Journal of College Science Teaching
By LoPresto, Michael C. & Murrell, Steven R.
“An Astronomical Misconceptions Survey”
Publisher:
5/40
Pp. 14-22
2011
An Astronomical Misconceptions Survey
Type: Empirical
Data collection method: Survey
Number of subjects, range: Large — 31 or more
Grade and age of subjects: Adult — over 18 years
- Astronomy and astrology are basically the same.
- The sun always rises directly at due east.
- All stars are the same color white.
- The full moon always rises at midnight.
- Saturn is the only planet with rings.
- The change of the seasons is caused by the varying distance between Earth and the Sun.
- Astronauts in earth orbit appear weightless because there is no gravity in space.
- Meteors are “shooting” stars falling out of the sky.
- The asteroid belt is very crowded, so crowded that spacecraft have trouble passing through.
- Black holes are giant holes that move through space and suck in everything they encounter.
- Stars last forever.
- During a solar eclipse, the sun emits rays that are more harmful to your eyes than usual.
- Light waves travel at the speed of light, much faster than radio waves that travel at the speed of sound.
- The North Star is the brightest star in the sky.
- A scientific theory is an idea for which there is not yet proof.
- Galileo invented the telescope.
- Saturn’s rings are solid objects.
- Because the Sun is part of our solar system, it is not considered a star.
- All planetary orbits are perfectly circular.
- Being closest to the Sun, Mercury has the hottest average temperature of allthe planets.
- Because it is in space, there is no gravity on the Moon.
- The Moon’s phases are caused by the shadow of Earth on the Moon.
- The Moon does not rotate.
- The primary purpose of a radio astronomer’s work is to search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations.
- Telescopes are often put on top of mountains so they can be closer to space.