Chapter 2 – The Sky – Flashcards

Seen from the northern latitudes, the star Polaris

An observer on Earth's equator would find

The celestial equator is

The ____ is the point on the celestial sphere directly above any observer

The magnitude scale

The apparent visual magnitude of a star is 7.3. This tells us that the star is

Precession of the rotation axis of Earth is caused by

The apparent visual magnitude of a star is a measure of the star's

Which star in the table below would appear the brightest to an observer on Earth?

An observer in the Northern Hemisphere watches the sky for several hours. Due to the motion of Earth, this observer notices that the stars near the north celestial pole appear to move

Based on the information in the table below, what is the ratio of the intensity of o Dra to that of Nim?

Which star in the table below would not be visible to the unaided eye of an observer on Earth?

You live at a latitudes of 73° N. What is the angle between the northern horizon and the north celestial pole?

You live at a latitudes of 39° S. What is the angle between the southern horizon and the south celestial pole?

You live at a latitude of 28° N. What is the angle between the northern horizon and the north celestial pole?

You live at a latitude of 16° S. What is the angle between the south horizon and the south celestial pole?

You live at a latitude of 32° N. What is the angle between the southern horizon and the sun at noon at the vernal equinox?

You live at a latitude of 61° N. What is the angle between the southern horizon and the sun at noon at the summer solstice?

You live at a latitude of 17° N. What is the angle between the southern horizon and the sun at noon at the winter solstice?

The star Vega has an apparent visual magnitude of 0.03, and the star HR 4374 has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.87. It has been determined that both stars are at the same distance from Earth. What does this information tell us about the two stars?

If the north celestial pole appears on your horizon, what is your latitude?

What is the approximate latitude of the observer in the diagram below? PICTURE #1A

What is the approximate latitude of the observer in the diagram below? PICTURE #2A

An observer in the Northern Hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the illustration below depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing? PICTURE #1

An observer in the Northern Hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the illustration below depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing? PICTURE #2

An observer in the Southern Hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the illustration below depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing? PICTURE #3

An observer in the Southern Hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the illustration below depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing? PICTURE #4

An observer in the Northern Hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the illustration below depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing? PICTURE #5

An observer in the Southern Hemisphere takes a time exposure photograph of the night sky. If the illustration below depicts the photograph taken by the observer, which direction was the camera pointing? PICTURE #6

Star A has an apparent visual magnitude of 13.4, and the star B has an apparent visual magnitude of 15.4. Star A is _____ than star B.

Polaris is a second magnitude star, and Phi Pegasi is about 16 times fainter than Polaris. What is the approximate magnitude of Phi Pegasi?

T/F The moon and visible planets within a few degrees of the ecliptic.

T/F Precession of Earth's axis causes the date at which perihelion of Earth's orbit occurs to slowly change.

T/F The Greeks created the constellations.

T/F A second magnitude star in Ursa Major is brighter than a fourth magnitude star in Orion.

T/F Polaris has always been the star nearest the north celestial pole.

T/F The Greek letter designation conveys information about a star's location and brightness.

T/F Hipparchus devised the magnitude system in the late 1700s.

T/F The celestial equator always passes directly overhead.

T/F The celestial equator always crosses the horizon at the east point and west point.

T/F Navigators can find their latitude by measuring the angle from the northern horizon to the north celestial pole.