Reference no: EM131126934

1. It is 300 years ago before light pollution and it is clear. You're a ten year old child who left the gate open so the family goat escaped. At twilight you go in search of the goat. You find the goat in a meadow that is due south of your home. By the time you find the goat it is well past dark so you are having trouble recognizing landmarks to find your way home. How can you make sure you are walking in a north direction to find your way home?

2. It is an hour before sunrise and the moon rose at midnight. You are at an observatory after observing all night. A man calls you and says it looks like the Russians have cut the moon in half and flipped it over. Why does the moon look cut in half and ‘flipped over' to him? Assume he is used to seeing the moon in the evening after sunset.

3. You wake up after being in a coma for years. You have no idea what the date is and there isn't a calendar available and you can't get on the internet. A clock in the room says it is 8:00 PM. You go outside and see Orion on the meridian. What month is it?

4. It is 3 PM and you are driving around the beltway. You look up and see an astronomical object in the sky that appears to be the same size as the sun. (It has the same angular diameter as the sun.) It is not the sun, though. What is the object?