equinox
Term
The Moon's phase midway between third/last quarter and new is
 Definition
waning crescent
Term
The first quarter Moon rises approximately at
 Definition
noon
Term
The Moon's ascending node regresses westwards with respect to
the fixed stars while the Moon moves eastwards. Which of the
following statements is correct?
The nodical month is longer than the sidereal month.
The nodical month is shorter than the sidereal month.
The synodic month is shorter than the sidereal month.
 Definition
The nodical month is shorter than the sidereal month.
Term
Set these in ascending order of length: Sidereal month, synodic month, nodical month
 Definition
nodical, sidereal, synodic
Term
When the Moon's descending node is at the vernal equinox
it will have its
 Definition
minor standstills
Term
Which of the following is the situation with the most
knowledge about the purpose of the site or alignment(s)?
the Coricancha at Cuzco
the Hopi Soyal alignment
Stonehenge
 Definition
the Hopi Soyal alignment
Term
Which of the following is almost certainly not true
about Stonehenge?
) the Heel Stone was placed to mark the direction of
midsummer (summer solstice) sunrise
) it was used to predict eclipses
) it has features that are related to the length of the
synodic month (Sarsen Circle of 30 stones, Y and Z holes)
(3) the Heel Stone was placed to mark the direction of
midsummer (summer solstice) sunrise
 Definition
1) it was used to predict eclipses
Term
The Bighorn Medicine Wheel has
 Definition
(1) solar and stellar alignments but no lunar or
planetary ones
Term
Which of the following alignments has the longest
baseline?
(1) sunset aligned with the notch whose name I can't
pronounce 11 days before the Hopi Soyal ceremony starts
(2) the Heel Stone at Stonehenge at midsummer (summer
solstice) sunrise
(3) the June solstice sunrise alignment at the Torreon in
Machu Picchu
 Definition
(1) sunset aligned with the notch whose name I can't
pronounce 11 days before the Hopi Soyal ceremony starts
Term
In Cuzco the stone columns on Cerro Picchu west of town
marked the planting season when the Sun set between them.
This occurred around the time of
 Definition
antizenith sunset
Term
There is a one-to-one correspondence of the huacas in
Cuzco's ceque system with days of the year except for 37
days in May and June. Those 37 days are the ones when
 Definition
(1) the Pleiades are invisible because they're too
close to the Sun
Term
The Mayan sacred calendar had a "year" of
 Definition
260 days
Term
Which of the following is a superior planet?
 Definition
Mars
Term
Mercury is a morning star when it is
 Definition
west of the Sun on the sky
Term
A superior planet undergoes retrograde motion around
the time when it is at
 Definition
opposition
Term
The interval between successive heliacal risings of a
planet such as Venus is
 Definition
that planet's synodic period
Term
What is a synodic period?
 Definition
the time required for a body within the solar system, such as a planet, the Moon, or an artificial Earth satellite, to return to the same or approximately the same position relative to the Sun as seen by an observer on the Earth.
Term
The Metonic cycle is an example of
 Definition
intercalation by rule
Term
The branch of the government bureau in China that was
responsible for keeping track of irregular phenomena in
the sky such as comets, meteors, eclipses, and "guest stars"
was
 Definition
tianwen
Term
The Sky Measuring Scale with the masonry towers (Gaocheng
Observatory) was designed and built by
 Definition
Guo Shoujing
Term
The ecliptic coordinate that is measured N or S of the
ecliptic is
 Definition
celestial latitude
Term
Which of the following kinds of eclipse is seen when one
is located inside the Moon's penumbra?
 Definition
partial solar eclipse
Term
The eclipse seasons are the times when
 Definition
the Moon's line of nodes is near or on the Sun
Term
Our division of the day into 24 hours goes back to the
 Definition
Egyptians
Term
Kidinnu invented the original zigzag approximation for what
purpose?
 Definition
to represent the variable motion in longitude for
Sun, Moon, and planets
Term
The saros cycle is associated with
 Definition
eclipses, both solar and lunar
Term
In the cosmological model of Philolaus, one of the Pythagoreans,
the counter-Earth served what purpose?
 Definition
hide the central fire from view by people on Earth
Term
The hippopede was introduced by Eudoxus to explain
 Definition
the retrograde motions of planets
Term
According to Aristotle, the natural motions of things in the
superlunary realm (from the Moon's sphere out) are
 Definition
in circles at constant speed (uniform circular motion)
Term
Which of the following arguments did Aristotle employ
against the Earth's revolution around the Sun?
 Definition
argument of parallax
Term
The Moon's geocentric parallax, and thus its distance, was
first measured successfully by
 Definition
Hipparchus
Term
In the simplified geocentric model we discussed in lecture,
the epicycle for an inferior planet was taken to be
 Definition
the planet's orbit around the Sun
Term
Which of the following features of Ptolemy's epicyclic
models was the one that was most objected to by others,
including Copernicus?
 Definition
the equant
Term
Which of the following can be used to establish the Sun's
altitude and the time of day?
 Definition
gnomon
Term
The approximate date of Aristotle is
 Definition
350 BC
Term
In the altazimuth or horizon coordinate system, the coordinate that is measured
straight up from the horizon to the object is
 Definition
altitude
Term
Here in Gainesville, the daily motion caused by Earth's rotation makes stars
in the northern sky move
 Definition
in fairly small arcs around the North Celestial Pole, which is about
30 degrees above the horizon
Term
The approximate date on which the Sun passes through
what we call the vernal (spring) equinox is
 Definition
Mar. 21
Term
The equatorial coordinate declination is ordinarily measured in units of
 Definition
angle (degrees, arcminutes, arcseconds)
Term
The Moon's phase midway between first quarter and full is
 Definition
waxing gibbous
Term
The third/last quarter Moon sets approximately a
 Definition
noon
Term
The sidereal month is about 27 1/3 days, while the synodic month is about
29 1/2 days. The sidereal month is shorter because
 Definition
the Sun and Moon are both moving eastwards relative to the fixed
stars, so the Moon has to cover an extra distance to catch the Sun again
Term
When the Moon's ascending node is at the vernal equinox it will have
its
 Definition
major standstills
Term
Which of the following is the situation with the least knowledge about
the purpose of the site or alignment(s)?
the Coricancha at Cuzco
Stonehenge
the Hopi Soyal alignment
 Definition
Stonehenge
Term
Newgrange has
 Definition
a single alignment, a solar one
Term
Which of the following alignments has the longest baseline?
(1) the stones at Ballochroy at midsummer (summer solstice) sunset
(2) the Heel Stone at Stonehenge at midsummer (summer solstice) sunrise
(3) the June solstice sunrise alignment at the Torreon in Machu Picchu
 Definition
(1) the stones at Ballochroy at midsummer (summer solstice) sunset
Term
In Cuzco the stone columns on Cerro Picchu west of town marked the planting
season when the Sun set between them. This occurred around the time of
 Definition
antizenith sunset
Term
The Mayan calendar called the "Long Count" that was used for chronology had a
"year" of
 Definition
360 days
Term
Which of the following is an inferior planet?
 Definition
Venus
Term
Mercury is an evening star when it is
 Definition
east of the Sun on the sky
Term
A superior planet undergoes retrograde motion around the time when it is at
 Definition
opposition
Term
The interval between successive heliacal risings of a planet such as Jupiter is
 Definition
that planet's synodic period
Term
The branch of the government bureau in China that was responsible for keeping
track of regular phenomena in the sky such as the calendar and the Jupiter cycle
was
 Definition
lifa
Term
Which of the following is the ecliptic coordinate that is measured eastwards
along the ecliptic from the vernal equinox?
 Definition
celestial longitude
Term
A total solar eclipse is what is seen when one is located
 Definition
inside the Moon's umbra
Term
The eclipse seasons are the times when
 Definition
the Moon's line of nodes is near or on the Sun
Term
Kidinnu, known to the Greeks as Cidenas, is the Babylonian (Chaldean, actually)
who invented
 Definition
the zigzag approximation to represent the variable
motion in longitude
Term
The saros cycle is associated with
 Definition
eclipses, both solar and lunar
Term
At the center of the cosmological model of Philolaus, one of the Pythagoreans,
was the
 Definition
central fire
Term
The hippopede was introduced by Eudoxus to explain
 Definition
the retrograde motions of planets
Term
According to Aristotle, things that change such as comets, meteors, and "new
stars" must be part of the
 Definition
sublunary realm, in the Earth's upper atmosphere
Term
Which of the following arguments did Aristotle employ against the Earth's
rotation?
 Definition
argument of fall
Term
Which of the following put the Sun at the center of the Universe (heliocentric
theory)?
 Definition
Aristarchus
Term
In the simplified geocentric model we discussed in lecture, the epicycle for a
superior planet was taken to be
 Definition
the Earth's orbit around the Sun
Term
Which of the following can be used to establish the day when the Sun passes
directly overhead but not the time of day on any other day?
 Definition
zenith tube
Term
The approximate date of Hipparchus is
 Definition
150 BC
Term
The coordinate system that is based on the horizon and
starts from the N point (formerly the S point) on the
horizon is the
 Definition
altazimuth system (altitude, azimuth)
Term
The fact that different constellations are visible at
different times over the course of the year is evidence that
the Sun is
 Definition
moving eastwards with respect to the fixed stars
Term
The approximate date on which the Sun passes through
what we are calling the winter solstice is
 Definition
December 21
Term
The equatorial coordinate right ascension is ordinarily
measured in units of
 Definition
time (hours, minutes, and seconds)
Term
The tropical year is defined as the time for
 Definition
the Sun to go completely around the celestial
sphere with respect to the vernal equinox
Term
The Moon's phase midway between full and third/last quarter is
 Definition
waning gibbous
Term
The first quarter Moon rises approximately at
 Definition
noon
Term
The sidereal month is about 27 1/3 days, while the
nodical/draconitic month is about 27 1/5 days. The
nodical month is shorter because
 Definition
the Moon moves eastwards relative to the fixed
stars whereas the nodes move westwards (Moon runs into node
"early")
Term
When the Moon's ascending node is at the autumnal equinox
it will have its
 Definition
minor standstills
Term
The astronomer Gerald Hawkins introduced the use of the
digital computer to study which of the following at Stonehenge?
 Definition
the azimuths of rise and set for astronomical objects
compared to the alignments of the stones
Term
The term trilithon refers to
 Definition
two massive vertical stones next to each other
with a third stone laid horizontally across the top
Term
which of the following is generally considered true about
Stonehenge?
the large stones were transported to the site by Merlin
the Magician
the builders deliberately marked the direction of
summer solstice (or midsummer) sunrise with the Heel Stone
the builders planned to use the Aubrey holes to predict
eclipses
 Definition
the builders deliberately marked the direction of
summer solstice (or midsummer) sunrise with the Heel Stone
Term
Newgrange has
 Definition
a single alignment, the tomb passageway with
winter solstice sunrise
Term
Which of the following alignments is found at both the
Coricancha in Cuzco and the Torreon at Machu Picchu?
 Definition
the June solstice sunrise and rising point of
the Pleiades
Term
The Mayan calendar that has a 360-day "year" is the
 Definition
so-called "Long Count" used for chronology
Term
when a superior planet is in opposition
 Definition
it is said to be going through retrograde motion
Term
The ecliptic coordinate celestial longitude is measured
 Definition
eastwards along the ecliptic from the vernal equinox
Term
A person located on the Earth where the Moon's umbra
passes over sees (weather permitting, of course) a/an
 Definition
total solar eclipse
Term
The eclipse seasons are the times when
 Definition
the Moon's line of nodes is near or on the Sun
Term
The Babylonians were able to predict when lunar
eclipses would occur, whether they would be partial or total,
and the degree of partial eclipses. The tool which enabled
them to make these predictions was
 Definition
the "broken" zigzag approximation to the Moon's
motion in latitude
Term
The astronomy of the early Greeks (as opposed to the late
or Hellenistic Greeks) was
 Definition
speculative and philosophical (as opposed to quantitative and observational)
Term
The hippopede as a device for representing retrograde
motion was introduced by
 Definition
Eudoxus
Term
In Aristotle's cosmology, the natural motion of the
elements in the sublunary realm was
 Definition
vertical, either straight up or straight down
Term
the coordinate system that is based on the horizon and starts on the N point on the horizon is known as
 Definition
the altazimuth system (altitude, azimuth)
Term
the equatorial coordinate that is measured in units of time (hours, minutes, seconds) as opposed to angles (degrees, arc minutes, arc seconds) is
 Definition
right acension
Term
the full moon sets approximately at
 Definition
6 am
Term
the moon's minor standstills occur when
 Definition
its descending node lies on top of the vernal equinox
Term
what new thing did Gerald Hawkins bring to the study of Stonehenge?
 Definition
the digital computer
Term
the central axis of the Coricancha is nearly aligned with which?
 Definition
the June solstice sunrise and rising point of the Pleiades
Term
the Mayan calendar that has a 365-day "year" is
 Definition
the agricultural calendar of haab approximating the tropical year
Term
the interval between successive heliacal risings of a star or star cluster like the Pleiades is
 Definition
a sidereal year
Term
the ecliptic coordinate that is measured N or S of the ecliptic is
 Definition
celestial latitude
Term
Our division of the hour into 60 minutes and the minute into 60 seconds comes from
 Definition
the Babylonians
Term
The central fire and counter-Earth were elements of the cosmological system of
 Definition
Philolaus
Term
The celestial meridian is the imaginary circle
that
 Definition
runs from the N point on the horizon through the zenith to the S point
Term
hich of the following is evidence that the Sun
is moving N and S with respect to the celestial sphere and the fixed stars?
 Definition
it rises and sets at different points on the horizon over the course of the year
Term
The equatorial coordinate that is measured N or
S of the celestial equator is
 Definition
declination
Term
The sidereal year is defined as the time for
 Definition
the Sun to go completely around the celestial sphere with respect to the fixed stars
Term
The synodic month is about 291 days,
2
while the nodical month is about 271 days. 5
The difference is because
 Definition
the Sun and Moon are both moving eastwards while the Moon’s ascending node is moving westwards
Term
The Moon’s major standstills occur when
 Definition
its ascending node lies on top of the vernal equinox
Term
Which of the following has an alignment of its central axis with the Pleiades rising point?
 Definition
the Coricancha in Cuzco
Term
A superior planet is brightest in the sky (as seen from Earth) when it is at
 Definition
opposition
Term
Guo Shoujing was the astronomer responsible for
 Definition
the Sky Measuring Scale with the masonry towers (Gaocheng Observatory)
Term
The zigzag approximation to represent the variable motion in longitude was invented by
 Definition
Kidinnu
Term
Which of the following statements is correct?
The Babylonians were able to forecast when lunar eclipses might occur but not predict them for certain.
The Babylonians were able to predict when lunar eclipses would occur, whether they would be partial or total, and the degree of partial eclipses.
The Babylonians were able to predict when solar and lunar eclipses would occur, whether they would be partial or total, and the degree of partial eclipses.
 Definition
The Babylonians were able to predict when lunar eclipses would occur, whether they would be partial or total, and the degree of partial eclipses.
Term
The first of the Greeks to consider the nature
of the cosmos a subject of contemplation to be understood was
 Definition
Thales
Term
The approximate date of Newgrange is
 Definition
3200 BC
Term
The celestial equator is the
 Definition
imaginary circle midway between the celestial poles
Term
At the Earth’s North Pole the stars
 Definition
move parallel to the horizon, neither rising nor setting
Term
The changes in the Sun’s rising and setting points and where it crosses the celestial meridian over the course of the year are evidence that the Sun moves
 Definition
north and south with respect to the celestial sphere
Term
The changes in the Sun’s rising and setting points and where it crosses the celestial meridian over the course of the year are evidence that the Sun moves
 Definition
north and south with respect to the celestial sphere
Term
The term heliacal rising refers to
 Definition
irst appearance before sunrise after an object has been invisible near the Sun
Term
Newgrange’s alignment together with the finding of human remains inside suggests a connection between
 Definition
winter solstice, death, and rebirth
Term
The term heliacal rising refers to
 Definition
irst appearance before sunrise after an object has been invisible near the Sun
Term
Newgrange’s alignment together with the finding of human remains inside suggests a connection between
 Definition
winter solstice, death, and rebirth
Term
The Hopi Soyal ceremony occurs around the
time of
 Definition
the winter solstice
Term
At Ballochroy the distance from the megalith to the mountain is 19 miles, while the distance from the center of Stonehenge to the Heel Stone is several hundred feet. What can one infer about the relative precision of the two alignments?
 Definition
Ballochroy is more precise
Term
The altitude of the celestial pole in the observer’s sky is equal to
 Definition
the observer’s latitude
Term
The approximate date on which the Sun is farthest north of the celestial equator is
 Definition
June 21
Term
Which of the following suggested astronomical connections for Stonehenge is definitely not currently accepted?
(1) use of the Aubrey holes to predict eclipses
(2) alignment of the center and the Heel Stone with summer solstice (midsummer)
sunrise
(3) alignment of the station stones with solstice sunrises and sunsets
 Definition
(1) use of the Aubrey holes to predict eclipses
Term
The Torreon at Machu Picchu has an alignment towards the northeast that is essentially the same as that of the main axis of the Coricancha. What alignment(s) is/are involved?
 Definition
June solstice sunrise and Pleiades rise
Term
We know that the Maya understood the relationship between Venus’s synodic period and the 260-day "sacred year" because
 Definition
it appears in a table in the Dresden Codex
Term
The regular astronomical phenomena such
as the calendar were the responsibility of which branch of the Chinese astronomical bureau?
 Definition
lifa
Term
Comets are a phenomenon in the upper level of Earth’s atmosphere according to Aristotle because
 Definition
they change, whereas everything in the superlunary region is immutable
Term
Aristarchus is noteworthy in part
for having
 Definition
First proposed a heliocentric theory of the Universe
Term
The first reasonably close value for the Moon’s geocentric parallax (and the first distance of a celestial body) was obtained by
 Definition
Hipparchus
Term
IntheGreekwayofreckoning(withrespect to the Earth), a superior planet’s period of revolution around its epicycle is
 Definition
its synodic period
Term
The "gueststar" of 1054 AD, whose appearance was recorded in the Chinese records but not in European ones, was what we now know as a
 Definition
supernova
Term
Which of the following had its origins in the Babylonians’ sexagesimal number system?
 Definition
60 minutes in an hour
Term
The saros is
 Definition
a pattern of eclipse series over a period of slightly more than 18 years
Term
The actual size of the Earth, as distinct from its relative size compared to the Sun and Moon, was first determined by
 Definition
Eratosthenes
Term
Which of the following instruments was used for measuring the ecliptic coordinates of objects?
 Definition
zodiacal armillary sphere
Term
The celestial poles are located on the celestial
sphere directly above
 Definition
the geographic poles
Term
The latitude of Hven, where Tycho Brahe's observatories
were located, is 56 degrees N. What is the altitude of
the North Celestial Pole at that location?
 Definition
56 degrees
Term
At the Earth's equator, stars move which way?
 Definition
they rise and set perpendicular to the horizon
Term
The coordinate in the altazimuth system (for the
observer's sky) that is measured around the horizon from
north or sometimes south is
 Definition
azimuth
Term
Which of the following facts is evidence that the Sun
moves eastwards with respect to the fixed stars?
 Definition
the solar day is longer than the sidereal day
Term
Equatorial coordinates change over time because of
 Definition
precession
Term
Our calendar is most nearly based on which of the
following intervals?
 Definition
tropical year
Term
Successive heliacal risings of the bright star
Sirius occur at intervals of one
 Definition
sidereal year
Term
At Stonehenge the alignment of the center and
the Heel Stone is towards
 Definition
midsummer (that is, summer solstice)
sunrise
Term
In his book Stonehenge Decoded Hawkins
put forward which highly controversial idea?
 Definition
the Aubrey holes were used to predict
eclipses
Term
Retrograde motion of a superior planet occurs
when
 Definition
the Earth overtakes the slower-moving
planet
Term
Which does not have a table
in the Dresden Codex?
 Definition
Jupiter
Term
The lunisolar calendar that uses signs such as
the ripening of crops to determine when a
thirteenth month is needed is referred to as
employing
 Definition
empirical intercalation
Term
Looking from the north towards the south (as
when looking down at an Earth globe), the
eastwards direction is
 Definition
counterclockwise
Supporting users have an ad free experience!