20110222

Astronomy quiz question: finding Jupiter

Astronomy 210 Quiz 2, Spring Semester 2011
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Consider Earth, Mercury and Venus in their orbits as shown in the diagram below. (This drawing is not to scale, and orbits have been simplified as circles instead of ellipses.)


The position of Jupiter in the San Luis Obispo, CA sky at sunrise (6:00 AM) will be:
(A) low over the east horizon.
(B) somewhere high up in the sky.
(C) low over the west horizon.
(D) (None of the above choices, as Jupiter would not be visible in the San Luis Obispo, CA sky at that time.)

Correct answer: (B)

At sunset and at midnight, Jupiter would be below those observers' local horizon, and would not be visible anywhere in the sky at those times. At sunrise, Jupiter would be high above that observer's local horizon.

Section 30676
(A) : 13 students
(B) : 21 students
(C) : 6 students
(D) : 6 students
(No response: 1 student)

"Success level": 47% (including partial credit for multiple-choice)
Discrimination index (Aubrecht & Aubrecht, 1983): 0.54

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