In-class test 1 for ASTR 201: The Sun and its Planets

Test will be the first 15 mins of class, and will comprise one of the questions below.

(1) Does Jupiter go through phases when seen from the Earth? Should Mercury? Explain why in both cases.

(2) You are knocked out and taken on a space flight. When you regain consciousness, you find that you are wearing a space suit and standing on a rocky plain. It is night, and you observe the sky for several hours and find that the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius stays directly overhead (at your zenith) and other stars change in azimith but not altitude through the night.
Are you on Earth? Explain your reasoning.
What can you say about your location on this planet? Explain why.

(3) I want to study M31 (the Andromeda galaxy), which is the nearest large galaxy to our own. Its RA is 0h 42m, and its declination +41 degrees. Should I plan to observe it from a telescope in Tucson, AZ, or from one in Chile? There is another interesting galaxy called M33, with RA = 1h 33m and declination +30 degrees. Should I plan to observe M33 from the North or South?
Astronomers apply for telescope time in 6-month chunks. Should I apply to observe both galaxies in the same semester or different ones? Explain your reasoning.

(4) Why is the error estimate that a scientist makes when measuring some quantity as important as the measurement itself? Give an example to illustrate.

(5) You are on a ship in the middle of the ocean and notice that Polaris is only 5 degrees above the horizon. What is your latitude? Comment on the suitability of an observing site at this latitude -- what advantages and disadvantages might it have?