Preview

Chapter 1 Review Questions

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
456 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Chapter 1 Review Questions
Chapter 1
• Archaeoastronomy and the Sun
3 Sites (Newgrange, Sundagger, Stonehenge) Newgrange’s roofbox is aligned to the winter solstice sunrise 2) the alignment of the tome likely reflects a belief in rebirth or reincarnation
• The Sundagger of Chaco Canyon (~1000 AD) 1) On the summit of Fajada Butte in New Mexico, 2 spiral carvings were found behind 3 stone slabs 2) At noon on the solstices and equinoxes, the Sundagger exhibits 2 beams of sunlight which either bisect or frame the spirals
• Stonehenge (~3000 BC) 1) Stonehenge’s Heel Stone is aligned to its summer solstice sunrise 2) Today, the summer solstice Sun rises behind the Heel Stone 3) When Stonehenge was built, the summer solstice Sun rose beside the Heel Stone (due to the precession of the equinoxes) 4) This suggests: there used to be 2 Heel Stones to frame the sunrise

The Sun’s Daily Cycle
1. Due to Earth’s 24-hour eastward-spin around its polar axis, the Sun moves westward across the sky, it rises in the east, reaches its highest point at noon, then sets in the west
2. N-hemisphere: Sun is mostly seen on the South side of the sky, reaching due South at noon
3. S-hemisphere: Sun is mostly seen on the North side of the sky, reaching due North at noon

The Sun’s Annual Cycle
1. Fall and Spring Equinox (Sep23&Mar21): Sun rises due E & sets due W, spending equal time above and below the horizon (equal day & night). (Equinox: Latin for “equal night”)
2. Winter Solstice (Dec22): Sun rises and sets at its southernmost position, traversing a short, low arc in the sky (shortest day of the year & lowest noon sun). (Solstice: Latin for “solar standstill”)
3. Summer Solstice (Jun22): Sun rises and sets at its northernmost position, traversing a long, high arc (longest day, highest noon sun)
4. In the S-hemisphere, the Sun’s daily arcs point N rather than S
5. Identifying the Sun’s rising and setting positions on the solstices simply requires finding its northernmost & southernmost

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    6) Santa Fe, New Mexico is in the Mountain Time Zone, whereas Tampa, Florida, is in the Eastern…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    9. Due to the distribution of land and ocean, which hemisphere will have a greater range in seasonal…

    • 1004 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ast 101

    • 1106 Words
    • 5 Pages

    * Continue changing the observer’s latitude and note how this is reflected on the horizon diagram. When the observer is in the northern hemisphere the NCP is seen above the north point…

    • 1106 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    5. Match the following points of latitude and longitude with the continent or ocean at that location.…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lesson 1 Lab

    • 1279 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Things "rising" and "setting" give the appearance of something rising or setting. In reality objects like the Sun or Moon aren't physically rising from the horizon. Most of the motions we see in the sky are caused by the Earth's motion, both its rotation and orbital motion. So all of the "motions" described below are really apparent motions and not really an indication of how things are actually moving, but how they appear to move.…

    • 1279 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Astronomy Homework

    • 560 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Solar Day: The time required for a single rotation of the earth on its axis with respect to the sun, varying slightly throughout the year due to variations in the earth's orbit and other factors.…

    • 560 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    On another site, called the Anasazi sun dagger, there is a spiral design traced into a cave wall, and during midsummer, midwinter, and the equinoxes, it is perfectly bisected or surrounded…

    • 138 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Timeless subjects like sex, friendship, love, art, the individual vs. the state, man and god…

    • 4721 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Conductivity

    • 1845 Words
    • 8 Pages

    There are three main sections to this module: terrestrial coordinates, celestial equatorial coordinates, and understanding how the ecliptic is related to seasons on the Earth. Each of these sections has its own simulator(s). The background material necessary to utilize these tools is contained in each section.…

    • 1845 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Phases of Moon

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages

    New Moon - When the Moon is roughly in the same direction as the Sun, its illuminated half is facing away from the Earth, and therefore the part that faces us is all dark: we have the new moon. When in this phase, the Moon and the Sun rise and set at about the same time.…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before the sundial, also known as solar time, or sun time, the people of ancient civilizations could get a vague idea of what time it was. By using the sun’s position in the sky, people could tell the whether it was morning, afternoon, evening, or night. This was not a very accurate measurement. As a result, the sundial was invented.…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Introduction In earlier times, the most reliable way to know of your position in earth was to look up at the stars! They didn’t move (Or so they thought), so that was the best thing to do at the time in their ever changing society! The Chinese Emperor during the Qing Dynasty utilized his astronomers by using their calculations and predictions in his decision making and made the lunar year. They used this calendar for planting crops and when to expect a season change.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Four Summer Equations

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This is due to the Sun not rising exactly in the east, but north of east and sets to the north of west. This allows it to be in the sky for a longer period of time. Once the summer solstice ends, the Sun begins to follow a lower path through the sky, slowly decreasing more each day until it reaches the point where it is in the sky for exactly 12 hours. This is the Fall Equinox.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Precession Vs Astronomy

    • 233 Words
    • 1 Page

    Precession is the motion of the Earth, as it rotates and wobbles on its axis. The Earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees from vertical. Precession is important to our view of the night sky because it causes the axis, which points to our north star, to wander. The axis currently points toward the star Polaris, but due to precession, it will eventually align with a new star.…

    • 233 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Another example of celestial bodies being incorporated into the architecture of ancient civilizations is El Castillo at Chichen Itza, an ancient Mayan society. The steps of the temple are aligned with the equinoxes, and on those days, it looks like serpents are running up and down the steps. There are a countless number of other examples of the positioning of celestial bodies incorporated…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics