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Olympiad (Class 9) Olympiad Astronomy — practice questions

Explore 30 free Olympiad Astronomy questions in Olympiad (Class 9) Astronomy. Open each question or exercise to read its content, reference answers and available explanation.

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Olympiad Astronomy questions and exercises with answers

Showing questions 1–30 of 30.

A student claims summer comes because Earth is nearer the Sun. The real cause is Earth's:Read the answer and worked solution →Earth's axis is tilted from the upright by an angle of about:Read the answer and worked solution →The latitude at which the Sun is directly overhead on the summer solstice is the Tropic of:Read the answer and worked solution →On the summer solstice, the day length reaches 24 hours at and beyond the:Read the answer and worked solution →If Earth's tilt were 16 degrees, the Arctic Circle would sit at a latitude of:Read the answer and worked solution →The two dates on which the Sun crosses the celestial equator are called the:Read the answer and worked solution →At each pole, six months of sunshine are followed by how many months of darkness?Read the answer and worked solution →Stars rise about 4 minutes earlier each day because a solar day is longer than a:Read the answer and worked solution →By 1900 most of the world had agreed on how many standard global time zones?Read the answer and worked solution →One large country keeps a single time zone for its whole width. That country is:Read the answer and worked solution →Under the Gregorian rule, a century year is a leap year only if it divides by:Read the answer and worked solution →Of the century years 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2000, the leap year was:Read the answer and worked solution →The Moon at the phase where it is invisible, rising at sunrise, is called the:Read the answer and worked solution →When the Moon has gone one quarter of the way round its orbit, its phase is:Read the answer and worked solution →When the Sun lit face of the Moon is turned fully towards Earth, we see the:Read the answer and worked solution →Measured against the stars, the Moon goes once round Earth in a little over:Read the answer and worked solution →The Moon always shows us the same face because it rotates in the same time it takes to:Read the answer and worked solution →A moon spinning once per orbit, always showing one face, is said to have:Read the answer and worked solution →When the Sun and the Moon pull in line, the very high tides that result are called:Read the answer and worked solution →When the Sun and the Moon pull at right angles, the lower tides are called:Read the answer and worked solution →A watcher sees the Moon darken as it enters Earth's shadow. This event is a:Read the answer and worked solution →However long a total solar eclipse lasts, totality can never exceed about:Read the answer and worked solution →Catch the moon phasesRead the answer and worked solution →Pop the season markersRead the answer and worked solution →Run the sky gatesRead the answer and worked solution →Slice the sky eventsRead the answer and worked solution →Solar or lunarRead the answer and worked solution →Sort the sky factsRead the answer and worked solution →Type the numberRead the answer and worked solution →Earth and moon bingoRead the answer and worked solution →

Worked practice questions

A student claims summer comes because Earth is nearer the Sun. The real cause is Earth's:

  1. Axial tilt
  2. Axial speed
  3. Orbit size
  4. Orbit shape
Show answer and solution

Correct answer: A. Axial tilt

1. Distance to the Sun changes only slightly through the year. 2. The angle of sunlight changes a great deal instead. 3. So seasons come from the axial tilt. _Source: OpenStax Astronomy 2e, Chapter 4, Earth, Moon, and Sky._

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Earth's axis is tilted from the upright by an angle of about:

  1. 43 degrees
  2. 23 degrees
  3. 13 degrees
  4. 33 degrees
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Correct answer: B. 23 degrees

1. The tilt sets how far the Sun swings north and south. 2. That tilt has a fixed measured value. 3. It is about 23 degrees. _Source: OpenStax Astronomy 2e, Chapter 4, Earth, Moon, and Sky._

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The latitude at which the Sun is directly overhead on the summer solstice is the Tropic of:

  1. Cancer
  2. Cygnus
  3. Corvus
  4. Crater
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Correct answer: A. Cancer

1. One named parallel marks the Sun's farthest north point. 2. It matches the value of Earth's tilt. 3. That parallel is the Tropic of Cancer. _Source: OpenStax Astronomy 2e, Chapter 4, Earth, Moon, and Sky._

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More Astronomy topics

AstronomyEarth Moon and Sky