Astronomy midterm question: Venus setting while Jupiter rising at night?

Astronomy 210 Midterm 1, spring semester 2020
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

The following excerpt describes a night where Venus is setting while Jupiter is rising[*]:

Let me try to recall what has happened, the amusing and strange, and sad and terrible scenes witnessed in these last few days. On my first night at sea, I watched Venus slowly sinking into the sea, and Jupiter rising...

Discuss a plausible time (around sunset, midnight, or sunrise) that these two planets would be observed in San Luis Obispo, CA, and how you know this. Support your answer using a diagram showing the positions of the sun, Venus, Jupiter, Earth, and an observer on Earth.

[*] J.C., "Wrecked--A Week on Sable Island," The Canadian Methodist Magazine, vol. XV (January-June 1882), p. 73.

Solution and grading rubric:

• p:
  Complete diagram and reasoning where observer on Earth must be at sunset to watch Venus (in an inner orbit) setting while Jupiter (in an inner orbit) rises in the east.
• r:
  Nearly correct (explanation weak, unclear or only nearly complete); includes extraneous/tangential information; or has minor errors. Typically diagram and/or supporting argument is contradictory or incomplete.
• t:
  Contains right ideas, but discussion is unclear/incomplete or contains major errors. Still has Venus in an inner orbit and Jupiter in an outer orbit around the sun.
• v:
  Limited relevant discussion of supporting evidence of at least some merit, but in an inconsistent or unclear manner. Some attempt at diagram(s), but no clear indication of observer/horizon on Earth and/or placement of inner planets. Typically misplaces Venus and Jupiter in their relative inner/outer orbits around the sun, or has Venus and Jupiter orbiting Earth.
• x:
  Implementation/application of ideas, but credit given for effort rather than merit.
• y:
  Irrelevant discussion/effectively blank.
• z:
  Blank.

Grading distribution:
Section 30674
Exam code: midterm01n7in
p: 14 students
r: 1 student
t: 6 students
v: 7 students
x: 1 student
y: 0 students
z: 1 student

Section 30676
Exam code: midterm01S7wY
p: 24 students
r: 0 students
t: 13 students
v: 6 students
x: 2 students
y: 0 students
z: 0 students

A sample "p" response (from student 2000):
Another sample "p" response (from student 2020):
One more sample "p" response (from student 5171):

Astronomy quiz question: morning star Venus?

Astronomy 210 Quiz 2, spring semester 2020
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

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


At sunrise, 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): (A)

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 Venus will be visible at sunrise, low over the east horizon.

Section 30676
Exam code: quiz02SnRl
(A) : 20 students
(B) : 2 students
(C) : 8 students
(D) : 14 students

Success level: 48% (including partial credit for multiple-choice)
Discrimination index (Aubrecht & Aubrecht, 1983): 0.60

Astronomy quiz question: evening star Venus?

Astronomy 210 Quiz 2, spring semester 2020
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

The locations of Mercury, Venus, and Earth 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 sunset (6 PM) is located perpendicular to that line.


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

Section 30674
Exam code: quiz02n1xI
(A) : 5 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 5 students
(D) : 18 students

Success level: 59% (including partial credit for multiple-choice)
Discrimination index (Aubrecht & Aubrecht, 1983): 0.88

Online reading assignment: history of astronomy, telescope powers (SLO campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2020
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, 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 questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on reviewing the history of astronomy, Kepler's and Newton's laws, and telescope powers.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"The progression of ideas and theories and how astronomers figured them out through time."

"The different ancient astronomers' ideas about how the universe worked was very interesting, how some were based on science but some were completely not science-based, but were still believed since they were based on first principles."

"I enjoyed reading about the history of each of the early astronomers and the contributions they made to helping demystify the universe. It was interesting to me personally because I am a storyteller, so hearing peoples stories is far more engaging for me than reading the theories."

"I found it interesting that all the astronomers were a part of the Renaissance. We typically look at the Renaissance as a time of art, but it also was a time for questioning the foundation of what we had."

"The way planets orbit and how Kepler and Newton managed to figure out how and why planets move in certain way, and why planetary motion could tell us do much about the laws of the gravity apply to Earth folks and the notion of outer space. "

"I found Newton's laws and Kepler's laws to be very interesting. I think it is crazy how they came up with all these theories regarding the planets and motion."

"I found the history of astronomy interesting, because it makes it more applicable to everyday life. A lot of times learning about science makes it seem like the scientists who discovered what we know today were less human because of all the things they discovered. But reading about how long it took and how many revisions it took for astronomers to get it right, makes it easier to follow."

"Kepler's second and third laws, it reminded me of how when I play video games like Mario Cart I try to find the closest spot to the inner track so that I can take the fastest route."

"The visuals for Kepler's laws, because the orbit of the plants seemed random before I took this class."

"Galileo's observation that added to the understanding of Earth's revolution is interesting. The fact that other planets like Venus and Jupiter go around the sun aids in the understanding that Earth can revolve around the sun without losing the moon as well."

"That basically everything I had known about Galileo was wrong. He wasn't the first person to invent or even use a telescope. He just built it himself, and got credit for it."

"That before the technology like telescopes and cameras, astronomers dedicated their lives to studying and tracking the motion of the plants with just their naked eye. It is incredible to think about how much work was necessary to understand what we do now, and more so how the studies were so in-depth that the teachings were passed through lifetimes, such as Kepler picking up where Tycho left off."

"When an object orbits earth, it's like they are constantly falling around Earth because Earth's gravity is pulling them in, but they are traveling fast enough to not fall into the ground."

"Learning about telescopes from the textbook. I own a telescope and have always been interested in them and wanted to know how they worked and how you use them. And learning about the different pieces and how they are used and what they are used for was very helpful. Learning about the mirrors, the way light reflects and the primary lens was very helpful and I can apply that in my life which is great for me."

"I thought learning about how telescopes work was interesting. Like how, rather then just zooming into the sky, it captures light."

"One of the many things I personally found interesting was that magnifying power isn't as important as I thought it was for telescopes. I believed that magnifying power was very important because of the close view we got to see when seeing the moon through the telescope."

"It was interesting learning what to look for when picking out a telescope. I always thought the bigger the telescope the better, but it's more like the bigger the primary lens or mirror the better."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"Retrograde motion was confusing for me."

"I find the history portion of this week's readings a little confusing because history is not my best subject."

"I think trying to remember the different ideas and models of each astronomer and also how others incorporated or used the ideas of others and formed their own work out of it will be something that I need to focus and study on."

"I had a very difficult time understanding the theories and laws. For instance Kepler's laws: ellipses, semi-major axes and eccentricities--I couldn't begin to explain what those are about. It has to do with how I learn, I have a difficult time understanding concepts like this just by reading them. I need them explained, broken down, pictures, example, etc."

"Kepler's laws and how they work."

"I found Kepler's second law confusing. I read the explanation in both the book and online presentation and I'm still not quite getting it. I feel like I almost understand, but not enough to explain it to someone else."

"I think I am struggling most with grasping Kepler's second and third laws. My understandings from the text itself are very vague, but I am hoping the topic will be clarified during lecture or in assignments. The diagrams for the first law helped me understand better, so not having visuals for the second and third are what I believe is causing me confusion."

"Newton's cannon kind of confused me, like the paths the cannonball takes."

"The electromagnetic spectrum a bit confusing. It is just very hard for me to conceptualize everything and understand the vocabulary terms."

"I feel like I will struggle to remember everything about the telescopes."

"The telescope stuff! So much terminology and it's hard just reading straight from the book, without being able to visualize it in person."

"I'm having a hard time understanding all of the parts of a telescope and how they work together so we can see a magnified version of a far away object. I'm sure once we're in class and actually using telescopes I'll understand them because I'm more of a kinetic learner."

"I don't really understand the difference between D, f_primary, and f_eyepiece. They all seem pretty similar to me and I get a little confused trying to figure out which is which."

"I didn't find anything confusing, I actually understood the chapters."

"There wasn’t anything confusing to me."

"I will read it all tomorrow before class."

When a planet is undergoing retrograde motion, over several nights it moves __________ with respect to the background stars.

east to west.	***************** [17]
west to east.	*********** [11]
(Unsure/lost/guessing/help!)	******* [7]

When a planet is undergoing prograde motion, over several nights it moves __________ with respect to the background stars.

east to west.	********** [10]
west to east.	**************** [16]
(Unsure/lost/guessing/help!)	********* [9]

Categorize each of Kepler's laws.
(Only correct responses shown.)

Kepler's first law: describes the shape of a planet's orbit. [80%]
Kepler's second law: describes the speed of a planet along its orbit. [77%]
Kepler's third law: describes the speed of a planet along its orbit. [51%]

Categorize each of Newton's laws.
(Only correct responses shown.)

Newton's first law: relates forces with changes in motion. [57%]
Newton's second law: relates forces with changes in motion. [69%]
Newton's third law: describes a property of forces. [63%]

The __________ power of a telescope depends on the: (Only correct responses shown.)

light-gathering: diameter of the primary lens/mirror [54%]
resolving: diameter of the primary lens/mirror [63%]
magnifying: both the focal lengths of the primary lens/mirror and eyepiece: [69%]

The least important feature to consider when purchasing an optical telescope is the __________ of its images.

brightness.	*** [3]
resolution.	* [1]
magnification.	********************** [22]
(Unsure/lost/guessing/help!)	********* [9]

Briefly explain your answer for the least important feature to consider when purchasing an optical telescope.

"Magnification is the least important feature to consider when purchasing an optical telescope because higher magnifying power does not mean that there is more detail."

"I think the magnification feature is the least important feature. The magnification feature only enlarges the images after the fact. If the telescope doesn't have good brightness or resolution feature, then dim, fuzzy pictures will be enlarged."

"Just because you make something bigger, doesn't mean that it provides a clearer picture."

"Not sure."

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"Can you please explain what prograde motion is? Is it just once a planet is no longer in retrograde it goes back to prograde and does that mean it moves the normal west to east direction in the sky? Or something else?" (Yes, and Yes.)

"Why don't we feel the movement of Earth?" (You can--you would need very sensitive and/or large-scale experiments to detect Earth's motions. The sway of a long pendulum will drift over several hours, which measures the rotation of Earth about its own axis; and the directions of starlight changes slightly over many months, which measures the revolution of Earth around the sun.)

"Why can't the sun be at the center of an ellipse?" (A flattened circle would just have one "center"; but an ellipse officially has two foci, or two "centers," with the sun located at one focus (while the other focus is empty!).)

"Newton's second law: exerting a force (such as gravity) on an object (such as a planet) will change its motion. The more force you exert, then the object's motion will change more. I found this to be interesting because in sci-fi movies there's always some catastrophe happening in space and I always wonder if that was accurate or not. Is there gravity in space?" (Yes, there is gravity in space, which changes the motion of objects. If you're near a planet or a star, then the gravity will affect your motion by pulling you in, and/or forcing you into a closed/open orbit. Only if you are really far away from any planet or star will there be no gravity (or a negligible amount) to affect your motion.)

"Is a telescope's size measured by focal length or by lens diameter. The text doesn't appear to say." (Both "sizes" are important. We'll be sure to carefully distinguish between them in class.)

"Do you own a telescope at home? If so, how often do you use it?" (No, because I can use Cuesta College telescopes whenever I feel like it.)

"Struggling in this class because everything makes sense in lecture, and then nothing makes sense when I'm home...I'd benefit from reviewing things again. It's also hard to conceptualize these ideas (stars, moon phases, etc) and not be able to make it make sense in real life." (I think that's pretty normal. Just keep letting me know in these reading assignments what you're having problems with, so we can get these cleared up when we're in class. Also, email me or come into office hours if you have specific questions, and you can also drop in and see the embedded tutor at the Student Success Center.)

"I feel I can only partly understand topics through the textbook itself, and instead am relying on class lecture for clarification. Do you have any tips for reading that would help make the topics more clear?" (The textbook does make for some pretty thick reading. Don't worry if it all doesn't make sense the first time you go through it; also look at the blog presentations (which emphasize the important topics) and the quiz question packets (which are examples of what you are responsible to know for the quizzes) and then go back through the textbook chapter again. Multiple read-throughs are going to be typical for a lot of these chapters, but hopefully they will make more sense each time you go through them again. Just allow yourself time to visit the textbook multiple times.)

"Do astronomers know when precession will change the north star again and what star will be the new north star after Polaris?" (Because of precession, after Polaris, in a few thousand years Gamma Cephei will be the next official north star.)

"Do you believe the Mercury retrograde can affect how people act and feel?" (I'm going to defer to what my Magic 8-Ball® says.)

"I had no idea that it was the phases of the moon that primarily controls the tides. I honestly did not know how any of it worked. Will we learn more about how gravity from the sun and moon affects the tides?" (Actually that would be a very technical topic we don't have time for in this class, but the textbook gives a nice graphical summary of the concepts involved. Instead concentrate on how Newton's laws and gravity are used to explain planetary motion (although Newton's laws and gravity can be used to explain lots of other things such as tides).)

"No comment." (You just did.)

Online reading assignment: history of astronomy, telescope powers (NC campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2020
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, 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 questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on reviewing the history of astronomy, Kepler's and Newton's laws, and telescope powers.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"I find the strange patterns we see in the moment of planets when viewed from an also moving Earth to be fascinating."

"That planets go through retrograde because before this class I had no idea that the planets can go the opposite way for a bit of time."

"The phases that Venus undergoes, when it's going between the sun and Earth."

"Kepler's laws and Newton's laws--I think it's interesting overall to read about how much astronomy has evolved and to learn about those who affected astronomy in large ways and how they affected science."

"Newton's cannon was super-interesting, because it could debunk the theory of flat Earth."

"What I thought was cool was learning about Galileo in this text versus in my philosophy class. I was told he invented the telescope but as I just read that is not true."

"I didn't know that light could travel through a vacuum. I thought this was interesting because I thought it would behave like sound and not be able to travel through it."

"How magnifying power was the least important power for a telescope."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"Retrograde motion and prograde motion. I just hard time remembering which one goes west and which one goes east."

"The concept of ellipses remains a bit confusing to me."

"I liked learning about telescopes, but there were some things I didn't really understand."

"How to identify whether or not a telescope was a refractor or reflector, and how to measure the f_primary, and I was wondering if that would be the same for those two types of telescopes."

"What I found a bit confusing was the types of telescopes. I think I found this confusing because there are so many new terminological definitions to remember and having to distinguish them from one another. Mainly, it's new terminology to get used to that I might have to go over more."

"Honestly, all the reading was confusing because there was a lot of info being thrown at once."

"There was no content that I found confusing from this assigned reading or presentation."

When a planet is undergoing retrograde motion, over several nights it moves __________ with respect to the background stars.

east to west.	************ [12]
west to east.	********** [10]
(Unsure/lost/guessing/help!)	*** [3]

When a planet is undergoing prograde motion, over several nights it moves __________ with respect to the background stars.

east to west.	************ [12]
west to east.	********* [9]
(Unsure/lost/guessing/help!)	**** [4]

Categorize each of Kepler's laws.
(Only correct responses shown.)

Kepler's first law: describes the shape of a planet's orbit. [88%]
Kepler's second law: describes the speed of a planet along its orbit. [80%]
Kepler's third law: describes the speed of a planet along its orbit. [56%]

Categorize each of Newton's laws.
(Only correct responses shown.)

Newton's first law: relates forces with changes in motion. [32%]
Newton's second law: relates forces with changes in motion. [56%]
Newton's third law: describes a property of forces. [52%]

The __________ power of a telescope depends on the: (Only correct responses shown.)

light-gathering: diameter of the primary lens/mirror [52%]
resolving: diameter of the primary lens/mirror [64%]
magnifying: both the focal lengths of the primary lens/mirror and eyepiece: [56%]

The least important feature to consider when purchasing an optical telescope is the __________ of its images.

brightness.	**** [4]
resolution.	[0]
magnification.	****************** [18]
(Unsure/lost/guessing/help!)	*** [3]

Briefly explain your answer for the least important feature to consider when purchasing an optical telescope.

"Magnification will make the image larger and becomes much more faint."

"Magnification enlarges any distortions due to the telescope and atmosphere."

"Optical telescopes are meant to gather visible light, so it makes sense that brightness and resolution are needed in order to see that, I'm not sure if magnification is as important, but I'm also not 100% that my answer is correct."

"Magnification because it might make an image larger, but not clearer."

"Magnification only causes images to get large but don't give any clarity."

"Without the brightness and resolution for a telescope you will see no image, making magnification useless because their would be nothing to magnify."

"Doesn't matter how big/close you can make something if you can't see it."

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"I enjoy doing the in-class activities, I feel that it will help me to improve my learning."

"Can you go over the ellipses? I was super-confused."

"Could you go over retrograde and prograde motions?"

"What are key differences between Kepler's laws and Newton's laws."

"How does gravity pull things into an orbit so it actually moves around the planet and not fall right into it?"

"This section has been rough due to the different terminology. It's hard to remember specific definitions."

"Can you clarify more about telescopes?"

"Do you personally own a telescope? (No, because I use Cuesta College telescopes whenever I feel like it.)

Online reading assignment: eclipses, history of astronomy (SLO campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2020
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, 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 questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on eclipses, and an preliminary overview of the history of astronomy.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"I found the lunar eclipses very interesting. I am a photographer and in 2015 when there was a good 'blood moon' I took photos of it and I never knew why it was red but I thought it was cool. Then I discovered it's because of sunlight scattering through earth's atmosphere then hitting the moon causing that look."

"I went and saw the total solar eclipse in Oregon, and it was the most beautiful and amazing experience, so to understand more behind it was interesting."

"When I lived in Oregon I saw the total solar eclipse, and to read about it now is really interesting to put it together like that. Also we had to buy special glasses to watch the sun just before and after just totality so it wouldn't hurt our eyes."

"That when you are observing a solar eclipse you can still get blinded by the sun even when the sun is not quite completely blocked."

"That lunar eclipses always occur on full moons, but not every full moon and solar eclipses always occur on new moons, but not ever new moon. This was interesting to me because I've always been intrigued with eclipses, so knowing they occur quite often now makes me excited to go out and watch them."

"I really liked looking at the pictures of the solar and lunar eclipses. I thought those pictures were so cool to look at."

"I didn't know that lunar eclipses were when Earth blocks out light to the moon. Now I understand why it's called a lunar eclipse because the moon (luna) is being eclipsed! Go figure."

"To see the exact measurements for how far and big the sun is compared to the moon. It's insane that they just happen to line up to create eclipses. So weird to me."

"That solar eclipses only happen during the new moon phase."

"The history of astronomy and how far we have come from then to now."

"The historical evolution of how we understood our solar system; I had never learned the order in which correct conclusions were made, and it was cool to know the order in which things were figured out."

"That ancient astronomers abided by 'first principles' for so long."

"All the philosophers who kept changing the model of planetary motion over and over again. I thought the first principles were interesting in that everyone just agreed with them, even though there was no research."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"I'm just bad at starwheel questions. The starwheel always confuses me a little."

"The terminology for everything having to do with eclipses is overwhelming. I know that it can be learned with practice, but I hope to understand what each term means and be able to explain it with understanding and not just memorization."

"This might sound dumb but I didn't know the difference between the lunar and solar eclipse. I also didn't know why or how often they happened."

"Picking apart the differences between solar and lunar eclipses. This was confusing because there are a lot of things going on for each eclipse that can easily get crossed."

"I found the terms and umbra and penumbra confusing, because they weren't really defined. Also, I'm confused in the order they occur in when it comes to eclipses."

"I thought the lunar eclipse was confusing at first because if Earth is in front of the moon, wouldn't the moon be just dark? Then I figured out it doesn't work like that."

"In the textbook it says for a lunar eclipse the sun can turn a coppery red, because the moon is hiding in Earth's shadow, and Earth is blocking the sunlight. I haven't looked it up, but based solely on the textbook reading, I don't understand why the moon would turn red if it's in the shadow, and why it wouldn't just be dark or not visible."

"I was confused as to why a lunar eclipse could occur only during a full moon. While it made sense why this might affect visibility when viewing it from Earth, wouldn't the phenomenon still take place regardless of moon phase?"

"The only thing that was slightly confusing was why solar eclipses and lunar eclipses don't happen at every full/new moon."

"I found the GIF animation in the presentationthat shows the moon and Earth's movements as seen from the sun a little hard to understand. I understand that when the moon is in the right phase and the orbit is aligned, that's when there is an eclipse. But when the GIF is in motion it is hard for me to distinguish when the orbit is aligning."

"I think having to remember the different astronomers and the order in which they contributed will be a struggle and also having to differentiate whether they are a mover or disprover."

"One thing I think could be confusing will be trying to remember the order of the different astronomers and each of their contributions and ideas."

"Though I am not entirely lost on the subject, the idea of movers and disprovers is what I am understanding least. They each have specific roles in the progression of our understandings, but I am confused as to why they must be separated into groups, I feel all movers should attempt to disprove their own models in order to strengthen their arguments?"

"The idea of planets going into retrograde and moving the opposite direction that there supposed to for a short amount of time was difficult for me to visualize. but after thinking about it a little and reading the explanation about a runner on a track and how it's like when you pass someone and it appears they are moving backward compared to their background helped a lot."

A friend of yours has a birthday on March 30. According to your starwheel, the sun would have been located in front of which zodiac sign on that date? (Ignore daylight saving time.)

Aries.	**** [4]
Taurus.	[0]
Gemini.	[0]
Cancer.	[0]
Leo.	[0]
Virgo.	* [1]
Libra.	[0]
Scorpio.	[0]
Sagittarius.	[0]
Capricorn.	[0]
Aquarius.	[0]
Pisces.	*********************************** [35]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	** [2]

I believe astrology is able to make accurate predictions about my future. (This is a follow-up question.)

Strongly disagree.	****** [6]
Disagree.	********** [10]
Neutral.	********************** [22]
Agree.	** [2]
Strongly agree.	** [2]

Briefly discuss what you know now (that you didn't know before) that may (or may not have) affected your earlier opinion regarding your belief/disbelief in astrology. (This is a follow-up question.)

"I am still confused with astrology so I am still neutral because I don't exactly know what it is."

"I didn't know that percession existed therefore changed my idea on the predictions we see today."

"I've always been curious about astrology, but never a big believer that it has a certain say in my future. I think it predicts some things that makes me think it could be true, but then it's also always vague. What I didn't know is that everyone's astrological sign is off! That's so funny to me, and makes me disbelieve in it more."

"I never understood what people meant by 'sun-sign," I always assumed you had only one sign and it dealt with when you were born. Understanding now that your house is where the sun lined up with the constellations is really interesting but my opinion remains neutral on the subject"

"I personally didn't know my sun-sign. But now I'm able to find it on the starwheel."

"I do not believe my answer affects my opinion because I like to trust my thinking."

"I'm very neutral about astrology because I do believe and I do not believe in some of the predictions that are made about us."

"How I can predict what constellation will be in the sky on a specific night."

"I feel like my opinion stays the same due to the fact that I said it was neutral because sometimes they are true and others they are false. "

"I learned that our sun-sign is on a one-month shift and our sign is actually different than what the horoscope says. This still doesn't really change my view. I still do not think that astrology can determine our personalities or tell our futures."

"I didn't know that astrology was 'discovered' so long ago, that the sky has changed now, and that it changes which stars are in the sun on certain days. I didn't believe in the social media predictions of astrology before, so it doesn't really change my opinion."

"I find it weird that I was told I was a Scorpio growing up but now that I have seen in the lecture I'm a Libra."

"I now know that the sun-signs used in modern astrology are not really your true sun-sign, and that it really has no correlation to life events or personality."

"I still kinda do not believe it especially now that I know that the dates are shifted one month over My belief has not changed, I do not believe in astrology as fortune telling."

"I don't believe scientifically in the big bang, I believe in God's creation."

"What I know now that has affected my earlier opinion is that your house sign will most likely not be the same as your birthday zodiac sign. It makes me believe more in astrology and its process."

"I still don't think my future is affected by astrology and horoscopes but I am a little offended to be a Leo when using the star chart. Being a 'Virgo cusp' I have always fully identified as a Virgo, but found Leo's in my life to be polarizing. Being a Leo by the star chart made me not want to believe it matters..."

"It didn't change my opinion at all to be honest I still believe that it has no affect in your life at all."

"I didn't know that the zodiac signs are different now then when we recorded them I don’t believe that this makes astrology able to predict my future."

"That sun-signs don't necessarily fall within the typical dates, but rather when the sun is "in" each zodiac constellation. I still believe in astrology despite it being a psuedoscience- it's fun and something for me and my friends to talk about."

"The fact that our signs are different according to the starwheel makes me question some of the legitimacy of astrology and those who wholeheartedly believe in it as if it were a religion."

"I never knew that the signs were so off! I also didn't even know or understand how we even got our sun-signs in the first place. I totally believe a little bit that it has something to do with who you are because I have always thought that I was more of a Leo, rather than a Virgo, and according to the starwheel, I am, lol."

"I still don't know enough abut them to make a different opinion."

"I don't believe that stars have a direct influence on our life. I do believe that some of the zodiacs can be extremely accurate to describe a person which is interesting. If there is any influence I believe that it's through people reading their zodiac and acting how they think they are destined too."

"I didn't know how the constellations correlated with the date of birth or that the zodiacs have changed over time."

"I was already quite skeptical of the sun-signs, learning that they are all completely off though really was pretty entertaining."

"I didn't know that our signs are a whole month behind our actual signs. This is huge in showing people that astrology is a bunch of bologna."

"I thought I was a Cancer according to my 'natal chart' and it told me all my personality traits but now that I know all of the zodiac signs are off because of precession I think it's all fake."

"I think the ideas of a mover and disprover help to give background to the different thought processes and help bring light to the ideas behind them and allows others to form their own opinion."

"I didn't know about the different solstice and equinoxes and now I know a bit more about them and when they occur."

"My opinion stays the same. I don't think your astrological sign can predict your future, but I think that people with the same astrological signs can carry similar character traits."

"During class, I learned that precession affects the accuracy of monthly changes in astronomical signs. This explains why the signs sometimes differ for the same given date depending on whether a starwheel or horoscope is used. After learning this, I only became more convinced that astrology cannot make accurate predictions about the future (my initial belief to begin with)."

"I learned how to find my true zodiac sign from in class and learned more about the history behind the sun-signs. But I still don't think that means it can predict my future or who I am."

"Well I never knew that the zodiac symbols where off by a month and I thought I was a Aquarius but I'm in-between Capricorn and Sagittarius (Jan 25)."

"I previously didn't believe that astrology could make accurate predictions about my future. The last lecture re-enforced that by going over how astrology is actually not even correct. In the sense that precision has shifted the zodiac constellations roughly a month off. This makes it even harder to believe that this system could predict anything."

"Everything is a lie, and sun-signs attest to that statement."

"I did not know that most people actually have a different sun-sign than what is posted online."

"I didn't know that precession has changed the location of the zodiac constellations in relation to the time of the year. Astrology was never something I took super-seriously, but I take it even less seriously now."

"Knowing that the constellations in the sky when people are born has changed over the years doesn't really affect my opinion on astrology. When I speak to people about astrology I have always looked at both what their house is listed as well as the one to come and the previous house. I still find that there are aspects in the descriptions of these types of people within each of the different houses. I still don't look to astrology to make predictions about my future."

"I learned that due to precession, the dates for our astrological signs have changed. Therefore, predictions made by horoscopes are meant for people born in months other than those they are stated for. For instance, I'm a Leo but my starwheel says that I'm a Cancer. Therefore, astrological readings for Leo that are supposed to be predictions for me are 'inaccurate.'"

Match the phase of the moon during these eclipse types. (Only correct responses shown.)

Total solar eclipse: new moon [74%]
Partial solar eclipse: new moon [57%]
Annular solar eclipse: new moon [62%]
Total lunar eclipse: full moon [88%]
Partial lunar eclipse: full moon [69%]

Place these astronomers in chronological order of their historical contribution to astronomy. (Only correct responses shown.)

Aristotle [83%]
Ptolemy [71%]
Copernicus [79%]
Tycho [57%]
Kepler [55%]
Galileo [55]
Newton [76%]

Match these terms with their descriptions. (Only correct responses shown.)

Ideas accepted as truth without further examination: first principles [88%]
Predictions that could be tested by observations: hypotheses [86%]
Universal statements of cause and effect: rational laws [76%]
Describe phenomena without explaining why it occurs: empirical laws [67%]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"Can you explain the sun and lunar eclipses more in class?"

"Still not too sure about the eclipse phases."

"I would like a little bit of clarification on the relationship between full solar eclipses, annular eclipses, and partial eclipses. The way I understand it is that a full solar eclipse is when the moon totally blocks the sun, and an annular eclipse is when the moon isn't big enough to cover the whole sun so there is that ring. What I wanted was clarification on is (1) is it considered a partial eclipse if you are in the penumbra for either of those eclipses, and (2) is an annular eclipse is always considered a partial eclipse since it doesn't totally cover the sun?" ((1) Yes, if you are only in the penumbra (one of the side shadow zones of the moon) for any type of solar eclipse, then you are only seeing a partial solar eclipse, where only the edge of the sun is covered up. (2) Annular eclipse means that you are actually in the "negative shadow" (the antumbra), and while the sun is not completely covered up by the moon, it is still centered on the sun, so it's not considered a partial solar eclipse.)

"How many total solar eclipses have you witnessed, if any?" (Just one, so far, in Hawaii with my family in 1991. Hopefully I'll get to take Mrs. P-dog somewhere to see her first total solar eclipse one day.)

"Are the predictions or estimates all true of annular and partial eclipses since they predict or estimate through 2024 in the book?" (Yes, but here's a list of upcoming eclipses specifically for San Luis Obispo, CA.)

"How much time do you think we should put aside for extra studying for tests and quizzes to do well? Are going over notes or studying the textbook more in-depth going to be more helpful?" (I would say that going over the past semester's quiz, and the quiz question packet would be most helpful, and then referring to your notes and/or the textbook as needed to answer those questions.)

"This homework assignment was difficult for me and the reading took me a while."

"How long did the mustache take to grow?" (A long time. Too long. Now that I've had it for the past sixty semesters, I don't think I'll ever shave it off.)

"I can't think of a question yet!" (Well, you were able to think of a comment.)

Online reading assignment: eclipses, history of astronomy (NC campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2020
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, 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 questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on eclipses, and an preliminary overview of the history of astronomy.


Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"Eclipses. I never really took the time to realize there was more than one. Finding out there's more and that they can look different really blew my mind."

"Differences between lunar and solar eclipses. A lunar eclipse is when the moon passes through Earth's shadow and a solar eclipse is when the moon casts its shadow on Earth. I was aware of the existence of eclipses but not the types of it."

"How a lunar eclipse turns the moon into a copper-red color and how the lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves through the shadow of the Earth. I found this interesting because I remember seeing the Moon making this beautiful color in the sky but I didn't know why it did that before reading this chapter in the text."

"I found the reason why eclipses don't happen every month interesting. Even though you know an eclipse happens when the sun aligns with the moon or the sun, moon, and Earth align, you don't really think about why they don't happen every month."

"That solar eclipses are predictable."

"During a solar eclipse, if you look at the sun, if you wear sunglasses it can still cause damage to your eyes."

"I still find it interesting that you can't look at a solar eclipse. We're taught that we shouldn't look at the sun so technically we shouldn't look at the eclipse. It's one of those things that you know you shouldn’t do but don't really think much of why."

"How a shadow from an eclipse is consisted of two parts the umbra and penumbra. This whole time I thought it was one big shadow that covered the total surface."

"It took two thousand years for astronomers to eventually come to the conclusion that the geocentric model was wrong. So many incorrect and completely wrong calendars over those years and then Copernicus and others finally fixed it."

"How long ago the first astronomers made their mark on history. This is insane to me because despite their lack of technology and prior knowledge they were able to make ground-breaking discoveries."

"Copernicus 'challenging belief in the locations of heaven and hell' to disagree with Aristotle's model of the universe. I found this interesting compared to now because of how easy it is to disagree with someone else regardless of 'beliefs,' we have more freedom of expression today."

"That a 'disprover' is someone who tears things down--an astronomer who argues against a previously-held model of planetary motion."

"That astronomers of the past found ways to explain things that worked, but were ultimately proved wrong."

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"I was very confused on some of the explanations of the eclipses maybe it was just the wording."

"Shadow zones and differences between lunar eclipses and solar eclipses."

"I can't wrap my head around the penumbra and umbra."

"The phase of the moon is in for different types of eclipses."

"I remember when the partial solar eclipse happened a few years ago, there were posts all over the internet of crescent-shaped images of the sun cast by leaves and stuff but I don't really get why."

"The difference between lunar eclipse and solar eclipse was confusing to me because I don't quite understand the difference between the two. I also don't understand the difference between the total solar eclipse compared to partial and annular."

"I find it confusing how and when an eclipse will happen and why it happens, and why not every full moon is a lunar eclipse."

"My source of confusion is often in visualizing how things look spatially, and this chapter was no exception. I knew planets appeared to move backwards in the sky sometimes and that it had to do with how our orbit varies from theirs, but its hard to think of how that would look without an animated GIF."

"What was confusing that the scientists in Tycho's time had no telescopes or anything of the like, but they would still make their own observations."

"The astronomers. I have never personally been good at remembering names and dates. Remembering seven different people seems a bit confusing."

"I would like to understand the history of astrology more, it kind of turned into a mess in my brain. When trying to remember on the spot, who is a disprover or a mover, or who is scientific or nonscientific, it's difficult for me to distinguish between the astrologists. It was also kind of confusing to me their ways of doing things and how they created what they did. I'm not sure if it's shown anywhere how they figured out what the universe looked like or how they envisioned it so well without technology, it would be really cool to know."

A friend of yours has a birthday on March 30. According to your starwheel, the sun would have been located in front of which zodiac sign on that date? (Ignore daylight saving time.)

Aries.	* [1]
Taurus.	[0]
Gemini.	[0]
Cancer.	[0]
Leo.	[0]
Virgo.	** [2]
Libra.	* [1]
Scorpio.	[0]
Sagittarius.	[0]
Capricorn.	[0]
Aquarius.	* [1]
Pisces.	*********************** [23]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	**** [4]

I believe astrology is able to make accurate predictions about my future. (This is a follow-up question.)

Strongly disagree.	* [1]
Disagree.	*********** [11]
Neutral.	***************** [17]
Agree.	*** [3]
Strongly agree.	[0]

Briefly discuss what you know now (that you didn't know before) that may (or may not have) affected your earlier opinion regarding your belief/disbelief in astrology. (This is a follow-up question.)

"There are way more astrology signs than I thought. I know now that the time periods for each sun-sign are based off old positions for constellations recorded in ancient times. So the ridiculous personality traits attached to each sun-sign aren't even based off the right constellations for those birthdays."

"I already knew about how because of the way the months are going each time there will be a new horoscope. I still don't think the stars are fortune-tellers but I did learn it takes the moon a month to go around Earth."

"I knew that astrology had to do with your sign and all that but im surprised its more to do with the moon and sun-signs."

"I didn't know that there were more than three types of eclipses."

"Something I know now that I didn't before was figuring out our actual zodiac signs. The internet is off by 20 days each sign. To find your sign you line up your birthday with noon on your starwheel and which ever is in the line of the sun going from south to north, that's your zodiac sign."

"Personally nothing stood out as something I really didn't know before, I still remain neutral on the subject. I don't really believe that astrology is going to sway my beliefs much."

"After learning more about zodiac signs about timing in the sky, I changed my opinion to being neutral on this question. I think that astrology could have accurate predictions about my future after learning more about zodiac signs and what there is out there that describes people born in a specific month."

"Before this lesson I didn't understand the differences in the types of eclipses, I figured they were all the same. Understanding how they work and why they occur makes much interested in viewing an eclipse."

"I'm honestly still pretty neutral on it. It is still interesting but I haven’t had a point where I’m like, 'Yeah, this is totally predicting the future.'"

"I have learned that horoscope astrology signs are off and I am actually a taurus. It hasn't really changed my beliefs but it's cool to learn about."

"Something that I didn't know that I know now is how scientists don't update the zodiac signs to the correct dates and months due to the movement of the constellations. It has not affected my opinion on astrology at all i'm still neutral."

"Something I know now is that our zodiac signs are slightly different than what actual constellations our birthdays on the internet assigns. For example how I am considered a libra, however the sun is not located in front of that on my birthday, it is actually located in front of Virgo. This somewhat affected my opinion making my disbelief opinion stronger simply because what is said online is already incorrect based on what the star wheel tells us, which makes it harder for me to believe."

"I am not sure how to answer this question, I just know how it can't predict the future but there is some coincidences sometimes."

"I have learned that the zodiac signs that we usually see are off by one month, they're not accurate. That being said, I definitely support the fact I that astrology cant predict our future. I know know that the zodiacs that I think I know are a month off present time and now I know I'm not a Leo, I'm a Cancer."

"I put agree because I found that astronomy was interesting in high school and couldn't decide if I should major in criminal justice or astronomy."

"Knowing that the zodiacs were a month off does push my thoughts of astrology to neutral from disagree. I don't think that they can completely predict something but they can hit some points that may apply to you."

"My opinion on astrology hasn't changed all that much. I have learned a couple new things but my opinion hasn't been affected much."

"I still say neutral due to the fact that I don't really know how the information I have already obtained from the course would help me on deciding in belief of disbelief."

"There is no way for someone to see the future their is no way to know what will happen in the distant future."

"My opinion that it relies on confirmation bias still stands, with the added point that technically it can predict a very specific part of the future, by which I mean one can predict what stars will be where when on any date including the future."

"I had no idea about provers and disprovers, tearing an idea down or trying to prove a idea. Astrological signs don't line up with the constellations."

"I still feel the same about astrology. I disagree that it has any impact on the events in our lives and our personalities, as it has been disproved by various scientists to be supported by the scientific method. A new thing I did learn though was that the zodiac constellations and zodiac horoscopes do not match up, as the zodiac constellations on the starwheel and the dates for the horoscopes are a month off from each other. This may show that astrology is not completely reliable."

"I'm still curious as to why people believe that these star signs can predict things. I want to see some sort of reasoning from astrology fans. I have a hard time believing anything without proof or reason."

"I don't really know much about astrology still and that makes me not confident in choosing whether or not I believe or disbelieve in astrology. I think my lack of information is holding me back from forming an opinion."

"I believe it's not true that it can predict one's future because the star wheel says my zodiac sign is different from what I have thought my whole life."

"I think my line of thinking, that people believe in astrology because they fulfill the expectations of behavior of their signs and focus on features they share with their sign and ignoring contradicting features, still stands? Technically you could say you can make accurate predictions about your future using astrology, but it would be very specific things like what constellation will be on the meridian on your birthday, or 6 months after your birthday, or such."

"I previously had chosen that I agreed, but after finding out that well there not really off new data the stars are always changing, but we have not changed with it. I am a Virgo originally but come to find out my true sign is Leo. So when I look now it is totally ruined for me because I'm technically not Virgo anymore. I am now neutral about it."

Match the phase of the moon during these eclipse types. (Only correct responses shown.)

Total solar eclipse: new moon [78%]
Partial solar eclipse: new moon [56%]
Annular solar eclipse: new moon [66%]
Total lunar eclipse: full moon [91%]
Partial lunar eclipse: full moon [72%]

Place these astronomers in chronological order of their historical contribution to astronomy. (Only correct responses shown.)

Aristotle [75%]
Ptolemy [59%]
Copernicus [69%]
Tycho [56%]
Kepler [50%]
Galileo [41%]
Newton [69%]

Match these terms with their descriptions. (Only correct responses shown.)

Ideas accepted as truth without further examination: first principles [72%]
Predictions that could be tested by observations: hypotheses [94%]
Universal statements of cause and effect: rational laws [63%]
Describe phenomena without explaining why it occurs: empirical laws [68%]

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"Do you think it is cooler to witness a solar eclipse or lunar eclipse and why?" (A total solar eclipse, no question. It is really cool to see the sun literally transform into a black dot and they sky turn into stars over just a few minutes. Also hearing all the birds freak out, and the streetlights pop on in the middle of totality.)

"Can you explain the moon phases and their effect on eclipses?"

"Explain differences between solar and lunar, they make no sense to me."

"Something I found confusing was why we are not allowed to look directly at the eclipse. I know that it is dangerous but why does it make it so dangerous." (During a solar eclipse sun gets covered up enough that it seems safe enough to look at directly, but because you want to watch it for a few minutes, you will wind up damaging your eyes without knowing it.)

"Overall this section was a little harder to grasp for me. The stuff about eclipses just needs some going over for me. The historical stuff was just dull to get through, but it was still interesting to see the different kinds of models that were made leading up to ours."

"All the wack models of the solar system that ancient minds thought made total sense are so interesting to me, like Anaximander's model from the 7th century BCE where Earth is surrounded by air, encased in a spherical shell with holes in it, and behind those holes is a layer of fire that gives stars their light."

"How did these astronomers effect astronomy? I couldn't find where we discussed this." (The textbook is background reading; we'll be discussing this in class this week and next week.)

"Why do you think it took so long for heliocentrism to be figured out when the Greeks easily figured out that Earth was a sphere?" (Well, even then not everyone was convinced with the geometrical proof that Earth was spherical. Old beliefs die hard.)

"Will there be a lot of questions delving into each astronomers and what they've done, or will it be major accomplishments they've achieved?" (We'll concentrate on their contributions on developing (or refuting) models of explaining why planets undergo retrograde motion.)

"Good class so far, keep it up ;)"

Astronomy midterm question: 12 hours between Mercury setting and Venus rising?

Astronomy 210 Midterm 1, fall semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

An astronomy question on an online discussion board was asked and answered[*]:

J.F.: Can an observer ever witness Mercury setting at the same time while Venus is rising?
rzfr: No, that is impossible. It will take about 12 hours between Mercury setting and Venus rising.

Discuss why it would take about 12 hours between Mercury setting and Venus rising for an observer in San Luis Obispo, CA, and how you know this. Support your answer using a diagram showing the positions of the sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and an observer on Earth.

[*] answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090328072648AALZoVS.

Solution and grading rubric:

• p:
  Complete diagram and reasoning includes the following explanations for why there would be about 12 hours between Mercury setting and Venus rising:
  1. places observer on Earth at sunset to watch Mercury (in an inner orbit) setting in the west; and
  2. places observer on Earth at sunrise to watch Venus (in an inner orbit) rising in the east.
• r:
  Nearly correct (explanation weak, unclear or only nearly complete); includes extraneous/tangential information; or has minor errors. Typically diagram is correct, but supporting argument is contradictory or incomplete. May have placed Mercury to rise at sunrise and placed Venus to set at sunset.
• t:
  Contains right ideas, but discussion is unclear/incomplete or contains major errors. Still has Mercury and Venus along inner orbits around the sun.
• v:
  Limited relevant discussion of supporting evidence of at least some merit, but in an inconsistent or unclear manner. Some attempt at diagram(s), but no clear indication of observer/horizon on Earth and/or placement of inner planets. Typically misplaces Mercury and Venus in their relative outer/inner orbits around the sun.
• x:
  Implementation/application of ideas, but credit given for effort rather than merit.
• y:
  Irrelevant discussion/effectively blank.
• z:
  Blank.

Grading distribution:
Section 70158
Exam code: midterm01Sw3e
p: 20 students
r: 4 students
t: 5 students
v: 6 students
x: 0 students
y: 0 students
z: 1 student

Section 70160
Exam code: midterm01N0dL
p: 6 students
r: 5 students
t: 5 students
v: 7 students
x: 0 students
y: 0 students
z: 0 students

A sample "p" response (from student 1234):

Astronomy quiz question: morning star Jupiter?

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

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


At sunrise, Jupiter 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 Jupiter will not be visible at sunrise.

Section 70158
Exam code: quiz02SnPy
(A) : 7 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 4 students
(D) : 20 students

Success level: 60% (including partial credit for multiple-choice)
Discrimination index (Aubrecht & Aubrecht, 1983): 0.89