ASTRO1 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE ANSWERS
Historical rrrecords rrshow rrthat rrChinese rrastronomers rron rrEarth rrobserved rra
rrsupernova rr(an rrexploding rrstar) rrin rr1054 rrAD. rrWe rrnow rrknow rrthat rrthe rrdistance rrto
rrthat rrsupernova rrwas rr(is) rr6500 rrlight rryears rraway. rrTherefore, rrthe rrsupernova
rractually rroccurred rrin rrthe rryear... rr- rrAnswer rr5446 rrBC
Proxima rrCentauri rris rra rrnearby rrstar. rrDue rrto rrlookback rrtime, rrwe rrsee rrit rras rrit rrwas
rr4.2 rryears rrin rrthe rrpast. rrHow rrfar rraway rris rrProxima rrCentauri? rrChoose rrall rrcorrect
rranswers. rr- rrAnswer rr-(the rrspeed rrof rrlight) rrx rr(4.2 rryears)
-4.2 rrLight rrYears
The rrtop rrspeed rrof rrthe rrX-15 rrairplane rr-- rrthe rrfastest rrpiloted rrairplane rron rrEarth rr--
rrwas rr7200 rrkm/h, rror rr2 rrkm/s. rr(ref: rrto rran rrexternal rrsite.) rrIf rrwe rrcould rrsend rrthis
rrairplane rrto rrvisit rrthe rrSun rrand rrback, rra rrround rrtrip rrdistance rrof rr300 rrmillion rrkm,
rrhow rrlong rrwould rrit rrtake rrto rrmake rrthe rrtrip? rr(Assume rrit rrgoes rrstraight rrthere rrand
rrback rrwithout rrlosing rrany rrtime rrturning rraround. rrAlso rrassume rrit rrcould rrfly rroutside
rrEarth's rratmosphere.) rrExpress rryour rranswer rrin rryears.
Shortcut: rrthere rrare rr30 rrmillion rrseconds rrin rra rryear. rr- rrAnswer rr5 rrYears
If rryou rrwalk rr2.5 rrmiles rrto rrclass rrand rrit rrtakes rryou rr50 rrminutes, rrwhat rris rryour
rraverage rrspeed rrin rrmiles rrper rrhour rr(mph)? rr- rrAnswer rr3 rrMPH
Refer rrto rrthe rrfigure rrbelow. rrWhere rrin rrtheir rrsky rrwould rrthe rrobserver rrlook rrto rrsee
rrthe rrstar rrindicated rrby rrthe rrunlabeled rrvertical rrdown-pointing rrarrow? rr- rrAnswer
rrHigh rrin rrthe rrSouthEast
Refer rrto rrthe rrFigure rrin rrthe rrprevious rrquestion. rrMatch rrthe rrcardinal rrdirections rr(N,
rrS, rrE, rrW) rrwith rrthe rrdirection rrthey rrare rrfor rrthe rrobserver rrin rrthe rrpicture. rr"Left"
rrand rr"Right" rrmean rrtoward rrthe rrleft rrand rrright rrsides rrof rrthe rrpage rras rrYOU rrare
rrlooking rrat rrit. rrAll rrdirections rr(up, rrdown, rrleft, rrright) rrare rrin rrthe rrplane rrof rrthe rrpage
rrexcept rr"into rrpage" rrand rr"out rrof rrpage". rr- rrAnswer rr-North rr(Left)
-South rr(Right)
-East rr(Into rrPage)
-West rr(Out rrof rrpage)
Two rrstudents rrare rrhaving rrthe rrfollowing rrdiscussion rrregarding rrat rrwhat rrposition(s)
rrStar rrB rrrises rrand rrsets rr(if rrany), rrfrom rrthe rrfigure rrabove: rr(this rris rrquestion rr8 rrfrom
rrthe rrin-class rrworksheet rr"Position" rrfrom rryour rrworkbook)
, Student rr1: rrLocations rrB1 rrand rrB3 rrare rron rrmy rrhorizon rrbecause rrthey rrare rrrising
rrand rrsetting rrjust rrlike rrA1 rrand rrA3.
Student rr2: rrFigure rr1 rrshows rrthat rrStar rrB rris rras rrlow rras rrit rrwill rrget rrwhen rrit rris rrjust
rrabove rrthe rrnorthern rrhorizon rrat rrB4. rrSo rrStar rrB rrnever rrgoes rrbelow rrthe
rrhorizon.Which rrstudent rris rrcorrect, rrif rreither? rr- rrAnswer rrOnly rrStudent rr2 rris rrcorrect
Imagine rryou rrare rrstanding rrin rrthe rrNorthern rrhemisphere, rrlike rrthe rrobserver rrin rrthe
rrfigure rrbelow. rrLooking rrdirectly rrNorth, rryou rrsee rra rrstar rrjust rrabove rrthe rrhorizon.
rrWhich rrstar rrat rrwhich rrposition rrcould rrit rrbe?(Make rrsure rryou rrare rrreferring rrto rrthe
rrfigure rrbelow, rrand rrnot rrthe rrfigure rrabove, rrwhich rrhas rrthe rrstar rrpositions
rrnumbered rrdifferently.) rr- rrAnswer rr-Star rrB
-Position rr3
Below rris rran rrexamples rrof rra rr"star rrtrails" rrpicture. rrWhat rractually rrcauses rrthe rrstars
rrto rrmake rrthese rrstreaks, rror rr"trails" rron rrthe rrphotographs? rr- rrAnswer rrThe rrEarth
rrslowly rrrotates rron rrits rraxis
How rrlong rrwas rrthe rrexposure rrto rrmake rrthe rrstar rrtrails rrphotograph rrin rrthe rrprevious
rrquestion? rr- rrAnswer rrAbout rr2 rrhours
In rrthe rrstar rrtrails rrphoto rrabove, rrassume rrthat rrthe rrcamera rrwas rrpointed rrdirectly rrup
rrtoward rrzenith. rrWhat rrcan rryou rrconclude rrabout rrthe rrlatitude rron rrEarth rrwhere rrthe
rrphoto rrwas rrtaken? rr- rrAnswer rrNorth rror rrSouth rrPole
Moon rrPhases rr- rrAnswer rrnew, rrwaxing rrcrescent, rrfirst rrquarter, rrwaxing rrgibbous,
rrfull, rrwaning rrgibbous, rrthird rrquarter, rrwaning rrcrescent, rrnew
becoming rrfuller, rror rrappearing rrto rrgrow rrbigger rror rrmore rrin rrextent rr- rrAnswer
rrwaxing
becoming rrless rrfull, rrdiminishing, rror rrappearing rrto rrbecome rrless rrin rrextent rr-
rrAnswer rrwaning
a rrbulging rrshape; rrmore rrthan rrhalf rrfull; rrhumpbacked rr- rrAnswer rrgibbous
a rrthin rrcurved rrsliver rrshape; rrless rrthan rrhalf rrfull rr- rrAnswer rrcrescent
these rrphases rrall rrhave rrthe rrwhite rrpart rrappearing rron rrthe rrLEFT* rrside rr- rrAnswer
rrwaning
these rrphases rrall rrhave rrthe rrwhite rrpart rrappearing rron rrthe rrRIGHT* rrside
rr(mnemonic rr"white rron rrthe rrright") rr- rrAnswer rrwaxing
When rrleft rrlights rrup rris rrit rrwaxing rror rrwaning? rr- rrAnswer rrwaning
When rrright rrlights rrup rris rrit rrwaxing rror rrwaning? rr- rrAnswer rrwaxing
COMPLETE ANSWERS
Historical rrrecords rrshow rrthat rrChinese rrastronomers rron rrEarth rrobserved rra
rrsupernova rr(an rrexploding rrstar) rrin rr1054 rrAD. rrWe rrnow rrknow rrthat rrthe rrdistance rrto
rrthat rrsupernova rrwas rr(is) rr6500 rrlight rryears rraway. rrTherefore, rrthe rrsupernova
rractually rroccurred rrin rrthe rryear... rr- rrAnswer rr5446 rrBC
Proxima rrCentauri rris rra rrnearby rrstar. rrDue rrto rrlookback rrtime, rrwe rrsee rrit rras rrit rrwas
rr4.2 rryears rrin rrthe rrpast. rrHow rrfar rraway rris rrProxima rrCentauri? rrChoose rrall rrcorrect
rranswers. rr- rrAnswer rr-(the rrspeed rrof rrlight) rrx rr(4.2 rryears)
-4.2 rrLight rrYears
The rrtop rrspeed rrof rrthe rrX-15 rrairplane rr-- rrthe rrfastest rrpiloted rrairplane rron rrEarth rr--
rrwas rr7200 rrkm/h, rror rr2 rrkm/s. rr(ref: rrto rran rrexternal rrsite.) rrIf rrwe rrcould rrsend rrthis
rrairplane rrto rrvisit rrthe rrSun rrand rrback, rra rrround rrtrip rrdistance rrof rr300 rrmillion rrkm,
rrhow rrlong rrwould rrit rrtake rrto rrmake rrthe rrtrip? rr(Assume rrit rrgoes rrstraight rrthere rrand
rrback rrwithout rrlosing rrany rrtime rrturning rraround. rrAlso rrassume rrit rrcould rrfly rroutside
rrEarth's rratmosphere.) rrExpress rryour rranswer rrin rryears.
Shortcut: rrthere rrare rr30 rrmillion rrseconds rrin rra rryear. rr- rrAnswer rr5 rrYears
If rryou rrwalk rr2.5 rrmiles rrto rrclass rrand rrit rrtakes rryou rr50 rrminutes, rrwhat rris rryour
rraverage rrspeed rrin rrmiles rrper rrhour rr(mph)? rr- rrAnswer rr3 rrMPH
Refer rrto rrthe rrfigure rrbelow. rrWhere rrin rrtheir rrsky rrwould rrthe rrobserver rrlook rrto rrsee
rrthe rrstar rrindicated rrby rrthe rrunlabeled rrvertical rrdown-pointing rrarrow? rr- rrAnswer
rrHigh rrin rrthe rrSouthEast
Refer rrto rrthe rrFigure rrin rrthe rrprevious rrquestion. rrMatch rrthe rrcardinal rrdirections rr(N,
rrS, rrE, rrW) rrwith rrthe rrdirection rrthey rrare rrfor rrthe rrobserver rrin rrthe rrpicture. rr"Left"
rrand rr"Right" rrmean rrtoward rrthe rrleft rrand rrright rrsides rrof rrthe rrpage rras rrYOU rrare
rrlooking rrat rrit. rrAll rrdirections rr(up, rrdown, rrleft, rrright) rrare rrin rrthe rrplane rrof rrthe rrpage
rrexcept rr"into rrpage" rrand rr"out rrof rrpage". rr- rrAnswer rr-North rr(Left)
-South rr(Right)
-East rr(Into rrPage)
-West rr(Out rrof rrpage)
Two rrstudents rrare rrhaving rrthe rrfollowing rrdiscussion rrregarding rrat rrwhat rrposition(s)
rrStar rrB rrrises rrand rrsets rr(if rrany), rrfrom rrthe rrfigure rrabove: rr(this rris rrquestion rr8 rrfrom
rrthe rrin-class rrworksheet rr"Position" rrfrom rryour rrworkbook)
, Student rr1: rrLocations rrB1 rrand rrB3 rrare rron rrmy rrhorizon rrbecause rrthey rrare rrrising
rrand rrsetting rrjust rrlike rrA1 rrand rrA3.
Student rr2: rrFigure rr1 rrshows rrthat rrStar rrB rris rras rrlow rras rrit rrwill rrget rrwhen rrit rris rrjust
rrabove rrthe rrnorthern rrhorizon rrat rrB4. rrSo rrStar rrB rrnever rrgoes rrbelow rrthe
rrhorizon.Which rrstudent rris rrcorrect, rrif rreither? rr- rrAnswer rrOnly rrStudent rr2 rris rrcorrect
Imagine rryou rrare rrstanding rrin rrthe rrNorthern rrhemisphere, rrlike rrthe rrobserver rrin rrthe
rrfigure rrbelow. rrLooking rrdirectly rrNorth, rryou rrsee rra rrstar rrjust rrabove rrthe rrhorizon.
rrWhich rrstar rrat rrwhich rrposition rrcould rrit rrbe?(Make rrsure rryou rrare rrreferring rrto rrthe
rrfigure rrbelow, rrand rrnot rrthe rrfigure rrabove, rrwhich rrhas rrthe rrstar rrpositions
rrnumbered rrdifferently.) rr- rrAnswer rr-Star rrB
-Position rr3
Below rris rran rrexamples rrof rra rr"star rrtrails" rrpicture. rrWhat rractually rrcauses rrthe rrstars
rrto rrmake rrthese rrstreaks, rror rr"trails" rron rrthe rrphotographs? rr- rrAnswer rrThe rrEarth
rrslowly rrrotates rron rrits rraxis
How rrlong rrwas rrthe rrexposure rrto rrmake rrthe rrstar rrtrails rrphotograph rrin rrthe rrprevious
rrquestion? rr- rrAnswer rrAbout rr2 rrhours
In rrthe rrstar rrtrails rrphoto rrabove, rrassume rrthat rrthe rrcamera rrwas rrpointed rrdirectly rrup
rrtoward rrzenith. rrWhat rrcan rryou rrconclude rrabout rrthe rrlatitude rron rrEarth rrwhere rrthe
rrphoto rrwas rrtaken? rr- rrAnswer rrNorth rror rrSouth rrPole
Moon rrPhases rr- rrAnswer rrnew, rrwaxing rrcrescent, rrfirst rrquarter, rrwaxing rrgibbous,
rrfull, rrwaning rrgibbous, rrthird rrquarter, rrwaning rrcrescent, rrnew
becoming rrfuller, rror rrappearing rrto rrgrow rrbigger rror rrmore rrin rrextent rr- rrAnswer
rrwaxing
becoming rrless rrfull, rrdiminishing, rror rrappearing rrto rrbecome rrless rrin rrextent rr-
rrAnswer rrwaning
a rrbulging rrshape; rrmore rrthan rrhalf rrfull; rrhumpbacked rr- rrAnswer rrgibbous
a rrthin rrcurved rrsliver rrshape; rrless rrthan rrhalf rrfull rr- rrAnswer rrcrescent
these rrphases rrall rrhave rrthe rrwhite rrpart rrappearing rron rrthe rrLEFT* rrside rr- rrAnswer
rrwaning
these rrphases rrall rrhave rrthe rrwhite rrpart rrappearing rron rrthe rrRIGHT* rrside
rr(mnemonic rr"white rron rrthe rrright") rr- rrAnswer rrwaxing
When rrleft rrlights rrup rris rrit rrwaxing rror rrwaning? rr- rrAnswer rrwaning
When rrright rrlights rrup rris rrit rrwaxing rror rrwaning? rr- rrAnswer rrwaxing
