20190223

Astronomy quiz question: morning star Venus?

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 sunset, Venus 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): (D)

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


Everything below that line would be below the horizon, such that Venus will not be visible at sunrise.

Section 30674
Exam code: quiz02nrNa
(A) : 8 students
(B) : 4 students
(C) : 3 students
(D) : 21 students

Success level: 60% (including partial credit for multiple-choice)
Discrimination index (Aubrecht & Aubrecht, 1983): 0.70

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