Chapter 1 Exam Review

1. What celestial event is Newgrange aligned to? Describe what happens at Newgrange on this day.
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The celestial event Nnewgrange is aligned to is the winter solstice one and it is the clearest example of a solar alignment. A
beam of sunlight hits the roof-box and illuminates the floor which will eventually illuminate the main chamber.
Describe what happens to the Sundagger on the solstices and equinoxes.
At the winter and summer solstice and rises also at the equinoxes, sunlight shines between three giant rocks at the summit of
Fajada Butte, throwing bright sundaggers onto an intricate set of spiral patterns carved on the rock behind.
What happened to Sundagger on the solstices and equinoxes is that on the summit of the Fajada Butte in New Mexico, 2
spiral carvings were found behind 3 stone slabs. At noon on the solstices and equinoxes the Sundagger exhibits 2 beams of
sunlight which either bisect or frame the spirals
What celestial event is Stonehenge aligned to? Describe what happens at Stonehenge on this day.
The solar event the Stonehenge is aligned to is the summer solstice sunrise. Today the summer solstice Sun rises behind the
Heel Stone. When the Stonehenge was built, the summer solstice Sun rose beside the Heel Stone. The Stonehenge is most
likely an observatory for following the sun through the seasons. It is a monumental shrine to the sun.
Why do archeoastronomers suspect that Stonehenge's Heel Stone had a missing partner stone?
The sun used to hit right next to the Heel Strone and that did not make any sense. Also it was the only stone that was by itself
when all other stones in the Stonehenge were in pairs.
What causes the Sun to rise and set every day?
Due to the Earths 24 eastward spin around its polar axis the Sun moves westward across the sky, it rises in the east and
reaches its highest point at noon then sets in the west.
What is the local time for an observer who is directly facing the opposite side of the sky from Sun? What is the local
time when the Sun is at its highest point in the sky? What is the local time when the Sun is seen on the Eastern
horizon? What is the local time when the Sun is seen on the Western horizon?
The local time for an observer who is directly facing the opposite side of the sky from the sun is local midnight. The local
time when the Sun is at its highest point in the sky is local noon. The local time when the sun is seen on the Eastern horizon
is local sunrise. The local time when the sun is seen on the Western horizon is local sunset.
What is the azimuth of the noon Sun in the northern hemisphere? How about the southern hemisphere?
The azimuth of the noon suns in the Northern hemisphere its due south. And for the Southern hemisphere its due north.
The reason is because the suns daily arc in the Northern Hemisphere is shifted towards the south. The noon sun
means that the sun is at its highest point in the sky and it also means our location is directly facing the suns
direction.
Southern hemisphere: The suns daily arc is shifted towards the North. Once again, the noon sun is at its highest
point in the sky and it also means the southern hemispheres location is directly facing the suns direction.
What does the word "solstice" mean? How does it describe what happens to the Sun's rising and setting positions on
the solstices?
The word solstice means solar standstill in Latin. It describes what happens to the Sun rising an setting positions on the
solstices is because the sun itself never stands still, but what we are referring to by the stand still is the rising and setting
position. The sun rises at a different location on the sky everyday.

9. What is the azimuth of sunrise and sunset on the Northern winter solstice? How about the Northern summer solstice?
How about the equinoxes?
The azimuth of the sunrise and sunset on the Northern winter solstice is North-east. For the Northern summer solstice it is
South-east.
Winter solstice: SE, SW, summer
Solstice: NE, NW, equinox: East and West
10. Describe how the Thirteen Towers of Chankillo, Peru were used to track the time of year. Given that this site is in the
southern hemisphere, what is the approximate azimuth (NE, SE, NW, SW) of the tower that marks the winter solstice
sunrise? How about the tower that marks the summer solstice sunrise?
The approximate azimuth (NE, SE, NW, SW) of the tower that marks the winter solstice sunrise is that on the midwinter
solstice, the sun rises behind the leftmost tower of the 13 Towers of Chankillo. During the next 6 months it rises behind all
the others in turn. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Suns daily arc points north rather than south.
NOTE: REMEMBER WHEN DEALING WITH SOUTH:
1. Means Winter Solstice is rising NE and Sun is setting NW, one of them will be NE. Sunrise points NE,
Sunset points NW

2. SE and SW marked by furthest tower

11. Which day is the longest day of the year, and why? Which day is the shortest day of the year, and why? What are the
lengths of daytime and nighttime on the equinoxes?
The day that is the longest day of the year is the Summer solstice. The reason is because the sun travels its highest point,
longest arc which means itll be at its highest point in the sky and itll spend the most of amount of time above its horizon
compared to other daily arcs that it travels throughout the year. The shortest day of the year is the Winter solstice. The
equinoxes are equal date and night.
Summer solstice: sun rises and set at its northernmost position, traversing a long high arc
Winter solstice: sun rises and sets at its southernmost position traversing a short, low arc in the sky
Fall and spring equinox: sun rises due E and sets due W, spending equal time above and below the horizon which
results in equal day and night

12. What causes the seasons? Describe the orientation of the Earth relative to the Sun during Northern summer. What
season does the Southern hemisphere experience at this time, and why?
The causes of the seasons is due the tilt of Earths rotational axis away or toward the sun, as it travels through its yearlong
path around the sun. Earth is more oriented more toward the sun. The season that the Southern hemisphere experiences at this
time is winter because it is the opposite end meaning there is less sun.
13. Within what latitudes can an observer see the Sun directly overhead? How did these latitudes get their names?
The latitudes an observer can see the sun directly overhead is only within the tropic of cancer and Capricorn. Tropic Cancer is
because if you stay at this latitude on the day of the June solstice and noon, the sun is in the cancer constellation when it hits
it Zenith. And the Tropic of Capricorn because if you stand there when the sun hits the top of the sky in the December
solstice, noon sun is in Capricorn constellation.
14. What are polar nights and polar days? Within what latitudes do these occur?
Polar nights are 24 hours of darkness inside the polar circles. Polar days are the midnight sun. Polar days and nights occur
within 23.5 degrees from the poles n both the artic and Antarctic.
15. Where is the zenith? What is its altitude? What is the altitude of the horizon? What is the altitude of a star that is
halfway up the sky?
The zenith is the point in the sky that is directly above you. The altitude of the zenith is 90 degrees. The altitude of the
horizon is 0. And a star halfway up in the sky is 45 degrees.

16. Does a star's altitude and azimuth depend on the observer's location? How about right ascension and declination?
A stars altitude depends on the horizon so the altitude and azimuth does depend on the observers location. No the ascension
and declination does not depends on a persons location they are absolute co-ordinates.
17. If a star has a declination of 10 degrees north, what is the star 10 degrees north from? If a star has a right ascension of
1h, what is the star 1h from?

18. Where are we on Earth if we see the Northern constellations rotating around our zenith? What is the name of the
point that these stars rotate around? What happens to this point if we walk south? Where is this point seen when
we're at the equator? Where is this point when we walk south of the equator?
We are the north pole exactly. The north celestial pole is the constellations rotation around our zenith. If we walk south it is
going to get lower and lower in the sky. It is going to be pointing north. We are not going to be able to see it anymore when
we walk south of the equator.
19. If an observer sees Polaris at an altitude of 60 degrees, what is the observer's latitude?
Is an observer sees Polaris at an altitude of 60 degrees the observers latitude is going to be equal to the altitude of the polaris.
20. What celestial object did the Polynesians use as the basis of their calendar? What does this object consist of? How did
the Polynesians use this object to identify the 1st half and 2nd half of their calendar year? In ancient times, how was
this object used in the Andes to determine when to plant?
The celestial object the Polynesians use as the basis of their calendar were the Pleiades which are a group of stars in the sky
in that area. The object consisted of stars, star cluster. The Polynesians used this object to identify the 1 st half of their calendar
year is that the first year started in December when they saw the Pleiades rising as the Sun set. The second half started in May
or June when they Pleiades were first visible in the morning sky.
21. What did the Polynesian navigators memorize in order to steer their canoes while at sea?
The Polynesians navigators memorized the rising and setting stars to steer their canoes while at sea. They also memorized a star
compass. It divided the horizon up into 32 different directions, corresponding to the rising or setting of individual bright stars and
the all-important Pleiades. Basically they relied on the stars.