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155 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
The celestial equator is the
imaginary circle midway between the celestial poles
At the Earth’s North Pole the stars
move parallel to the horizon, neither rising nor setting
The changes in the Sun’s rising and setting points and where it crosses the celestial meridian over the course of the year are evidence that the Sun moves
north and south with respect to the celestial sphere
The term heliacal rising refers to
first appearance before sunrise after an object has been invisible near the Sun
Newgrange’s alignment together with the finding of human remains inside suggests a connection
between
winter solstice, death, and rebirth
The Hopi Soyal ceremony occurs around the time of
the winter solstice
The 19-year Metonic cycle for fitting
together the tropical year and the synodic month is an example of
intercalation by rule
Our division of the day into 24 hours originated with the
Egyptian decans used to divide the nighttime
At Ballochroy the distance from the megalith to the mountain is 19 miles, while the distance
from the center of Stonehenge to the Heel Stone is several hundred feet. What can one
infer about the relative precision of the two alignments?
Ballochroy is more precise
The altitude of the celestial pole in the observer’s sky is equal to
the observer’s latitude
The approximate date on which the Sun is farthest north of the celestial equator is
June 21
Which ecliptic coordinate is measured eastward from the vernal equinox along the ecliptic?
celestial longitude
The full Moon should set approximately at
6 a.m.
When the Moon’s ascending node is on top of the vernal equinox, the Moon will pass through its
major standstills
Which of the following suggested astronomical connections for Stonehenge is definitely not
currently accepted?
use of the Aubrey holes to predict eclipses
The Torreon at Machu Picchu has an alignment towards the northeast that is essentially the
same as that of the main axis of the Coricancha. What alignment(s) is/are involved?
June solstice sunrise and Pleiades rise
Mars has its retrograde motion around the time that it is at
opposition
We know that the Maya understood the relationship between Venus’s synodic period and the 260-day "sacred year" because
it appears in a table in the Dresden Codex
Which of the following types of alignments does the Bighorn Medicine Wheel have?
stellar
The regular astronomical phenomena such as the calendar were the responsibility of which
branch of the Chinese astronomical bureau?
lifa
Kidinnu (known to the Greeks as Cidenas) has been identified as the person who devised
the zigzag approximation for the variable motion in longitude
The date of antizenith passage of the Sun, which was associated with the alignment from the center of Cuzco to the stone columns on the western skyline, could have been identified by the Inca by
marking where the Sun rises on the day it passes through the zenith and then noting
when it sets exactly opposite
Which of the following is a superior planet?
Jupiter
The instrument that could be used to tell the time of day as well as the Sun’s altitude was the
gnomon
The hippopede was introduced by Eudoxus to represent what?
retrograde motion
Comets are a phenomenon in the upper level of Earth’s atmosphere according to Aristotle because
they change, whereas everything in the superlunary region is immutable
Aristarchus is noteworthy in part
for having
first proposed a heliocentric theory of the Universe
The first reasonably close value for the Moon’s geocentric parallax (and the first distance of a celestial body) was obtained by
Hipparchus
In the Greek way of reckoning (with respect to the Earth), a superior planet’s period of revolution around its epicycle is
its synodic period
The "guest star" of 1054 AD, whose appearance was recorded in the Chinese records but not in
European ones, was what we now know as a
supernova
Which of the following had its origins in the Babylonians’ sexagesimal number system?
60 minutes in an hour
The totally dark part of the Moon’s shadow is called the
umbra
The saros is
a pattern of eclipse series over a period of slightly more than 18 years
The object at the center of the cosmos according to Philolaus, a disciple of Pythagoras, was the
central fire (not the Sun)
The actual size of the Earth, as distinct from its relative size compared to the Sun and Moon,
was first determined by
Eratosthenes
The most controversial aspect of
Ptolemy’s models was
the equant, which violated uniform circular motion
Which of the following instruments was used for measuring the ecliptic coordinates of objects?
zodiacal armillary sphere
The approximate date of Hipparchus was
150 BC
The object at the center of the (fictitious) celestial sphere is the
The Earth
The celestial poles are located on the celestial sphere directly above
the geographic poles
The latitude of Hven, where Tycho Brahe's observatories were located, is 56 degrees N. What is the altitude of the North Celestial Pole at that location?
56 degrees
At the Earth's equator, stars move which way?
they rise and set perpendicular to the horizon
The coordinate in the altazimuth system (for the observer's sky) that is measured around the horizon from north or sometimes south is
azimuth
Which of the following facts is evidence that the Sun moves eastwards with respect to the fixed stars?
the solar day is longer than the sidereal day
The point on the celestial sphere at which the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving from south to north is usually termed the
vernal equinox
The approximate date of the vernal equinox is
March 21
The equatorial coordinate which is measured north or south of the celestial equator is
declination
Equatorial coordinates change over time because of
Precession
Our calendar is most nearly based on which of the
following intervals?
tropical year
Successive heliacal risings of the bright star Sirius occur at intervals of one
sidereal year
The Moon's phase immediately following third or last quarter is
waning crescent
At which of the following phases does the Moon rise approximately at noon?
first quarter
Which of the following months is shortest?
(Remember, the nodes regress.)
nodical month
The Moon's minor standstills occur when the descending node is at the
vernal equinox
At Stonehenge the alignment of the center and the Heel Stone is towards
midsummer (that is, summer solstice) sunrise
In his book Stonehenge Decoded Hawkins put forward which highly controversial idea?
the Aubrey holes were used to predict eclipses
What did Hawkins do that was new in his study of Stonehenge as described in Stonehenge Decoded?
used a computer to search for
possible astronomical alignments (rising and
setting)
Newgrange is an example of a structure having an alignment associated with death (reinforced by the presence of human remains) and rebirth, namely
winter solstice
The most notable symbolism of the Coricancha in Cuzco, exemplified by a large disc of solid gold and the alignment of the central axis, is associated with which astronomical object or objects?
The sun
The number of huacas in Cuzco's ceque system equals
the number of days in the year when the Pleiades are visible
The date of antizenith passage of the Sun, which was associated with the alignment from the center of Cuzco through the stone columns on the western skyline, could have been identified by the Inca by
marking where the Sun rises on the day when it passes through the zenith and then noting when it sets exactly opposite that point
Which of the following is a superior planet?
(1) Mars
(2) Earth
(3) Venus
Mars
At which aspect or configuration is a superior planet brightest in the sky?
opposition
Retrograde motion of a superior planet occurs when
the Earth overtakes the slower-moving planet
The heliacal rising of Venus, which terrified the Maya, occurs at intervals of
Venus's synodic period
Which of the following does not have a table
in the Dresden Codex?
(1) Jupiter
(2) Venus
(3) eclipses
Jupiter
Which of the following types of alignments has not yet been found at the Bighorn Medicine Wheel?
(1) lunar
(2) solar
(3) stellar
lunar
The lunisolar calendar that uses signs such as the ripening of crops to determine when a
thirteenth month is needed is referred to as employing
empirical intercalation
The "air shaft" through the north face of the Great Pyramid of Khufu is lined up with
upper culmination of Thuban, the
pole star at the time it was built
The decans that were used by the Egyptians to mark a series of intervals throughout the year would have heliacal risings at intervals of approximately
ten days
The point in an alignment where the observer stands is called the
backsight
Looking from the north towards the south (as when looking down at an Earth globe), the eastwards direction is
counterclockwise
According to the rule given in class, the altitude of the
celestial pole at a given latitude on the Earth is equal to
the latitude
At the Earth's North Pole the stars
move parallel to the horizon, neither rising nor setting
The changes in the Sun's rising and setting points and where it crosses the celestial meridian over the course of the year are evidence that the Sun moves
north and south with respect to the celestial sphere
The approximate date of the autumnal equinox is
September 21
The equatorial coordinate which is expressed in units of time -- hours, minutes, seconds -- is
right ascension
The time for the Sun to complete its trip around the ecliptic with respect to the fixed stars is the
siderial year
The term heliacal rising refers to
first appearance before sunrise after an object
The interval between successive heliacal risings of a
star (or star cluster like the Pleiades) is
the siderial year
The imaginary point directly below the observer is termed the
nadir or antizenith
The approximate date on which the Sun is farthest north of the celestial equator is
June 21
The Sun rises farthest north of east at intervals of a
tropical year
Which ecliptic coordinate is measured eastward from the vernal equinox along the
ecliptic?
celestial longitude
The sidereal month is defined as
the Moon's period with respect to the
fixed stars
The full Moon should set approximately at
6 a.m.
When the Moon's ascending node is on top of the vernal equinox, the Moon will pass through its
major standstills
The fact that the Moon's nodes regress, i.e. move westwards with respect to the fixed stars, while the Moon moves eastwards means that;
the nodical month will be shorter
than the sidereal month
The alignment of the passageway into Newgrange is approximately in the direction of
winter solstice (midwinter) sunrise
The alignment in Cuzco, the Inca capital, associated with the Sun's (unseen) passage through
the antizenith was
the one from the Ushnu towards
the four stone columns on Cerro Picchu
The number of huacas in the Inca ceque system of Cuzco, which is 328, approximately equals the number of days in 12 sidereal months. It also
roughly matches which of the following?
the number of nights in the year during which the Pleiades is visible
The Torreon at Machu Picchu has an alignment towards the northeast that is essentially the
same as that of the main axis of the Coricancha. What alignment(s) is/are involved?
June solstice sunrise and Pleiades
rise
Mars has its retrograde motion around the time that it is at:
opposition
The interval between successive heliacal risings of a given planet is:
that planet's synodic period
The alignment with the southernmost rising point of Venus that was discussed at some length
in lecture was associated with
the "Palace of the Governor" (Spaniards' name for it) at Uxmal
We know that the Maya understood the relationship between Venus's synodic period and the 260-day "sacred year" because
it appears in a table in the
Dresden Codex
The Mayan "haab" calendar employed for agricultural purposes used a "year" of
365 days
Which of the following types of alignments does the Bighorn Medicine Wheel have?
stellar
Celestial navigation as practiced by the Pacific Islanders was primarily based on
the directions of stars' rising and
setting
Intercalation of a thirteenth synodic month into the year based on signs such as the blooming of plants or ripening of crops is termed
empirical intercalation
The 12-year cycle recognized by the Chinese ("Year of the Rat" etc.) was associated with which of the following time intervals?
Jupiter's oppositions going completely around the celestial sphere
Kidinnu (known to the Greeks as Cidenas) has been identified as the person who devised
the zigzag approximation for the
variable motion in longitude
Which of the following Babylonian documents on astronomy that we have considered is earlier?
the Venus tablet of King Ammizaduga
Which of the following statements is correct?
(1) Solar eclipses can occur only when the Moon is new.
(2) Solar eclipses can occur when the Moon is either new or full.
(3) Whenever the Moon is new a solar eclipse will occur.
Solar eclipses can occur only when the Moon is new.
The eclipse seasons occur at intervals of approximately
173 1/3 days
Ephemerides are
tables of astronomical occurrences
day-by-day, like the almanac
The long measuring scale of Guo Shoujing's observatory ("Sky Measuring Scale")
along which the shadow was measured was situated so that it ran outward from the main structure in which direction?
north
With an alignment such as the one at Ballochroy, the term baseline refers to
the distance between the backsight
and the foresight
The imaginary point directly overhead is termed the
zenith
Which equatorial coordinate is measured eastward from the vernal equinox along the
celestial equator in units of time (hours, minutes, seconds)?
right ascension
The synodic month is defined as
the Moon's period with respect to the
Sun (cycle phases)
When the Moon's ascending node is on top of the vernal equinox, the Moon will pass through its
major standstills
The fact that the Moon's nodes regress, i.e. move westwards with respect to the fixed stars, while the Moon moves eastwards means that
the nodical month will be shorter
than the sidereal month
Venus is an evening star around the time that it is at
greatest eastern elongation
Intercalation of a thirteenth synodic month into the year based on signs such as the blooming of plants or ripening of crops is termed
empirical intercalation
Which of the following statements is correct?
1) Solar eclipses can occur only when the Moon is new.
(2) Solar eclipses can occur when the Moon is either new or full.
(3) Whenever the Moon is new a solar eclipse will occur.
Solar eclipses can occur only when the Moon is new.
The precision of an alignment
is greater when the baseline is
longer
The equatorial coordinate declination is measured:
N or S of the celestial equator in units of angle (degrees, arcminutes, arcseconds)
The Moon at third or last quarter should set approximately at
noon
Which of the following can occur when the Moon's descending node is aligned with the vernal equinox?
lunar minor standstills
The term trilithon refers to
two large vertical stones with a
third resting across the top
Which of the following suggested astronomical connections for Stonehenge is universally accepted?
alignment of the center and the Heel Stone with summer solstice (midsummer) sunrise
The central axis of the Coricancha was roughly, though not exactly, aligned with
June solstice sunrise
The Inca ceque system in Cuzco had alignments that were defined for each ceque by:
a number of huacas or shrines,
some but not all astronomical, which did not lie precisely on a line
Planting was supposed to be done when the Sun passes through the antizenith according to the Inca. How could this time be determined?
from the Sun setting opposite the
point on the horizon where it rose on the day it passed through the zenith
When Venus is at inferior conjunction it
is invisible
The structure at Uxmal that was called the "Palace of the Governor" has carvings that clearly establish that its alignment was not accidental but rather was quite intentional. That alignment was towards
southernmost rise of Venus, which
planet was associated with the god Kukulcan
The time of the Nile flood at Memphis in ancient Egypt was found to coincide with
heliacal rising of Sirius
The effect of atmospheric refraction on measurements of obliquity and latitude like those made by Guo Shoujing is an example of
systematic error
The first known star catalogue was compiled by
Shi Shen
The Jupiter cycle recognized by the Chinese is the time interval
for the location of opposition on the celestial sphere to go completely around the sky
The long measuring scale of Guo Shoujing's observatory, stretching out to the north of a masonry tower, was not (so far as is known) used to determine
the moon's regression period
The imaginary circle running around the celestial sphere midway between the celestial poles
is called the
celestial equator
The equatorial coordinate right
ascension is measured
E along the celestial equator from the vernal equinox in units of time (hours, minutes, seconds)
The Moon at first quarter should set approximately at
midnight
The central axis of the Coricancha was roughly, though not exactly, aligned with
June solstice sunrise
When Venus is at greatest eastern elongation it is
an evening star
The Soyal ceremony of the Hopi is a celebration of the new year (death and rebirth). The time for this observance is marked by
winter solstice sunset
Intercalation of a thirteenth synodic month into the year based on a fixed pattern over a certain number of years, like the Metonic cycle, is termed
intercalation by rule
The idea that disorder on Earth, namely misrule by the ruler, causes disorder in the heavens was a part of
Chinese astrology
The irregular astronomical phenomena, such as the appearance of "guest stars" and comets, were supposed to be the responsibility of which
branch of the Chinese astronomical bureau?
tianwen
The long measuring scale of Guo Shoujing's observatory, stretching out to the north of a
masonry tower, was used to accurately determine
(among other things)
(1) the length of the tropical year
(2) the obliquity of the ecliptic
The astronomical instrument called the {\bf zenith tube} is a
vertical shaft sunk in the ground
The point from which the observer is looking in an alignment is termed the
backsight
The approximate date on which the Sun is farthest south of the celestial equator is
Dec 21
The Sun rises in the east (not N or S of east)
at the time of the equinoxes
Which equatorial coordinate is measured N or S of the celestial equator in units of angle (degrees, arcminutes, arcseconds)?
declination
Lunar minor standstills occur when
the Moon's descending node is coincident with (i.e., on top of)
vernal equinox
The central axis of the Coricancha was roughly, though not exactly, aligned with
June solstice sunrise
The Mayan "Long Count" employed for purposes of chronology used a "year" of
360 days
The intervals, roughly a month long, during which eclipses are possible are separated by about 173 1/3 days. They are referred to as
the eclipse seasons
The long measuring scale of Guo Shoujing's observatory "Sky Measuring Scale") was used to determine the observatory's latitude and the obliquity of the ecliptic using observations of
the Sun's altitude at the solstices
The equatorial coordinate declination is measured
N or S of the celestial equator in
units of angle (degrees, arcminutes, arcseconds)
The Torreon at Machu Picchu had an alignment discussed in class in addition to those from the
Coricancha in Cuzco. It was
the rising point of the Collca (Tail
of the Scorpion)
The point at the opposite end of the baseline from the observer is termed the
forsight