NAME _____________________________ ID # ___________ LAB # ________

Astronomy 1031/32

Midquarter 1 - Section 2

Read Instructions Carefully:

The essay questions of this exam are graded by more than one person, so it is imperative that your NAME BE LEGIBLY WRITTEN ON EACH PAGE OF THE ESSAY PORTION!

1. MARK THE ANSWERS YOU CHOOSE ON THIS TEST AS IT IS YOUR ONLY

OPPORTUNITY TO CHECK WHICH ANSWERS YOU GOT RIGHT OR

WRONG. This will not be done for you at a later time in the departmental office.

Exams will be returned to the alphabetical boxes in the North wall of the Physics

building approximately 3-4 days after the exam.

2. Print your NAME, ID # and SECTION # on your computer answer sheet where

appropriate. Your SECTION # should read 02. All three items are necessary for the

proper scoring and computer transfer of your scores.

3. Use a pencil, make your marks dark and neat, and erase thoroughly.

4. There is only one answer to each question. Choose the best answer.

5. You may use this test for scratch paper.

6. One page (two sides) of notes is allowed for the exam.

I. Multiple Choice (3 pts. each)

1. The three empirical laws of planetary motion are associated with

a) Kepler b) Galileo c) Halley d) Newton e) Copernicus

2. The Sun appears to set in the west because

a) Earth rotates on its axis from west to east

b) Earth rotates on its axis from east to west

c) Earth revolves about the Sun from west to east

d) the Sun revolves about Earth

e) the Sun revolves about the center of the Galaxy

3. The nightly motion of the stars across the sky is due to

a) revolution of Earth about the Sun

b) actual rotation of the celestial sphere around Earth

c) precession

d) rotation of Earth on its axis

e) the gravitational pull of the Moon and stars

4. At about what time will the Moon rise on a day when there will be a total eclipse of the Moon?

a) noon b) sunset c) midnight d) sunrise e) depends lunar phase

5. Light is a form of

a) nuclear radiation

b) hadronic waves

c) weak-force radiation

d) space curvature waves

e) electromagnetic radiation

6. Kepler`s first law states that

a) the Earth is the center of the Solar System

b) the orbit of each planet is an ellipse

c) gravity holds the Solar System together

d) the planets undergo uniform circular motion

e) an object at rest or motion remains in that state unless acted upon by a force

7. On the summer solstice (approximately June 21), Earth's north pole

a) points perpendicular to the ecliptic plane

b) points toward the sun

c) points 23.5 degrees away from the sun

d) points 67.5 degrees away from the sun

e) points 90 degrees away from the sun

8. Which planet has a large moon with a retrograde orbit?

a) Uranus b) Saturn c) Jupiter d) Earth e) Neptune

9. During an eclipse of the Moon, the lunar surface appears red because of

a) reflection of the sunlight off Earth's oceans

b) dust on the Moon

c) the natural color of the lunar dust

d) the zodiacal light

e) refraction of the Sun's rays through Earth's atmosphere

10. According to Newton's law of gravity

a) every object in the universe attracts every other object

b) the Moon attracts Earth with the same force exerted on the Moon by Earth

c) the gravitational force between two bodies decreases as the distance

squared between the two bodies

d) the force of gravity increases as the masses of the bodies increase

e) all of a-d

11. The apparent annual path of the Sun around the celestial sphere is the

a) ecliptic b) celestial equator c) celestial meridian d) equinox e) precession

12. One astronomical unit (A.U.) is

a) the radius of the Sun

b) the radius of the Solar System

c) the distance of the nearest star beyond the Sun

d) the distance that light travels in one minute

e) the distance from Sun to Earth

13. Compared to the Jovian planets, terrestrial planets are typically

a) less dense and less massive

b) less dense and more massive

c) more dense and less massive

d) more dense and more massive

e) about the same density but less massive

14. The four planets closest to the Sun are composed primarily of

a) hydrogen and helium

b) carbon, oxygen and nitrogen

c) methane and ammonia

d) rock and iron

e) dirty ice

15. The Moon does not show its entire surface to observers on Earth because

a) there is nothing behind the Moon

b) the Moon rotates once in the same time it makes one revolution

c) the Moon's axis always points toward Earth

d) the Moon does not rotate

e) one side of the Moon is dark

16. In order of increasing wavelength, the electromagnetic spectrum is divided into

a) gamma rays, X-rays, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, radio waves

b) gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, radio waves

c) X-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, radio waves

d) X-rays, gamma rays, visible, ultraviolet, infrared, radio waves

e) X-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, radio, gamma rays

17. The Sun is at one focus of a planet's elliptical orbit. What is at the other focus of this ellipse?

a) the orbiting planet

b) one of the other planets

c) the center of mass of the Solar System

d) practically nothing

e) the perihelion point

18. The Earth has a largely iron core. The most likely explanation is

a) the abundance of iron was unusually high in the part of the Solar Nebula where Earth formed

b) the dense iron sank to the center of the Earth

c) radioactive elements were mixed in with the iron causing greater gravity

d) sulfur was severely depleted where the earth formed, preventing a more normal sulfur core

e) iron and rocks can not mix together

19. For the most part, craters on the Moon were formed by

a) volcanoes that are now extinct

b) bursting bubbles in the formerly molten surface

c) the collapse of soft soil beneath the surface

d) impacts of large objects

e) moonquakes

20. On the average, the whole Earth is about twice as dense as the rocks of the crust. What is the explanation?

a) Earth is of uniform composition throughout, but high pressure makes the central core denser

b) the centrifugal force of rotation reduces the density in the outer layers

c) the tidal effects of the Sun and Moon increase the central density while also reducing the crustal density

d) continental drift induces cracks and cavities in the outer layers

e) Earth has a massive core of dense nickel and iron, which is further compressed by high pressure

21. According to Kepler's 2nd Law, a planet moves fastest in its orbit when it is

a) getting nearer to the Sun

b) receding from the Sun

c) farthest from the Sun

d) nearest to the Sun

e) in retrograde motion

22. A prism can separate the component colors of light because

a) refraction of light depends on the wavelength

b) the prism diffracts some colors more

c) the glass absorbs some colors preferentially

d) it reflects all but the component colors

e) the individual molecules of glass separate the colors

23. The light gathering power of a telescope is dependent on

a) the size of the primary mirror

b) its focal length

c) its type (Cassegrain, Newtonian, etc.)

d) all of a-c

e) none of a-c

24. The basic cause of continental drift is

a) volcanic activity

b) earthquakes

c) the moon's tidal force

d) the earth's rotation

e) heat flowing out of the core

25. The earth's magnetic field is probably generated by

a) electric currents in the liquid core of the earth

b) the solar wind streaming around the magnetosphere

c) magnetization of rocks in the mantle of the earth

d) continental drift in the crust of the earth

e) earthquake shock waves in the mantle of the earth

NAME _____________________________ ID # ___________ LAB # ________

Astronomy 1031/32

Midquarter 1 - Section 2

II. Essay (15 pts. each)

1) Draw and label a diagram explaining the alignments and spacings of the earth, sun and moon during partial, annular and total eclipses of the sun.

2) Describe the evidence that supports Copernicus's model of the heliocentric (sun-centered) solar system.

NAME _____________________________ ID # ___________ LAB # ________

Astronomy 1031/32

Midquarter 1 - Section 2

3) Explain how the Diameter D of a telescope is related to:

a) how much light it can collect.

b) how much detail it can resolve.

4) Explain the cause of the seasonal variations seen on the earth. Use the northern hemisphere as an example.