ASTR 1210 (O'Connell) PUZZLAH PREP QUESTIONS
PUZZLAH PREP: LECTURE 5
These puzzlah-prep questions relate to topics that might form
the basis of in-class puzzlah questions for a given lecture.
Consider them while reading over the Study Guide and reading
assignment.
The topics are not guaranteed to be included as puzzlahs, nor
would a puzzlah necessarily be formulated as are the questions
here.
Lecture 5 will not cover the material on lunar phases,
precession and eclipses (i.e. the material on the
page Lunar Motions and Their
Consequences). However, there will be puzzlah questions on
this material, so you should pay more attention to the reading
assignment than usual. The questions below point out some of the
features that will be covered:
On how many days during the month is the Moon as seen from Earth
exactly half-illuminated by the Sun?
(A) 1; (B) 2; (C) 4; (D) 30 days (i.e. always)
(T/F) On a night when the Moon is "full", it will be seen rising in
the east just as the Sun is setting in the west. [Hint: study
the figure in Sec. A of "Lunar Motions." .]
(T/F) Polaris is now, and will always be, the "north pole star."
If a total lunar eclipse occurs tonight, how long will it be until
the Moon is seen in the "new" phase?
(A) 1 day; (B) 7 days; (C) 14 days; (D) 30 days.
In the movie Apocalypto there is a full Moon on the night
after a total solar eclipse. How often does this happen in real
life?
(A) Every month; (B) About every 6 months; (C) Never.
Last modified
July 2018 by rwo
Text copyright © 1998-2018 Robert W. O'Connell. All
rights reserved.
These notes are intended for the private, noncommercial use of
students enrolled in Astronomy 1210 at the University of Virginia.
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