Astronomy Review - Introduction to the Sky

Review Checklist - Sample Questions

Introduction to the Sky

The Local Sky

Why is the daytime sky blue?
What is the zenith?
What are altitude and azimuth?
What is an arcminute?

Stars

Approximately how many stars can we see with the naked eye?
What is the Sun?
How far is the Sun from us?
Which is the brightest star in the sky?
What does it mean to say that two stars have magnitudes 1 and 4?

Planets

Why do stars "twinkle"?
What is the best way to tell a planet from a star?
How many planets can we see with the naked eye? Which ones?

Other Objects

What is a galaxy?
Can we see any galaxy with the naked eye? For example?
Are we inside a galaxy?

Up to astronomy resources; Page by Luca Bombelli <bombelli"at"olemiss.edu>, Modified 30 dec 2005