Online reading assignment question: Virgo rising

Astronomy 210, Fall Semester 2009
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students have a weekly online reading assignment (hosted by SurveyMonkey.com), where they answer questions based on reading their textbook, reviewing material covered in previous lectures, opinion questions, and/or asking (anonymous) questions or making (anonymous) comments. Full credit is given for completing the online reading assignment before next week's lecture, regardless if whether their answers are correct/incorrect. Selected results/questions/comments are addressed by the instructor at the start of the following lecture.

(The following question was asked following the lecture covering use of starwheels.)

What date would Virgo be just above the east horizon, as seen by an observer at 11 PM in San Luis Obispo, CA? (Ignore the fact that your starwheel does not include daylight savings time.) (Graded for completion.)
(A) February 20.
(B) April 25.
(C) July 4.
(D) August 20.
(E) (I'm lost, and don't know how to answer this.)

Correct answer: (A).

Response (B) is when Virgo would lie along the meridian at 11 PM. Response (C) is when Virgo would be just above the west horizon at 11 PM. Response (D) is when Virgo would be just above the east horizon at 11 AM.

Student responses
Sections 70158, 70160
(A) : 52 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 5 students
(E) : 8 students