Astronomy 101 Study Guide
Exam 1
The exam will be a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions that will require a
somewhat longer answer (a paragraph or two).
Remember to bring a Scantron card
Topics you should focus on:

the Celestial Sphere: celestial equator, poles, ecliptic, equinoxes, solstices, diurnal and annual motions

the reason Earth experiences seasons

sidereal vs. synodic periods for day, month

precession: cause and implications

planetary motions: prograde and retrograde motion

lunar motions and phases, rise times of specific phases, eclipses

the scientific method and how it is used to find “natural laws”

history of the geocentric model: contributions of Plato, Aristotle, and Ptolemy

history of heliocentric model: contributions of Copernicus, Galileo, Brahe and Kepler

Galileo: observations with telescope and implications

Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion, implications of each law

Newton’s three laws of motion, universal law of gravitation, tides

electromagnetic radiation: wavelength, frequency, relative energy of short and long wavelengths

Stefan-Boltzman law: relating energy to temperature

Wein’s law: relating maximum wavelength to temperature

thermal radiation: combination of S-B and Wein’s laws to get idealized thermal radiation curve

atomic transitions: absorption and emission lines, identification of elements

Doppler effect: what it is and how it is used in astronomy

Telescopes: refracting vs. reflecting
This exam will cover material from:
Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
The tutorials and practice quizzes from MasteringAstronomy assigned in the syllabus