General Astronomy -
Spring 2013
Homework #1 - due January 28
Name ___________________________
1. (1 pt) What is your name?
2. (2 pt) If you made a scale model of the solar system in
which the Earth was 3 meters away from the Sun, how high would you
be in the model?
3. (3 pt) Find Earth’s rotational speed at the equator from
the Earth’s diameter and the length of a day. How does this
compare with the orbital speed of the Moon around the Earth?
4. (1 pt) When will a given object be at its greatest altitude
in the sky relative to wherever you are observing it?
- When it reaches the zenith
- When it crosses the local meridian
- When its right ascension is at 12
hours
- At midnight
5. (3 pt) What is the best month of the year to observe the
galaxy M82?