Chapter 2

Question 1

What are constellations?

Answer 1

A collection of stars determined by different cultures.
- Not physical groupings

Question 2

How many constellations are there?

Answer 2

88 (1 per region)

Question 3

What are angles used for?

Answer 3

Directions

Question 4

What is the angular size of the moon?

Answer 4

1/2 a degree

Question 5

1 degree is what?

Answer 5

60 arc-minutes

Question 6

1 arc-minute is what?

Answer 6

60 arc-seconds

Question 7

What is the celestial sphere?

Answer 7

A giant dome surrounding the earth.

Question 8

What is a Zenith?

Answer 8

Points directly above you in the sky.

Question 9

What is a circumpolar?

Answer 9

Stars that never set or rise.

Question 10

What is the celestial equator?

Answer 10

Projections of Earth’s equator.

Question 11

What is the north celestial pole?

Answer 11

The point in the sky about which all the stars seen from the Northern Hemisphere rotate.

Question 12

How much of the earth is always lit by the sun?

Answer 12

Half of it.

Question 13

Where do the stars circling the zenith not set or rise?

Answer 13

The North Pole

Question 14

Where do the stars rise straight up and down?

Answer 14

The Equator

Question 15

What does the side of the earth facing the sun see?

Answer 15

The sun’s light

Question 16

What does the side of the earth facing away from the sun see?

Answer 16

The changing positions of the stars.

Question 17

What do you see at different times of the night?

Answer 17

Different constellations

Question 18

What changes over a year?

Answer 18

The sun appears to move a fixed set of constellations.

Question 19

What is the path of the sun called?

Answer 19

The Ecliptic

Question 20

What are the zodiacs?

Answer 20

Constellations along the ecliptic.

Question 21

What is the precession?

Answer 21

Long-term change of Earth’s axis.