Astronomy : Part A

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Which moon of Saturn was almost shattered by the object that produced the Herschel Crater on its surface? Rhea Iapetus Mimas Titan

2. In 2136 B.C. the two Imperial Court astronomers in China were executed for not predicting a solar eclipse. Name them? Hsi and Ho Chin and Hsi Tsung and Chang Hoy and Ho

3. In what year did Galileo Galilei begin using the recently invented optical telescope to observe the heavens? 1604 1608 1610 1609

4. What is the magnitude of the Sun from Earth? -26.72 -27.4 -25 -26.36

5. Which planet in our solar system is less dense than water which means that if all the planets were put into a huge ocean this planet would float? Jupiter Saturn Pluto Uranus

6. Which of the four great Galilean moons around Jupiter is the closest to the planet? Io Callisto Ganymede Europa

7. How long is Earth's sidereal year? 365.87 days 365.256 days 365.242 days 364.987 days

8. How long is a mean tropical year? 366.012 days 365.256 days 365.242 days 365.687 days

9. In the year 14,000 which star will be the pole star? Sirius Thuban Vega Polaris

10. In which vast area (50,000-100,000 A.U. in extent) are most long-period comets believed to originate? Oort Cloud Hubble Belt Kuiper Belt Schiaparelli Cloud

11. How long is the sidereal day of the moon? 27.3 earth days 29.4 earth days 28 earth days 26.6 earth days

12. Which American astronomer first described a subset of spiral galaxies characterized by one bright central region containing strong, broad emission lines in 1944? Clyde Tombaugh Edwin Hubble Carl K. Seyfert Percival Lowell

13. Mars has two moons-Phobos and Deimos. What do those names literally mean? Terror and Blood Fear and Panic War and Death Happy and Joy

14. How many planets have rings? 1 4 2 3

15. Which planet is the largest of the terrestrial planets? Earth Venus Jupiter Mars