1. All the visible stars at the North Pole are circumpolar.
2. Sirius is the closest star to the Sun
3. One can only observe planets within zodiac constellations
4. Meteor showers are named after their parent comets
5. Polaris' angle above the southern horizon is approximately equal to an observer's latitude
6. The Aurora Borealis ("northern lights") is only visible in the winter
7. All comets originate in the Kuiper Belt
8. Venus is always the brightest planet in our night sky.
9. The Big Dipper is a circumpolar constellation.
10. The new moon is visible all night long.
ANSWERS
1. All the stars visible from the North Pole are circumpolar.
TRUE
All the visible stars from the South Pole are circumpolar, as well.
None of the stars visible from the Equator are circumpolar.
2. Sirius is the closest star to the Sun
FALSE
Even though Sirius is the brightest night sky star, Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to the Sun.
3. One can only observe planets within zodiac constellations
FALSE
While the Sun will only pass through the zodiac constellations, the planets will occasionally move just outside them because their orbits are inclined by a certain degree relative to the ecliptic, the plane of Earth's orbit.
4. Meteor showers are named after their parent comets
FALSE
Meteor showers are generally named after the constellations from which the meteors appear to emanate.
5. Polaris' angle above the southern horizon is approximately equal to an observer's latitude
FALSE
Polaris' angle above the NORTHERN horizon is approximately equal to an observer's latitude.
6. The Aurora Borealis ("northern lights") is only visible in the winter
FALSE
One can see the northern lights at any time of year.
7. All comets originate in the Kuiper BeltFALSE
Short period comets originate in the Kuiper Belt. Long period comets originate in the Oort Cloud.
8. Venus is always the brightest planet in our night sky.
TRUE
Even Jupiter and Mars at their maximum brightnesses will be dimmer than Venus at its minimum brightness.
9. The Big Dipper is a circumpolar constellation
FALSE
The Big Dipper is a circumpolar asterism. An asterism is a star pattern within a constellation. The Big Dipper is an asterism within Ursa Major.
10. The new moon is visible all night long.
FALSE
The new moon isn't visible at all as it is passing between Earth and the Sun. The full moon tends to be visible all night long.
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