20190223

Astronomy quiz question: morning star Mars?

Astronomy 210 Quiz 2, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

The locations of Venus, Earth, and Mars are shown in the diagram below (not to scale, and orbits have been simplified as circles instead of ellipses).


At sunrise, Mars will be:
(A) low over the east horizon.
(B) somewhere high up in the sky.
(C) low over the west horizon.
(D) not visible in the sky.

Correct answer (highlight to unhide): (C)

If a line is drawn from Earth to the sun, the observer at sunrise (6 AM) is located perpendicular to that line.


Everything above that line would be above the horizon, such that Mars will be visible at sunrise, and be located low over the west horizon (the direction opposite from the sun rising from the east).

Section 30676
Exam code: quiz02Sn0W
(A) : 8 students
(B) : 4 students
(C) : 24 students
(D) : 7 students

Success level: 59% (including partial credit for multiple-choice)
Discrimination index (Aubrecht & Aubrecht, 1983): 0.64

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