Supplement 01
The Cosmic Perspective, 7e (Bennett et al.)
Supplement 1: Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation
S1.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) The amount of time between successive passes of any given star across the meridian is
A) 23 hours 56 minutes.
B) 24 hours.
C) 365.25 days.
D) 12 years.
E) 26,000 years.
Answer: A
2) Which of the following statements about sidereal and solar days is not true?
A) A solar day is 4 minutes longer than a sidereal day.
B) A solar day represents more than 360° of rotation for Earth.
C) The time it takes for a star to make one circuit of our sky is one sidereal day.
D) The time it takes for the Sun to make one circuit of our sky is one solar day.
E) The time it takes for the Moon to make one circuit of our sky is one solar day.
Answer: E
3) Which of the following is the reason for the solar day being longer than a sidereal day?
A) precession of Earth's axis
B) the tilt of Earth's axis
C) the combined effect of the rotation of Earth and its orbit about the Sun
D) Earth year being a non-integer number of Earth days
E) the non-circular orbit of Earth around the Sun
Answer: C
4) The average length of a solar day is
A) 23 hours 56 minutes.
B) 24 hours.
C) 365.25 days.
D) 12 years.
E) 26,000 years.
Answer: B
5) The lunar month is longer than the sidereal month because
A) the Moon completes the cycle of lunar phases before it completes a full orbit around Earth.
B) the Moon has to complete more than one full orbit around Earth to complete the cycle of lunar phases.
C) the Moon orbits Earth faster than Earth orbits the Sun.
D) the Moon orbits Earth faster than Earth rotates.
E) the lunar month is based on the Moon's orbit, while the sidereal month is based on Earth's orbit.
Answer: B
6) What kind of time can be read directly from a sundial?
A) apparent solar time
B) mean solar time
C) standard time
D) daylight saving time
E) sidereal time
Answer: A
7) All the following statements are true. Which one
Supplement 1: Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation
S1.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) The amount of time between successive passes of any given star across the meridian is
A) 23 hours 56 minutes.
B) 24 hours.
C) 365.25 days.
D) 12 years.
E) 26,000 years.
Answer: A
2) Which of the following statements about sidereal and solar days is not true?
A) A solar day is 4 minutes longer than a sidereal day.
B) A solar day represents more than 360° of rotation for Earth.
C) The time it takes for a star to make one circuit of our sky is one sidereal day.
D) The time it takes for the Sun to make one circuit of our sky is one solar day.
E) The time it takes for the Moon to make one circuit of our sky is one solar day.
Answer: E
3) Which of the following is the reason for the solar day being longer than a sidereal day?
A) precession of Earth's axis
B) the tilt of Earth's axis
C) the combined effect of the rotation of Earth and its orbit about the Sun
D) Earth year being a non-integer number of Earth days
E) the non-circular orbit of Earth around the Sun
Answer: C
4) The average length of a solar day is
A) 23 hours 56 minutes.
B) 24 hours.
C) 365.25 days.
D) 12 years.
E) 26,000 years.
Answer: B
5) The lunar month is longer than the sidereal month because
A) the Moon completes the cycle of lunar phases before it completes a full orbit around Earth.
B) the Moon has to complete more than one full orbit around Earth to complete the cycle of lunar phases.
C) the Moon orbits Earth faster than Earth orbits the Sun.
D) the Moon orbits Earth faster than Earth rotates.
E) the lunar month is based on the Moon's orbit, while the sidereal month is based on Earth's orbit.
Answer: B
6) What kind of time can be read directly from a sundial?
A) apparent solar time
B) mean solar time
C) standard time
D) daylight saving time
E) sidereal time
Answer: A
7) All the following statements are true. Which one