Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Homework #1 - due next class

Please provide brief answers to each of the following:

1.  Describe how to find your way North using the stars.

2.  What are the brightest objects in this evening's sky?  (If you do not have a star chart, you can find one at skymaps.com)

3.  Under the most ideal circumstances, approximately how many stars would you see (without the aid of a telescope) in dark skies?

4.  What is the speed of light?  Also give an easy alternate definition (or simpler approximation for it).

5.  Draw an approximate picture of the celestial sphere and identify:  both equinoxes, both solstices, the celestial sphere, the ecliptic.

6.  What exactly is the ecliptic (or ecliptic plane)?

7.  What was the original definition of the meter, and what is it now based on?

8.  Name 2 pieces of evidence that suggest that the Earth is spherical (or close to it).  Consider only the evidence that ancient people might have known.

9.  Given the photographs shown in class, come up with a way to describe the difference (in size) between the Sun, Arcturus, and Antares.

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