THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N 70.2667° W
Altitude: 10 feet below sea level
Founded January 1970
2021-2022: VII
"When I was a boy the Dead Sea was only sick."
-George Burns
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, September 10, 2021
Quiz 2: Night Sky Astronomy
Of course the very first astronomy quiz of the new DA school year pertains to the night sky, the place where astronomy began. Also, the September night sky calendar should still remain lush and verdant in our memories and so should prove helpful. Lastly, we adore the night sky and will seize on any opportunity to discuss it. If any questions prove confounding, simply refer to recent night sky articles or, if all else fails, google it. After all, if it's on the internet, it has to be true.
1. Around what time would an observer watch the last quarter moon rising?
a. noon
b. sunrise
c. midnight
d. sunset
2. Which of the following statements about circumpolar stars is/are true?
a. they never set at an observer's location
b. they appear to turn around the north star
c. they are brighter than the other stars
d. none of the above
3. Twilight is divided into how many phases?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
4. ___________ is always the brightest planet in Earth's sky.
a. Venus
b. Mars
c. Jupiter
d. Saturn
5. How often can an observer see a meteor, on average?
a. 1 - 3 times a night
b. 5 - 10 times a night
c. 6 - 10 times an hour
d. 30 - 50 times an hour
6. A non-circumpolar star rises _______ minutes earlier each day.
a. 1
b. 2
c. 4
d. 8
7. Where would one tend to observe the aurora borealis?
a. the northern sky
b. the southern sky
c. the western sky
d. the eastern sky
8. Which one of the following is not a zodiac constellation?
a. Pisces
b. Aries
c. Taurus
d. Leo
e. All of these constellations are part of the zodiac
f. None of these constellations is part of the zodiac
9. For an observer located at 30 degrees North, the star Polaris will be located ______ degrees above the northern horizon.
a. 60 degrees
b. 30 degrees
c. at the zenith
d. it won't be visible
10. How can one distinguish between planets and stars in the night sky? (Could be more than one correct answer.)
a. planets are always brighter than stars
b. stars appear to twinkle, planets do not
c. planet positions shift relative to the stars over many nights
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
ANSWERS
1. Around what time would an observer watch the last quarter moon rising?
c. midnight
The last quarter moon rises around midnight and sets around noon.
The new moon rises at sunrise and sets at sunset.
The first quarter moon rises around noon and sets at midnight
The full moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise.
Remember that these times are approximations.
2. Which of the following statements about circumpolar stars is/are true?
a. they never set at an observer's location
b. they appear to turn around the north star
Circumpolar stars neither rise nor set at a given latitude. If one tracks a circumpolar star over the course of the night, it will appear to describe a circle centered on Polaris, the north star.
3. Twilight is divided into how many phases?
c. 3
The three phases are civil, nautical and astronomical.
Civil twilight occurs when the sun is between 0 - 6 degrees of the horizon.
Nautical twilight occurs when the sun is between 6 - 12 degrees of the horizon
Astronomical twilight occurs when the sun is between 12 - 18 degrees of the horizon.
4. ___________ is always the brightest planet in Earth's sky.
a. Venus
No planet can even be half as bright as Venus. Venus outshine everything in the sky except for the Sun and moon.
5. How often can an observer see a meteor, on average?
c. 6 - 10 times an hour
Even when we're not experiencing a meteor shower, we can still see a meteor every 6 - 10 minutes due to sporadic meteoroids, those fragments that are scattered around the inner solar system.
6. A non-circumpolar star rises _______ minutes earlier each day.
c. 4
The stars rise earlier each day as a consequence of Earth's revolutionary motion. If Earth somehow remained in the same place in its orbit, the stars would rise at the same time each day.
7. Where would one tend to observe the aurora borealis?
a. the northern sky
The term "aurora borealis," coined by Galileo, means "Northern Dawn." On the rare occasion an aurora event is visible here, one will see it in the northern sky.
8. Which one of the following is not a zodiac constellation?
e. All of these constellations are part of the zodiac
A quick review. The zodiac constellations are Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius
9. For an observer located at 30 degrees North, the star Polaris will be located ______ degrees above the northern horizon.
b. 30 degrees
For Northern Hemisphere observers, Polaris' angle above the northern horizon equals the observer's latitude (or at least to a close approximation.)
10. How can one distinguish between planets and stars in the night sky? (Could be more than one correct answer.)
b. stars appear to twinkle, planets do not
c. planet positions shift relative to the stars over many nights
Planets will often be brighter than stars. However, they won't always be brighter. Neptune, for instance, is dimmer than all the naked eye stars.