Chapter 4 - Part 1

At which of the following locations on Earth is the direction we call East not clearly defined?

• the latitude of Greenwich, England

• the coast of the U.S. which borders on the Atlantic Ocean

• the North Pole

• the equator

• the International Date Line

The number of degrees of arc that your location is north or south of the Earth's equator is called your:

• latitude

• longitude

• declination

• meridian

• Yankee quotient

The "prime meridian" (where longitude equals zero) passes through:

• Paris

• New York

• the Pacific Ocean, away from all land

• Beijing

• Greenwich, England

In locating objects on the celestial sphere, we call the number of degrees east or west that something is from Greenwich, England its:

• latitude

• longitude

• declination

• meridian

• seasonal displacement

Typically, astronomers express the right ascension of a star on the sky in what units?

• kilometers

• hours, minutes, and seconds

• light years

• meters squared

• quarters

If you want to locate someone precisely on the surface of the Earth, you specify her exact latitude and longitude. If you want to locate a star precisely on the sky, you need to specify its exact:

• meridian and great circle

• constellation

• north and east point

• right ascension and declination

• solstice and equinox

The latitude of the Earth's equator is

• 180 degrees

• 90 degrees

• 0 degrees

• 12 hours

• undefined (by international agreement)

What would you have to change about the Earth to stop our planet from having significantly different seasons?

• its distance from the Sun

• its diameter

• the amount of water on its surface

• the tilt of its axis

• the orbit of the Moon around it

The Earth is closest to the Sun in which month of the year?

• July

• June

• January

• March

• September

A "New Age" bride and groom, who are enchanted by the Sun, want to get married on the day when it gets to be highest in the sky. If they live in the United States, around what day of the year will the wedding take place?

• winter solstice

• spring equinox

• autumnal equinox

• summer solstice

• you can't fool me, the Sun's maximum height in the sky is roughly the same throughout the year