Explorations: An Introduction to Astronomy (Arny), 7th Edition

Chapter 2: The Rise of Astronomy

Thought Questions

1
Explain why the Moon's angular size is largest when it is directly overhead. (A sketch or two may help.)
2
Suppose the stars were very much closer than they really are. How might that have made it easier for Aristarchus to persuade people that the Earth moves around the Sun?
3
Tycho argued that the Sun orbits the Earth but that the other planets orbit the Sun. Could Tycho's model explain the phases of Venus as observed by Galileo? Why?
4
Which of Kepler's laws explains why the Sun has a slightly larger angular diameter in January than in July?
5
We know from Kepler's laws that the periods of the outer planets are very long. Jupiter, for example, has a period of almost 12 years. How then is it that, over a matter of months, Jupiter's position on the sky moves from one side of the Sun, to closer to the Sun, then to past the Sun to the other side? (Drawing a sketch might be helpful).
6
You may have noticed that although every 10 years or so there is a comet visible in the night sky, the same comet is seen only once or twice during a human lifetime. Use this fact and Kepler's third law to deduce how the semimajor axis and shape of a comet's orbit must compare to the Earth's orbit.
7
Describe how modern astrophysics differs from ancient astronomy, with examples based on the work of specific astronomers or astrophysicists.
8
Make a table listing the astronomers named in review question 11 above, and then add the approximate dates of their births and deaths. Then add a few historic events of each period, as well as names of famous artists, writers, musicians, or politicians who lived at about the same time.
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