New Pupil Toolkit for GCSE (9-1) Astronomy GCSE (9-1) Astronomy Pupil Worksheet Week 9 Topic 6.6 Spec. refs 6.15, 6.16, 6.17, 6.18 Assume that the declination of Polaris is +90°. 1. An observer sees a star crossing her meridian. What is the astronomical name for such an event? Choose from: eclipse occultation transit Your answer: . (1) 2. Which of the following could you use to determine the altitude of the Pole Star? x A altimeter x B clinometer x C planisphere x D polarimeter (1) 3. An astronomy student determines that the altitude of Polaris is 55°. What is the latitude of the student’s location? Your answer: . (2) New Pupil Toolkit for GCSE (9-1) Astronomy © Mickledore Publishing 2017 New Pupil Toolkit for GCSE (9-1) Astronomy 4. Deduce whether or not the following stars would be circumpolar from the corresponding locations: (a) Thuban (declination +64°) from Edinburgh (latitude 56° N) Your answer: . (b) Vega (declination +39°) from Istanbul (latitude 41° N) Your answer: . (c) UMi (declination +49°) from Athens (latitude 38° N) Your answer: . (d) Vel (declination -55°) from Wellington, NZ (latitude 41° S) Your answer: . (4) 5. By how many degrees does the Earth rotate in 8 hours? Choose from: 80° 120° 240° Your answer: . (1) 6. How long does it take for the Earth to rotate through an angle of 60°? Your answer: . hours (1) 7. Which of the following shows the correct relationship for a star to be circumpolar? x A latitude of observer < polar distance of star x B latitude of observer < declination of star x C polar distance of star < latitude of observer x D polar distance of star < declination of star (1) New Pupil Toolkit for GCSE (9-1) Astronomy © Mickledore Publishing 2017 New Pupil Toolkit for GCSE (9-1) Astronomy Question 8 - 11. The diagram shows the paths taken by two stars V and W around the Pole Star during one complete rotation of the Earth. The local meridian of an observer is also shown. local meridian star V X star W 8. In which compass direction is the observer looking? Your answer: . (1) 9. Which of the following statements is correct? x A Both V and W are circumpolar from this latitude. x B Neither V and W are circumpolar from this latitude. x C Only star V is circumpolar from this latitude. x D Only star W is circumpolar from this latitude. (1) 10. At 22:00 GMT, star V is located at position X. On the diagram, draw the position of star V at 04:00 GMT on the same night. Use the letter Y. (1) 11. Star W crosses the observer’s meridian twice in one day. What is the astronomical name given to the event when star W crosses the observer’s local meridian at its lowest altitude? Choose from: culmination lower transit northern transit upper transit Your answer: . (1) New Pupil Toolkit for GCSE (9-1) Astronomy © Mickledore Publishing 2017 New Pupil Toolkit for GCSE (9-1) Astronomy Solutions 1. transit (1 mark) 2. B (1) 3. 55° (1) north (1) 4 (a) circumpolar (1) (b) not circumpolar (1) (c) not circumpolar (1) (d) circumpolar (1) 5. 120° (1) 6. 4 hours (1) 7. C (1) 8. north (1) 9. D (1) 10. Y correctly shown at ’12 o’clock’ (1) local meridian Y (1) star V X star W 11. lower transit (1) Your score: / 15 New Pupil Toolkit for GCSE (9-1) Astronomy © Mickledore Publishing 2017 .