Astronomy Final Exam Study Guide The final exam will consist of 50 multiple choice questions. You may bring one 8.5x11 inch sheet of paper of notes to the exam, and that is all. Study the old exams! If you don’t have a copy of one of the 2 exams, come see me to get one. Also study your notes, homework, pre-­‐questions, readings, etc. You should be familiar with the following topics (this is not an all-­‐inclusive list): What was in the center of the Ptolemaic universe? What was closest to Earth? What are electromagnetic waves made of? How are energy and frequency related for electromagnetic waves? Know Newton’s Laws What is the density of a black hole? Can black holes have mass? Has evidence of black holes been observed? Can light leave a black hole? Most of the mass of a galaxy is made up of what? What is the brightest star at night? Where is the Sun in the Milky Way? What happens to weight if the acceleration of gravity (g) increases or decreases? Know how the apparent magnitude scale works Know how apparent and absolute magnitude are related How many constellations are there? What is a constellation? Know how to find distance if given a parallax angle Know what the period-­‐luminosity relation is for Cepheid variables Understand Bayer and Flamsteed designation What is a supernova? Will the Sun go supernova? What is the solar neutrino problem? What is the solution to the solar neutrino problem? What characteristic of a star determines how it lives and how long it lives? Know what redshift and blueshift are Where is the largest refracting telescope in the world? Where is the largest reflecting telescope in America? Why are some telescopes placed in space? What type of star is common among the brightest stars? What is the zodiac? A lunar eclipse can only happen at what lunar phase? A solar eclipse can only happen at what lunar phase? Be familiar with the 13 zodiac constellations. What is the zero point for declination? How many classical planets did the ancients know about? What were they? Know Kepler’s 3 laws. Know the 3 types of galaxy Know what a scientific theory is. Can theories ever be changed? Are theories the same as guesses? What is pseudoscience? Give an example. What does the universe look like at large scales? Do all planets have moons? Why do we think dark matter exists? Why do we think dark energy exists? Know what Copernicus, Galileo, Tycho and Kepler are known for What is the South Celestial Pole? What is the North Celestial Pole? What is conservation of angular momentum? What is a “shooting star”? What causes the aurora borealis? What is a radio telescope? What is a sunspot? What is a solar flare? How did the solar system form from the solar nebula? What is a red giant? What is a white dwarf? What is spectral class? What is luminosity class? What is Sagittarius A*? What is Hubble’s Law? What is a WIMP? What is a MACHO? Be able to list all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum—IN ORDER of wavelength All stars form from what? How old is the universe? How old is the solar system? What is the cosmic microwave background? Be able to sketch the HR Diagram, labeling axes, main sequence and red giants Be able to list the 8 major planets in order Be able to list the 5 dwarf planets How long does it take the Sun to move through the 13 zodiac constellations? Understand the nightly rising and setting of the stars versus the motion of the planets compared to the stars. What is retrograde motion? What is maximum elongation? What planets does it apply to? What does it mean to be circumpolar? Where do the Sun, Moon and stars rise (east or west)? What is the nucleus of a hydrogen atom made of? What is the most distant place humans have traveled to? What is the most distant place robots have traveled to? What happens when electrons drop to lower energy levels in an atom? Understand spectral class and luminosity class. What are Messier objects? What is an extrasolar planet? What is the Drake Equation? Understand the proton-­‐proton chain in the Sun. List the 7 classical planets. Why are they different from the 8 major planets? Why are planets called wanderers? What did Popper mean that scientific theories should be falsifiable? What causes lunar phases? What is the ecliptic? What is a solstice? What is an equinox? What causes seasons on Earth? Do all planets have seasons? What is the zenith? Does the Sun pass through the zenith in DeKalb? What is the brightest star in the night sky? Understand the difference between reflecting and refracting telescopes Be able to identify any lunar phase by seeing the alignment of Earth, Moon and Sun Know roughly when the Moon rises at each phase (remember Homework 2) What is the Chandrasekhar limit? Compare the lives of high mass and low mass stars What factor determines the life and lifetime of a star? What is a main sequence star? What is the Hubble tuning fork diagram? How is age of the universe related to the Hubble constant? What is the speed of electromagnetic waves? What were the Dark Ages? When did decoupling occur after the Big Bang? What matter formed in the Big Bang? Where then did heavy elements like carbon, iron and uranium come from? What is the shape of the universe? What is the circumstellar habitable zone? What is an AGN? What is a quasar? What is gravitational lensing? What is anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background? How are elliptical and spiral galaxies different? What was Einstein’s cosmological constant? What is Hubble’s Law? Does dark energy cause expansion of the solar system? What is a type Ia supernova? Is dark matter the same thing as empty space?