The largest circular storm in our solar system is on the surface of which planet? answer JUPITER
The comet known as Halley's Comet has an average period of: a) 56 years b) 66 years c) 76 years d) 86 years answer C - 76 YEARS
Which one of the following planets has no moons? a) Mars b) Neptune c) Venus d) Jupiter answer e) C - VENUS
Which planet has the shortest year? answer MERCURY
In kilometers, Earth's average distance from the sun is roughly which of the following distances? a) 250 million b) 91 million c) 150 million d) 350 million answer C - 150 MILLION
The gravity on the moon is what fraction of the gravity on Earth? a) 1/3 b) 2/3 c) 1/6 d) 1/10 answer C - 1/6
The rocks that enter Earth's atmosphere and blaze a trail all the way to the ground and do not burn up completely are known as: a) meteorites b) meteors c) asteroids d) none of these answer A - METEORITES
95% of the Martian atmosphere is composed of what substance? a) Carbon dioxide b) Nitrogen c) Argon d) Carbon monoxide answer A - CARBON DIOXIDE
How many of Jupiter's moons did Galileo see with his first telescope? answer FOUR
What is the definition of one Astronomical Unit? answer IT IS THE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN TO EARTH; AVERAGE DISTANCE; AVERAGE RADIUS; RADIUS OF EARTH'S ORBIT
What is the motion called when a planet seems to be moving westward in the sky? a) Retrograde b) Parallax c) Opcentric d) Reverse parallax answer A - RETROGRADE
In the Copernican system, what is the shape of the planets' orbits? answer CIRCLE
With which one of the following astronomical objects are meteor showers associated? a) asteroids b) Comets c) Planets d) None of the above answer B - COMETS
In what year did Galileo first use an optical telescope to study the moon? a) 1492 b) 1609 c) 1212 d) 1743 answer B - 1609
A device which would not work on the Moon is: a) thermometer b) siphon c) spectrometer d) spring balance answer B - SIPHON
Where is the Great Red Spot? answer JUPITER
What astronomical event made the headlines in 1986? answer HALLEY'S COMET
What celestial body is known for its 11 year cycle? answer SUN
What are Callisto and Ganymede? answer TWO OF JUPITER'S MOONS
What feature do only Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus have in common? answer RINGS or THICK GASEOUS ATMOSPHERES
The size of the average meteor is about the size of which of the following objects? a) a grain of sand b) a baseball c) a basket ball d) a car answer A - A GRAIN OF SAND
When could you see Bailey's Beads? answer DURING A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
Geocentric means around: a) Jupiter b) Earth c) the Moon d) the Sun answer B - EARTH
How many moons does Mars have? answer TWO
During what phase of the Moon can a total eclipse of the Moon occur? answer FULL MOON
What is the more common name for the aurora borealis? answer NORTHERN LIGHTS
Which planet is Earth's twin sizewise? answer VENUS
Which THREE planets have moons larger than Mercury? answer SATURN, JUPITER, AND NEPTUNE
What belts are composed of charged particles surrounding Earth? answer VAN ALLEN BELTS
Which two planets have overlapping orbits? answer NEPTUNE and PLUTO
What are "cool" areas on the surface of the Sun called? answer SUN SPOTS
The moon is denser than Earth. answer FALSE
A comet's apparent size does which of the following as the comet gets closer to the Sun? a) decrease b) remain the same c) increase answer C - INCREASE
The Phythagoreans appear to have been the first to have taught that Earth is: a) at the center of the universe b) spherical in shape c) orbits around the sun d) flat with sharp edges answer B - SPHERICAL IN SHAPE
The light-gathering power of a reflecting telescope depends on which of the following? a) the area of its objective mirror b) focal length of its eyepiece c) focal length of its objective mirror d) the ratio of the focal lengths of objective and eyepiece answer A - THE AREA OF ITS OBJECTIVE MIRROR
Who was the first individual to observe the phases of Venus? He observed Venus' phases with a telescope that he had built. answer GALILEO
Who first used Tycho Brahe's observational data on the planet Mars to determine that Mars actually traversed an elliptical orbit, the sun being located at one of the foci? a) Kepler b) Galileo c) Hipparchs d) Aristarchus answer A - KEPLER
Newton taught that the natural state of motion of a body is one of uniform motion in a circular path. answer FALSE
Approximately how many times could a beam of light travel around Earth in one second? a) 3 times b) 7.5 times c) 15 times d) 25 times answer B - 7.5 TIMES
The diameter of Earth is approximately: a) 5000 kilometers b) 13,000 kilometers c) 18,000 kilometers d) 25,000 kilometers answer B - 13,000 KILOMETERS
The average density of Earth is approximately: a) half the density of water b) twice the density of water c) five and a half times the density of water. d) ten times the density of water answer C - FIVE AND A HALF TIMES THE DENSITY OF WATER
Earth's motion around the sun causes relatively nearby stars to shift against the background of the more distant fixed stars. What term is used to describe this phenomenon? answer PARALLAX
What name do northern hemisphere observers give to the situation where the sun crosses the celestial equator around march 21? answer VERNAL EQUINOX
Of the following colors, which is bent least in passing through a prism? answer RED
In a reflecting telescope where in the tube is the objective mirror placed? a) the top of the tube b) the middle of the tube c) the bottom of the tube d) the side of the tube answer C - THE BOTTOM OF THE TUBE
The diameter of the disk of our galaxy, within a factor of two, is how many light years? answer 100,000 LIGHT-YEARS
What is the principal source of a young star's energy? answer FUSION OF HYDROGEN TO HELIUM
What is the approximate age of our sun? a) 1 billion years b) 2 billion years c) 5 billion years d) 20 billion years answer C -5 BILLION YEARS
What does it mean when someone says that comets have eccentric orbits? Does it mean a) they have open orbits b) they have nearly circular orbits c) their orbits are unpredictable d) their distance from the sun varies greatly answer D - THEIR DISTANCE FROM THE SUN VARIES GREATLY
Which of the following planets has the lowest density? a) Mercury b) Venus c) Saturn d) Mars answer C - SATURN
What planet comes closes to Earth? answer MARS
What causes the gas tail of a comet to always point away from the sun? a) solar wind b) air pressure c) centrifugal force d) gravity answer A - SOLAR WIND
What are Saturn's rings composed of? a) completely connected solid masses b) billions of tiny solid particles c) mixtures of gases d) highly reflective cosmic clouds answer B - BILLIONS OF TINY SOLID PARTICLES
Canals have been photographed on Mars by recent space probes answer FALSE
Of the following, which is the only planet which CANNOT be seen with the unaided eye? a) Jupiter b) Mars c) Neptune d) Saturn answer C - NEPTUNE
Accretion is: a) the gradual accumulation of matter in one location usually due to gravity b) the process of moon formation for planets c) the process of matter accumulation due to centripetal force d) the disintegration of matter answer A - THE GRADUAL ACCUMULATION OF MATTER IN ONE LOCATION USUALLY DUE TO GRAVITY
If we look at a galaxy that is moving AWAY from us, we find that the wavelengths of light coming from this galaxy are: a) lengthened b) shortened c) unchanged answer A - LENGTHENED
Give me the name of the first artificial Earth satellite and the year in which it was launched. answer SPUTNIK 1957
The stars Castor and Pollux are the two brightest stars of what constellation? answer GEMINI (Gemini and the Twins)
The age of the universe in billions of years is closest to a) 500 b) 3.5 c) 18 d) 1000 answer C - 18
The reason we call an astronomical body a black hole is that a) it is a huge star which appears black at its center b) its gravity is so high that it absorbs its own photons c) it represents lack of matter in a portion of space d) it is a dead planet answer B - ITS GRAVITY IS SO HIGH THAT IT ABSORBS ITS OWN PHOTONS
A blue shift means a Doppler shift of light from a(an) a) receding star b) blue star c) approaching star d) fixed star answer C - APPROACHING STAR
The first and largest asteroid discovered was a) Pallas b) Juno c) Ceres d) Trojan answer C - CERES
Which of the following Saturnian satellites is known to possess an atmosphere? a) Tethys b) Titan c) Dione d) Mimas answer B - TITAN
The Crab Nebula consists of the remnants of a supernova which was observed by: a) Brahe in 1572 b) Kepler and Galileo in 1604 c) the Chinese in 1054 A.D. d) several ancient civilizations if 236 B.C. answer C - THE CHINESE IN 1054 A.D.
The atmosphere of Venus contains mostly a) oxygen b) carbon dioxide c) nitrogen d) water answer B - CARBON DIOXIDE
What causes a planet to have a magnetic field? a) the dynamo effect b) the Doppler effect c) The Photoelectric effect d) its rotation about its sun answer A - THE DYNAMO EFFECT
On the celestial sphere, the annual path of the Sun is called a) the eclipse path b) ecliptic c) diurnal d) solstice answer B - ECLIPTIC
The angular distance between a planet and the Sun, as vied from Earth, is called a) angle of inclination b) elongation c) latitude d) opposition answer B - ELONGATION
Which of the following has the greatest density? a) the sun b) Venus c) Mars d) Jupiter answer B - VENUS
Mercury and Venus are said to be inferior planets because a) they are smaller than the other planets that circle the Sun. b) their orbits are slower than Earth's orbit c) their orbits are faster than Earth's orbit d) their orbits are inside of Earth's orbit answer D - THEIR ORIBTS ARE INSIDE OF EARTH'S ORBIT
What is the name of an important galactic cluster of stars in the Milky Way and commonly known as the Seven Sisters? answer PLEIADES
What is the point at which the orbits of Mercury comes closes to the Sun called? answer ITS PERIHELION
Galileo made many astronomical discoveries. Which of the following was NOT one of his discoveries? a) the phases of Venus b) mountains of Venus c) moons of Jupiter d) sunspots answer B - MOUNTAINS ON VENUS
Identify the ripples in the overall geometry of space produced by the acceleration of moving objects a) Doppler effect b) granulation c) gravitational waves d) elongation answer e) C - GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
Which one of the following planets has less mass than Earth? a) Jupiter b) Saturn c) Uranus d) Pluto answer D - PLUTO
Which of the following planets is NOT a terrestrial planet a) Earth b) Jupiter c) Mars d) Mercury answer B - JUPITER
Why do we see lunar eclipses much more often than solar eclipses? a) Lunar eclipses occur more often than solar eclipses. b) Lunar eclipses last longer than solar eclipses. c) The lunar eclipse is visible to much more of Earth than a solar eclipse. d) The moon is closer to Earth than the sun. answer C - THE LUNAR ECLIPSE IS VISIBLE TO MUCH MORE OF EARTH THAN A SOLAR ECLIPSE
A starlike object with a very large redshift is a a) neutron star b) nova c) quasar d) supernova answer C - QUASAR
The apparent magnitude of an object in the sky describes its a) size b) magnification c) brightness d) distance answer C - BRIGHTNESS
The Van Allen belts are: a) caused by the refraction of sunlight like rainbows. b) charged particles trapped in Earth's magnetic field. c) caused by the reflection of polar snow. d) caused by precession. answer B - CHARGED PARTICLES TRAPPED IN EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD
What do the two stars at the end of the cup in the Big Dipper point to? answer POLARIS or THE NORTH STAR
A coordinate system based on the ecliptic system is especially useful for the studies of a) planets b) stars c) the Milky Way d) galaxies answer A - PLANETS
When originally discovered, how were planets such as Pluto distinguished from the multitude of stars in the sky? a) The planets appear to be bigger than stars b) The planets are brighter than most stars c) The planets move relative to the stars d) The planets are close to the ecliptic answer C - THE PLANETS MOVE RELATIVE TO THE STARS
The moon was closer to Earth in March 1993 that it has been for a dozen years. This near distance was about a) 160,000 miles b) 216,000 miles c) 240,000 miles d) 293,000 miles answer B - 216,000 MILES
First, identify by name the largest planet; then identify by name the brightest planet in our solar system. If they are the same, give only one name. answer JUPITER (largest) AND VENUS (brightest)
Name the type of variable star which fluctuates in brightness related to its absolute magnitude. answer CEPHEID VARIABLE
What happens to a collapsed star that is too massive to be supported by neutron pressure answer IT FORMS A BLACK HOLE
What is the name of the spacecraft that recently used Jupiter's gravitational field to redirect its course toward the Sun's polar regions? a) Magellan b) Ulysses c) Galileo d) Challenger answer B - ULYSSES
The mean distance of Earth from the sun in astronomical units is: a) 3.7 b) 10 c) 1 d) 101 answer C - 1
The decreasing pitch of the siren of a receding locomotive has what analog in astronomy? answer RED SHIFT
What process produces a star's energy? a) hydrogen and oxygen combustion b) nuclear fusion c) neutron beta decay d) nuclear fission answer B - NUCLEAR FUSION
In 1920, Albert Michelson measured the diameter of a star using a stellar interferometer. It was the first measurement of the diameter of any star other than the sun. Identify the star. answer BETELGEUSE
On which planet can one find the solar system's largest volcano? a) Earth b) Neptune c) Mars d) Jupiter answer C - MARS
What is the most distance object in the sky that the human eye can see without optical instruments? a) The Horsehead Nebula b) The Andromeda Galaxy c) The Sagittarius Constellation d) The Aurora Borealis answer B - THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY
Name the planet that has the greatest number of known moons: a) Earth b) Saturn c) Jupiter d) Mars answer B - SATURN
State the common name given to the group of stars also known as Crux Australis answer SOUTHERN CROSS
The solitary moon of Pluto is named after the boatman of Greek Mythology who ferries the dead across the River Styx. Its name is a) Erebus b) Charon c) Nox d) Persephone answer B - CHARON
What civilization developed and implemented the first solar calendar? a) Babylonian b) Greek c) Egyptian d) Aztec answer C - EGYPTIAN
??What is the HOTTEST region of the sun? a) The core b) The photosphere c) The chromosphere d) The corona answer A - THE CORE
The same side of the moon always faces Earth because: a) the moon is not rotating about its axis. b) the moon's motion was fixed at its creation by the laws of inertia. c) tidal forces keep the moon's rotation and orbiting motion in synch with each other. d) the moon's magnetic poles keep aligned with Earth's magnetic field. answer C - TIDAL FORCES KEEP THE MOON'S ROTATION AND ORBIITNG MOTION IN SYNCH WITH EACH OTHER
The resolving power of a telescope depends on the: a) focal ratio b) diameter of the objective c) magnification d) focal length answer B - DIAMETER OF THE OBJECTIVE
The determination of stellar parallax is important because it allows the determination of: a) mass b) diameter c) distance d) velocity answer C - DISTANCE
What one property besides the temperature does the luminosity of a star depend upon? answer THE STAR'S AREA OF DIAMETER
The Giotto spacecraft set a new record in July, 1992, for the closest visit yet to: a) the core of a comet b) the red spot of Jupiter c) an active solar flare d) the rings of Saturn answer A - THE CORE OF A COMET
During 1990 and 1991 the Magellan orbiter mapped the surface of Venus. What technique did it use? answer RADAR
Data from Voyager II indicate that previous estimates of Triton's size were in error. It is now known that Neptune's largest moon is a) nearly the size of Mars b) half the size of Mercury c) twice the size of Earth's moon d) even larger than previously though answer B - HALF THE SIZE OF MERCURY
In 1995, the Galileo spacecraft is scheduled to go into orbit about which planet? answer JUPITER
On a clear, dark, moonless night, approximately how many stars can be seen with the naked eye? a) 300 b) 1000 c) 4500 d) 10,000 answer C - 4500