METR 210 Exercise
ASTR 101 Lab Exercise 1 Name:
Rotations, Revolutions, Seasons of the Earth, and Phases of the Moon
Answer essay questions with complete sentences and complete explanations.
1. In terms of rotations or revolutions of the Earth, what is a day?
2. In terms of rotations or revolutions of the Earth, what is a year?
3. To the nearest hundredth (0.01) of a day, how many days are in a year?
4. What causes the seasons on Earth, the cold winters and warm summers?
(If you refer to a tilted axis, be sure to specify which axis you are referring to, the angle of tilt, and the reference line from which it is tilted.)
5. What defines the Arctic Circle?
6. At what latitude is the Arctic Circle and why is it at that latitude?
7. What defines the tropics?
8. What is the tropic of Cancer?
9. At what latitude is the Tropic of Cancer and why is it at that latitude?
7. Below, the four circles represent the Earth (not to scale) at four key positions in its orbit around the Sun. Imagine the Sun at the center. Add details to the four circles to show the Earth’s tilted axis, dark side and light side, equator, tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and Arctic and Antarctic Circles.
The drawings should how the earth in four key positions in its orbit around the Sun: Summer Solstice, Autumnal Equinox, Winter Solstice, and Vernal Equinox.
(The seasons refer to Northern Hemisphere.) Label each position.
Add arrows showing which way the Earth rotates and revolves. Assume North is to the top.
8. The stars can be imagined as being part of a celestial sphere that surrounds the Earth. If you go out at midnight on March 1 and look at the stars in the sky near the ecliptic and celestial equator, which part of the celestial sphere are you looking at compared to the sky you would see at midnight six months later on September 1 –the same part of the sky, the opposite part of the sky, or something in-between?
In the space below, make a drawing of the Earth and Sun and your view of the night sky at the two positions described above.
a. Given that the earth goes around a full 360 around the Sun each year, and there are (to the nearest 0.01) 365.24 days in a year, show how many degrees per day your view of the night sky changes.
First, in the box below, write out the arithmetic, including all units next to every number that has units, and do not round your numeric answer off.
b. Second, re-state the numeric answer in the box below, rounded off to the nearest whole number degree:
Phases of the Moon
The circles below show the Earth at the center and the Moon in eight positions in its orbit around the Earth. Arrows on the right represent sunlight from the Sun, which is larger in diameter than the Earth-Moon distance.
• Shade the dark half of the Moon at each of its eight positions.
• Write the name of the phase of the Moon next to the each of the eight Moon positions.
• In the boxes along the bottom, draw how the Moon looks from Earth at each of its eight positions by shading in the shadowed parts of the moon for each phase.
9. How long does it take the Moon to complete one apparent orbit, as seen from Earth?
10. Compared to the Sun, where is the Moon in the sky during Full Moon?
11. Compared to the Sun, where is the Moon in the sky during First Quarter?
12. Compared to the Sun, where is the Moon in the sky during Last Quarter?
13. Compared to the Sun, where is the Moon in the sky during New Moon?
14. Can the Moon only be seen when the Sun is down and the sky is dark?
15. What phase is the Moon in right now? Cite your source of information.
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