Concepts, ideas and facts that you should know:

The scientific method: What is it? Give an example.

Distances, times and temperature in astronomy

Light-travel time: Define it. Why is it useful?

The celestial sphere - ecliptic, zenith, equinoxes, solstices, equator

The sidereal day and solar day: Definitions? Why are they different?

Movement of the Sun and the seasons: explain it all

The phases of the Moon: Explain them!!

Solar and Lunar eclipse: when, why, how?

The geocentric and heliocentric views of the universe

Kepler's Laws of planetary motion: What are they? Be able to use them.

Newton's law of universal gravitation: Use it!

Mass and weight

The origin of tides

Definitions and uses of IAT, Coordinated UT, and LST

Right Ascension and Declination, Azimuth and Elevation

The electromagnetic spectrum

Wavelength and frequency of electromagnetic radiation

Wave and particle interpretation of light

Planck function: What is it? Be able to use it.

Wiens Law: What is it? Be able to use it.

Stephan-Boltzmann Law: what is it? Be able to use it.

Absolute and apparent brightness

One over distance squared Law: What is it? Be able to use it.

Spectral lines in emission and absorption: How and why?

Velocity vector, proper motion, and radial motion

Doppler shift: What is it? Be able to use it.

What are the basic assumptions underlying special relativity?

Special Relativistic changes in time, length and mass.

Basics of reflection and refraction:Law of Reflection and Snell's Law

Basics of refracting and reflecting telescopes

Atmospheric blurring and overcoming it

Why are telescopes at different wavelengths different?

Transparency of the Earth's Atmosphere.

The scale of the Solar System

Broad trends in the Solar System

Differentiation and the structure of planets

The structure of terrestrial planets

The atmospheres of terrestrial planets

Structure of the Moon and possibilities for its origin

How planets make, hold and lose atmospheres

The Greenhouse Effect and the role of CO

Basics of structure of Jovian planets

Differences between moons of terrestrial and Jovian planets

Asteroids and comets: what are they and where are they found

The Sun's atmosphere and type of photospheric features

Pressure - what is it and how does it depend in temperature

Hydrostatic Equilibrium

Pressure

Internal Structure of the Sun: Core, Radiation Zone, Convective Zone

Requirements for Nuclear Energy Generation

Proton-Proton Chain

Formation of the Solar System

Center of Mass - Barycenter

Methods for Detecting Other Planetary Systems

Questions that you should think about:

How do astronomers learn about the Universe?

How would the seasons change if you altered the tilt of the Earth's axis? Changed the eccentricity of its orbit?

How would the sidereal day change if you changed the rotation period of the Earth? If you changed the orbital period?

How would eclipses change if you moved the Moon closer or farther? Changed the orbital plane of the Moon?

How would you calculate the mass of a planet or star from information like orbital radius and speed, or orbital speed and period?

How do you calculate your weight on different planets or moons?

When do you use the Planck function and when Stephan-Boltzman's law in the calculating energy emitted by an object?

What are the primary differences between a Geocentric and Heliocentric view of the Universe?

How does the apparent luminosity of a star depend on size, temperature, and distance?

Why are telescopes important instruments for astronomers?

How is the process of differentiation important to understanding the internal structure of all of the planets?

How does the cratering of surfaces of planets and moons tell us about the age of the surfaces?

What is the Greenhouse effect? Why is it important in astronomy and your everyday life?

How are planetary rings form and maintained?

What are the key differences between the terrestrial and Jovian planets?

What are the differences between moons of terrestrial and Jovian planets?

What processes create the atmospheres of terrestrial planets and what processes destroy those atmospheres?

Explain the origins of the various surface features on the Sun.

Why do nuclear reactions require high temperature and high densities to occur?

Why is nuclear energy the only source of energy sufficient to power the Sun?

How would you calculate the lifetime of a star if you were given the mass and the luminosity of the star?

Be able to outline the ideas for how the solar system formed and use physical laws to justify these ideas.

What methods can be used to detect other planetary systems?

This sheet is available from the class web page. The web page address is "http://www.astro.umd.edu/ lgm/ASTR120".