Seasons
Which season does New York State experience between the Fall Equinox on September 23nd and the Winter Solstice on December 21st?
A) summer
B) spring
C) fall
D) winter
C) fall
State how many degrees per hour the Sun appears to move across the sky.
15 degrees per hour
The motion of a Foucault pendulum provides evidence that Earth
A) varies in distance from the Sun
B) spins on its axis
C) is tilted on its axis
D) travels around the Sun
B) spins on its axis
The phases of the moon are caused by the:
A) revolution of the moon around the Earth
B) rotation of the Earth on its axis
C) revolution of the Earth around the sun
D) rotation of the moon on its axis
A) revolution of the moon around the Earth
What is the degree of the Earth’s tilt of its axis from straight up and down?
A) 1 degree
B) 15 degrees
C) 23 ½ degrees
D) 90o
C) 23 ½ degrees
How many daylight hours are there between sunrise and sunset on September 23?
12 hours
In New York State, the risk of sunburn is greatest between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on summer days because
A) the air temperature is hot
B) Earth’s surface reflects most of the sunlight
C) the angle of insolation is high
D) the Sun is closest of Earth
C) the angle of insolation is high
Approximately how many days does it take for Earth to move from the summer solstice position to the winter solstice position?
About 182 days
During which Moon phase might a solar eclipse be viewed on Earth?
A) new Moon
B) first quarter
C) full Moon
D) last quarter
A) new Moon
Which factor has the greatest influence on the number of daylight hours that a particular Earth surface location receives?
A) diameter of the sun
B) latitude
C) longitude
D) distance from the sun
B) latitude
On June 21st, which would an observer need to face to observer sunrise in New York State?
A) north of east
B) directly east
C) south of east
D) directly west
A) north of east
Between which of these latitudes is it possible to have a 90º angle of insolation of the sun at some time during the year?
A) 23.5° North and 23.5º South
B) 66.5º North and 90° North
C) 66.5° North and 66.5º South
D) 66.5º South and 90° South
A) 23.5° North and 23.5º South
The Coriolis effect causes wind in New York State to generally curve
A) Upward away from Earth’s surface
B) Downward toward Earth’s surface
C) To the right of the direction of travel
D) To the left of the direction of travel
C) To the right of the direction of travel
A high tide occurred at 6:00 a.m. at a beach on Long Island. The next high tide at this same beach would occur at approximately
A) 12:15 p.m. on the same day
B) 12:45 p.m. on the following day
C) 6:30 p.m. on the same day
D) 7:00 a.m. on the following day
C) 6:30 p.m. on the same day
If Earth’s axis were tilted 35° instead of 23.5°, the average temperatures in New York State would most likely
A) Decrease in both summer and winter
B) Decrease in summer and increase in winter
C) Increase in summer and decrease in winter
D) Increase in both summer and winter
C) Increase in summer and decrease in winter
On the first day of winter where is the angle of insolation at 90°. (The sun is directly overhead)
Tropic of Capricorn 23.5 S
A vertical post will cast the shortest shadow at local noon in New York State on which date?
A) March 21st
B) June 21st
C) Sept. 23rd
D) Dec. 21st
B) June 21st
The earth travels the fastest in its orbit around the sun during the month of January. This is because:
A) the earth is also rotating the fastest during this month.
B) the earth is closest to the sun during this month.
C) the earth is farthest from the sun during this month.
D) the earth is being pushed by strong winds during this month.
B) the earth is closest to the sun during this month.
Approximately how many days occur between the Moon’s first-quarter phase and the Moon’s last-quarter phase?
A) 7 d
B) 15 d
C) 29.5 d
D) 365.26 d
B) 15 d
What is the time difference between a high tide and the next low tide?
approximately 6 hours
For an observer in the Southern Hemisphere at 43° S latitude, the highest altitude of the noon Sun occurs when the Sun is above the
A) eastern horizon
B) northern horizon
C) western horizon
D) southern horizon
B) northern horizon
Between which of the following latitudes is it possible to experience nearly 24 hours of daylight on June 21st?
A) 0° to 23.5º North
B) 47º and 66.5° North
C) 23.5° and 47º North
D) 66.5º and 90° North
D) 66.5º and 90° North
What is Earth's rate of rotation?
What is Earth's rate of revolution?
BE SPECIFIC!
Rotation: 15 degrees per day
Revolution: 1 degree per day
Explain why the same side of the Moon always faces Earth.
The Moon's rate of rotation is equal to it rate of revolution.
State the name of the one celestial object that does NOT appear to change its position throughout the entire night as seen from New York State.
Polaris (AKA: North Star)