Astronomy Study Guide, 2010

Chapter 1, Understanding the Starry Sky
Locate sky objects by their right ascension and declination on the celestial sphere.
Identify some bright stars and constellations visible each season.
Explain why the stars appear to move along arcs in the sky during the night.
Explain why some different constellations appear in the sky each season.
Explain the apparent daily and annual motions of the Sun.
Define the zodiac.
Describe how the starry sky looks when viewed from different latitudes on Earth.
Define a sidereal day and a solar day, and explain why they differ.
Explain how astronomers classify objects according to their apparent brightness (magnitude).
Explain why the polestar and the location of the vernal equinox change over a period of thousands of years.

Chapter 2, Light and Telescopes
Describe the wave nature of light, including how it is produced and how it travels.
Name the major regions of the electromagnetic spectrum from the shortest wavelength to the longest.
State the relationship between wavelength and frequency.
State the relationship between the color of a star and its temperature.
List the three windows (spectral regions) in Earth's atmosphere in order of their importance to observational astronomy.
Explain how refracting and reflecting telescopes work.
Define light-gathering power, resolving power, and magnification with respect to a telescope.
State the two most important factors in telescope performance.
State the purpose of a spectrograph.
Explain how radio telescopes work, and list some interesting radio sources.
Explain why infrared telescopes are located in very high, dry sites, and list some objects they observe.
Explain why ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma ray telescopes must operate above Earth's atmosphere, and list some objects they study.

Chapter 3, The Stars
Describe the method and range of the parallax technique for determining the distances to stars.
Describe three types of spectra: emission, absorption, and continuous spectra.
Explain why emission and absorption spectra are unique for each element.
Give a general description of stellar spectra, and explain how they are divided into spectral classes.
Explain how a star's chemical composition, surface temperature, and radial velocity are determined from its spectrum.
List several other kinds of information that are obtained from stellar spectra.
Explain how a star's proper motion and space velocity are determined.
Explain the difference between apparent brightness and luminosity. Explain the relationship between apparent magnitude, absolute magnitude, and distance.
Describe the H-R diagram and explain the relationship of a star's mass to its luminosity and temperature.
Compare red giants and white dwarfs with our Sun in terms of mass, diameter, and density.
Define four types of binary star systems.

Chapter 4, The Sun
List some reasons why modern astronomers study the Sun.
Define the solar constant, and explain why it is important to know if it is truly constant with time.
Define the astronomical unit, AU.
Relate the formation, properties, and motions of the Sun as a star.
Sketch the structure of the Sun and identify the corona, chromosphere, photosphere, convection zone, radiation zone, and core.
Describe the Sun's rotation and magnetic field.
List the basic physical dimensions of the Sun.
Describe some modem tools and techniques for studying the Sun.
Describe the origin, properties, and cyclic nature of sunspots, and explain how sunspot variations are related to solar activity.
Compare and contrast the origin and nature of solar granules, faculae, plages, flares, and prominences.
Describe the origin and nature of the solar wind.
Outline the puzzle of the missing solar neutrinos.

Chapter 5, Stellar Evolution
Define stellar evolution.
List the stages in the life cycle of a star like our Sun according to the modern theory of stellar evolution.
Explain the importance of the HR diagram to theories of stellar evolution.
Explain the relation between a stars age and its position on the HR diagram.
List the three main steps in the birth of a star.
Describe the energy balance and pressure balance in main sequence stars.
Compare and contrast what happens in the advanced stages of evolution for stars of large and small mass: planetary nebulas, white dwarfs, supernovas, pulsars/neutron stars, and black holes.
Identify nebulas, main sequence, blue giant, red giant, and pulsating variable stars that can be observed in the sky.
Explain how supernovas and pulsars are observed.
Describe the origins of the different chemical elements and the importance of supernovas to new generations of stars.
Describe observational evidence for black holes.

Chapter 6, Galaxies
Define a galaxy.
Give the observational evidence for the Milky Way Galaxy's shape, size, structure, contents, and
formation, and sketch the Galaxy showing the location of the Sun.
Compare and contrast open (galactic) and globular clusters.
Outline the method of using H-R diagrams to determine the ages of star clusters.
Describe the contents of the interstellar medium.
Compare and contrast emission and absorption nebulas.
Explain how maps of our Galaxy in different wavelength regions are constructed.
Identify the most distant object visible to the unaided eye.
compare and contrast the properties of spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies.
Evaluate the evidence for two different models of galaxy formation and evolution.
Define a cluster of galaxies and a supercluster.
Give the observational evidence of large-scale structure in the universe.
Compare and contrast the properties of a normal galaxy and active galaxies.
Give the observed characteristics of quasars and a model that explains them.

Chapter 7, The Universe
Define cosmology.
Describe the basic assumptions and limitations of cosmology.
Specify the evidence that the universe is expanding.
State the Hubble law.
Explain the significance of the Hubble constant.
Describe the past and present of the universe according to the Big Bang theory.
Compare and contrast the future of the universe according to the open, flat, and closed models of the universe.
List important observations in support of the Big Bang theory
Describe methods for choosing among the open, flat, and closed models of the universe.
Outline a problem of the standard Big Bang model and its resolution by the inflationary universe model.
Describe astronomical methods of estimating the age and size of the universe.

Chapter 10, The Moon
Explain the Moon's appearance and apparent motions in the sky
Compare the Moon and Earth in diameter, mass, average density, and surface gravity
Describe the general surface features of the Moon
Compare and contrast the Moon and Earth with respect to geological activity and erosion of surface features
Outline a hypothesis of the origin of the Moon that is consistent with observations.
Explain the probable origin of lunar craters, and maria
Describe surface conditions on the Moon at the Apollo landing sites
Give the current model of the Moon's internal structure.
List some questions about the Moon that remain to be answered
Describe the relative positions of Earth, Moon, and Sun during a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse

Chapter 11, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites
State why comets and meteorites are of interest to scientists.
Describe the current theory of the origin and composition of comets.
Explain in terms of the current model of comet structure the changes in comet's appearance as it distance form the sun changes.
Specify the relationship between comets and meteor showers.
Distinguish between a meteoroid, meteor and meteorite
Give the composition and probable origin of meteorites.
List some possible effects on Earth of a major comet or meteorite, impact.

Chapter 12, Life on Other Worlds?
Describe the molecular basis of Earth life.
Give the evidence that indicates life may have evolved spontaneously from nonliving molecules on Earth.
Explain a scientific theory of the origin and evolution of intelligent life on Earth.
Describe the search for life on Mars.
State the evidence for the existence of planetary systems other than our own.
List the factors involved in estimates of the statistical chances for extraterrestrial intelligent life.
Describe past and present human research and exploration in space.
State the dominant current scientific view of interstellar voyages and UFOs.
Describe several projects in which scientists have searched for or are planning to search for extraterrestrial intelligence.