DNHS SHS Department PHYSICAL SCIENCE Quarter 2 Week1

NAME: ____________________________ GR/SECTION: ______________DATE: _____________

Summative Test no. 1. Astronomical Phenomena Known to Astronomers before
the Advent of Telescopes

Objective
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to cite examples of astronomical phenomena known to
astronomers before the advent of telescopes.
Which planets are easily seen in the sky without the aid of telescopes?
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are easily seen in the sky without the aid of telescopes.
These planets can be easily confused with stars and are only seen at specific times of the day. The
best time to look for these planets would be before sunrise and after sunset.
Even before the invention of the telescope, ancient people have already observed different
astronomical phenomena. The most observable objects in the sky are the sun and moon.
Babylonian and Egyptian civilizations used a primitive version of a sundial, called gnomon, in
systematically observing the motion of the sun. By looking at the shadows that the gnomon casts,
they were able to observe that the sun rises in the eastern part of the sky, reaches its highest point
in midday, and sets in the western part of the sky.
Also, they recorded that the points where the sun rises and sets on the horizon varies over a year
and these variations happen periodically. They observed that these variations are related to weather
and so concluded that seasonal changes in climate happen during a course of one year.
Phases of the Moon
Ancient people have observed that the moon changes its
path and its appearance within a period of 29.5 days. They
observed that the moon changes its appearance from thin
semi-circular disk to full circular disk. These phases of the
moon is the basis of ancient calendars.
Lunar Eclipse

Besides their observation in the different phases of the moon,

they also noticed that there are times when the moon or part of it
seemed to be covered by a shadow for a brief moment. A lunar
eclipse occurs when the Earth casts its shadow on the moon
when the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon.
A phenomenon such as this is known as a lunar eclipse wherein
the moon changes into a dark or blood red color.

Solar Eclipse
Aside from lunar eclipse, the occurrence of a solar eclipse
was also observed. Solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is in
between the Sun and the Earth and the moon partially or
completely blocks out the sun.
The Motion of the Stars
It was also observed that the stars appear to be attached to a celestial sphere that rotates around
an axis in one day. This axis intersects the celestial sphere at a point in the northern sky and is
presently close to the northern star, Polaris. Also, the constellations’ positions in the night sky vary
depending on the time of the year.
Visibility of Planets
Astronomers have discovered that Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are planets because
they have noticed that the stars are in a fixed position with respect to each other (like how
constellations are always grouped). But there are very bright stars that change positions
periodically. These “stars” do not belong to any group of constellations in the sky. Thus, they are
called "wanderers” or planetes in Greek terms.

PERFORMANCE TASK NO1.

Observe how and when a specific constellation changes its position in the night sky.

Key Points
Even before the advent of the telescopes, ancient astronomers were able to observe the:
➢ rising and setting of the Sun in the east and the west, respectively,
 ➢ point where the Sun rises and sets in the horizon varies in a year,
➢ phases of the moon,
➢ lunar eclipse,
➢ solar eclipse,
➢ daily and annual motion of the stars, and
➢ planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following planets cannot be seen by the naked eye?
A. Mercury B. Neptune C. Saturn D.Venus

2. Which of the following is known as ‘wanderers’ by ancient Greek people?

A. Planets B. stars C. moon D. sun

3. Which of the following motion of the stars are discovered without the help of a telescope?
A. circumferential motion
B. daily rotation of the celestial sphere where stars seemed to be attached
C. revolution of a star around a planet
D. rotation of a star around its axis

4. Which of the following astronomical phenomena was the monthly basis for the ancient
calendars?
A. phases of the moon B. lunar eclipse C.solar eclipse D.motion of the planets
5. When does a solar eclipse occur?
A. when the Earth is in between the sun and the moon
B. when the moon is in between the sun and the Earth
C. when the stars revolve around the Earth
D. when the sun is in between the moon and the Earth

6. Which of the following can be observed during a solar eclipse?

A. dying of crops because of the lack of sunlight
B. temporary darkening of the day sky
C. the length of day time becomes shorter
D. the sun completely disappears from the sky

7. Which of the following can be observed during a lunar eclipse?

A. complete disappearance of the moon from the sky
B. lightening of the night sky
C. Moon’s apparent change in color
D. the length of the night becomes shorter

8. Which of the following astronomical phenomena can be observed even without a telescope?
A. the appearance of Neptune and Uranus in the night sky
B. the colors of the planets
C. the moons of Jupiter could be observed from the Earth
D. the motion of Sun, Moon, and stars with respect to the Earth

9. Which of the following explains why astronomers called the planets as 'wanderers'?
A. The colors of these planets are different from other stars.
B. These planets also move around the celestial sphere but with different periods.
C. These planets look bigger than other stars.
D. Wandering stars are visible to the naked eye even during daylight.

10. Astronomers have discovered very bright stars outshining other celestial bodies during sunsets and
sunrise. They have observed that during these times, other stars are less visible but these
“wandering” stars can still be seen. Which of the following possibly explains why astronomers could
easily witness “wandering stars” during sunset and sunrise?
A. During night time, the planets can easily be confused with other stars.
B. Light at this time is enough to block out rays from other bodies and planets are bright enough to be seen.
C. The Sun is at the west of the Earth during sunset and at the east of the Earth during sunrise.
D. This is the only time that the Earth is in perfect position in the solar system to view other planets.