Science General · Geography

Astronomy and Celestial Phenomena

1,839 Questions

This section provides practice questions on astronomy and celestial phenomena, focusing on eclipses, planetary movements, and tides. These concepts are commonly tested in general science sections of various competitive exams. Use this hub to practice questions related to the Earth, Moon, and solar system dynamics.

Solar and lunar eclipsesEquinoxes and solsticesPlanetary movementsOcean tidesCoriolis effectMeteor showers

Astronomy and Celestial Phenomena Questions

Multiple choice

During the day, stars are

  1. on the other side of the Earth where we can't see them

  2. still in the sky, but the bright light of the sun hides them

  3. all dim because they are burning less energy
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Stars are always present in the sky, but during the day, the Sun's light is so intense that it scatters in Earth's atmosphere, making it impossible to see the much fainter light of distant stars.

Multiple choice

We can see the sun before the actual sunrise by about

  1. 2 minutes

  2. 30 minutes

  3. 2 hours

  4. 20 minutes
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Due to the bending of light by the atmosphere, the sun becomes visible to an observer on Earth about 2 minutes before it actually crosses the horizon.

Multiple choice

Has the sun (rise) yet?

  1. rised

  2. risen

  3. rosen

  4. rosed
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence uses the present perfect tense ('Has... yet'), which requires the past participle. The past participle of 'rise' is 'risen'.

Multiple choice

The sun (rise) at 5am.

  1. rised

  2. risen

  3. roze

  4. rose
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The sentence describes a habitual action in the past or a general fact, requiring the simple past tense of rise. Rose is the correct past tense form.

Multiple choice

How long does it take sunlight to reach the Earth?

  1. 8 minutes

  2. 1 minute

  3. 36 minutes

  4. 15 seconds
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Light travels at approximately 300,000 km/s. Given the average distance from the Sun to Earth is about 150 million km, it takes roughly 8 minutes and 20 seconds for light to arrive.

Multiple choice

The Moon's surface is full of ___________

  1. holes

  2. gravity

  3. craters

  4. water
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Moon's surface is covered in craters caused by the impact of meteoroids and asteroids over billions of years.

Multiple choice landforms of the earth and internal forces general physical geography general knowledge

The summer and winter season in a year are caused by __________.

  1. aphelion (farthest) and perihelion (nearest) positions of the Earth from the Sun during the annual revolution

  2. rotation of the Earth on its axis

  3. variation in solar insolation

  4. revolution of the Earth on its inclined axis
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees. As the Earth revolves around the Sun, this tilt causes different hemispheres to receive varying amounts of direct sunlight throughout the year, resulting in seasons.

Multiple choice landforms of the earth and internal forces general physical geography general knowledge

Tides are of various types, caused by different alignments of Sun, Moon and Earth. Choose correct statement.
1. Height of high tide and low tides at different places in different oceans, differs. 
2. At perigee, spring tide gets abnormally high.
3. Same place will have another spring tide after 12 hours exactly.

  1. Only 1

  2. 1 and 2

  3. 1 and 3

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Tide heights vary by location due to basin shape (1). Perigee (when the moon is closest to Earth) increases the gravitational pull, leading to higher spring tides (2). Statement 3 is incorrect because the interval between high tides is roughly 12 hours and 26 minutes, not exactly 12 hours.

Multiple choice landforms of the earth and internal forces general physical geography general knowledge

Which of the following statements is/are correct?
(1) The Earth is nearest to the Sun at Perihelion, which generally occurs on January 3.
(2) The Earth is farthest away from the Sun at Perihelion, which generally occurs on July 4.
(3) The Earth is farthest away from the Sun at Aphelion, which generally occurs ion July 4.
(4) The Earth is nearest to the Sun at Aphelion, which generally occurs on January 3.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. Only 1

  2. 2 and 4

  3. 1 and 3

  4. 1 and 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Perihelion (closest to Sun) occurs around January 3, and Aphelion (farthest from Sun) occurs around July 4. Statements 1 and 3 are correct.

Multiple choice landforms of the earth and internal forces general physical geography general knowledge

The Earth without rotational movement would result into ________.
(1) no Sun-rise and Sun-set
(2) no occurrence of day and night cycle
(3) only one reason
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

  1. Only 1

  2. 1 and 2

  3. 2 and 3

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Without rotation, the Earth would not experience a day-night cycle, sunrise or sunset would cease to occur as we know them, and the planet would be tidally locked or have extremely long days/nights, effectively resulting in only one 'reason' or season-like state.