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Astronomy Exam Prep and Study Guide

Prepare for your astronomy exam on Feb.16 with essential topics covered, questions from lectures and textbook, and key concepts explained. Get ready with a pencil and a calculator!

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Astronomy Exam Prep and Study Guide

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  1. Test #1 • Exam 1 on Feb 16 • You will need….. • A pencil • A calculator • Expect…..about 40 or so questions • Questions from the book • Questions from the lectures

  2. What does the light and dark stuff tell us about the Moon? • Having more craters means what? • How does rice paddies, domestication of livestock, and clearing forests prevent the advance of glaciers? • Why don’t we get an eclipse every new and full moon? • What are the common sense reasons why the Ancients thought the Earth was the center of the Universe?

  3. What is a constellation? • What is the celestial sphere? • Why do we see a band of light called the MilkyWay in our sky? • Describe the basic features of the local sky…horizon, meridian, zenith…. • Why does NASA launch satellites here? • What is the Earth’s rotational speed at the North Pole? The Equator? • What is the ecliptic? • What is the cause of the seasons on Earth?

  4. What are the dates of the equinoxes? Solstices? • Why does the Sun set along University Blvd during the equinoxes? • What is the current phase of the moon? • A year is 365.25 days long. Was that always the case? • How many degrees do stars move in an hour? • How does the night sky change through the year? • What is special about Greenwich that the prime meridian of the world is located there? • Jackson Square in New Orleans is 90º west of Greenwich England. If it is 6 pm in Greenwich, what time is it in NO?

  5. Why do we see phases of the Moon? • Name the phases of the moon in order. • What conditions are necessary for an eclipse? • What is a node? • Why do planets sometimes seem to move backwards relative to the stars? • What is parallax? • What is an arc-second? • Why did the ancient Greeks reject the idea that the Earth goes around the Sun, even though it offers a more natural explanation for planetary motion?

  6. A lunar eclipse occurs during what phase of the moon? • How did the Greeks lay the foundations for modern science? • How did Eratosthenes figure out the size of the Earth? • What was the Ptolemaic model? • What are Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion? • If p2 = a3 and a planet has an orbital distance of 5 au, what is its period in years? • Briefly describe the roles of Copernicus, Tycho, Kepler, and Galileo.

  7. How did Galileo’s observations of Venus refute the Ptolemaic model? • How can we distinguish science from nonscience? • What is Occam’s razor? • What are the characteristics of a Scientific Theory? • Is a Scientific Law a stronger statement than a Scientific Theory? • What is gravitational potential energy? • What is the basic structure of an atom? • What is the difference between atomic number and atomic mass number. • How do electron energy levels help distinguish one element from another?

  8. What is the acceleration of gravity? • Have you ever been weightless? Have you ever been massless? • What are Newton’s three laws of motion? • What is the universal law of gravitation? • If the Moon were half the distance it currently is, how much higher would the tides be? • Are we in an ice age? • What orbital factors trigger ice advances? • What would Orlando be like without glaciation?

  9. Why are there two high tides on Earth each day? • Why are high tides 12 hours and 25 minutes apart? • Why are tides on Earth caused primarily by the Moon rather than by the Sun? • Why is Earth’s rotation gradually slowing down? • Why does the Moon always show the same face to Earth? • What is the speed of light? • What is the inverse square law?

  10. What are the four ways in which light and matter can interact? • In what way is light a wave? • In what way is light made of particles? • How are wavelength, frequency, and energy related for photons of light? • How can we use emission or absorption lines to determine the composition of a distant object? • When did the human-caused buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere start?

  11. Are there any material objects that don’t give off any light? • What comes from a hotter source, blue light or red light? • What sort of light do you radiate? • What is a Doppler shift? • What do we learn from a redshift or blueshift? • A day is 24 hours long. Was that always the case? • What is the evidence for global warming? • Give some examples of scientific observations, laws, and theories.

  12. What’s the difference between a refracting telescope and a reflecting telescope? • What are the two most important properties of a telescope? • How can we see images of nonvisible light? • What is light pollution? • Do stars really twinkle? • What do gamma-rays, x-rays, and microwaves have in common? • What is a Sievert and what happens if you are hit by 8 Sieverts? • What is worse in terms of radiation exposure, eating a banana or living for one year within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant?

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