This exam will cover chapters1,2, and 5.
Key Concepts:
-
What is a science? A scientific hypothesis? Theory? What is the place of
astronomy in the sciences? -
What units do we use to measure mass, time, distance?
-
What is the celestial sphere and how do the stars and sun relate to it?
-
What are the effects of the Earth’s rotation, its revolution, and its tilt? This is
really a very broad question, and it is the stuff that typically gives students the
most trouble. Spend some time with it! -
Explain the phases of the moon and eclipses.
-
How did the motions of the planets shape the history of astronomy?
-
What is the nature of light? In what ways does it behave like a wave and in what
ways does it behave like a particle? What are the important properties of light
waves? Describe the electromagnetic spectrum. What kinds of things do we see
when we pass light from an astronomical source through a prism? What kinds of
information can we glean from these spectra? -
How do telescopes help us in astronomy?
The above list is NOT meant to be exhaustive!
Important terms:
-
Science
-
scientific hypothesis
-
astronomy
-
meter
-
second
-
kilogram
-
astronomical unit (AU)
distance between earth and sun ofn average -
light-year
-
parsec
-
parallax
-
constellation
-
celestial sphere
-
celestial pole
-
celestial equator
-
ecliptic
-
horizon
-
circumpolar
-
latitude
-
longitude
-
declination
-
right ascension
-
solar day
slightly less than a full day -
sidereal day
full day -
summer solstice
longest day -
winter solstice
shortest day -
vernal equinox
when sun is directly above equator when night and day are equal -
autumnal equinox
same as vernal but in autum -
precession
-
waxing
-
waning
-
crescent
-
gibbous
-
solar eclipse
-
lunar eclipse
-
umbra
primary part of a shadow, dark part -
penumbra
outer part where some light is visible -
apparent retrograde motion
-
photon
-
electromagnetic spectrum
-
wavelength
-
frequency
-
proton
-
neutron
-
electron
-
nucleus
-
ion
-
isotope
-
atomic number
-
atomic mass number
-
solid
-
liquid
-
gas
-
plasma
-
electron energy levels
-
ground state
-
excited state
-
emission spectrum
-
absorption spectrum
-
continuous spectrum
-
Doppler effect
the increase (or decrease) in the frequency of sound, light, or other waves as the source and observer move towards (or away from) each other -
redshift
part of doppler light from object moving away from us -
blueshift
part of doppler light from object moving toward us -
refraction
- When light passes through a medium and changes direction due to a change in speed. This happens when light moves from one medium to another, such as from air to glass. The amount of refraction increases as the wavelength of light decreases.
-
reflection
- When light bounces off a surface, redirecting it in a different direction. The angle at which light hits the surface is equal to the angle at which it reflects.
-
angular resolution
- the smallest angle at which two objects can be distinguished from each other, and it’s a key factor in image resolution.
-
twinkling
- caused by a phenomenon known as astronomical scintillation, which is a result of the Earth’s atmosphere bending and distorting light from stars
-
light pollution
- the result of excessive or inappropriate artificial light at night, which can negatively impact the environment and human health.
-
adaptive optics
- a technique that removes the atmospheric disturbance and allows a telescope to achieve diffraction-limited imaging from the ground
-
interferometry
- a measurement method using the phenomenon of interference of waves (usually light, radio or sound waves).