ASTRONOMY 3 FINAL EXAM REVIEW SHEET About the test: -- You do not NEED a calculator, but you may use one, and it may be helpful. -- You do not need to remember any equations or constants; they will be provided for you on page 1. (Exception: k in Kepler's Law; know how to calculate it, like on the homeworks!) However, you will need to know how to use the equations and what the symbols mean. The most important equations for you to understand are: Kepler's third law, Newton's second law, the law of gravitation, Wien's law, the relation between luminosity and temperature, the equivalence of matter and energy (Einstein's famous formula), the rule of 72, and the "Drake" Equation. Here are some study tips: Do three "passes" through this review sheet. 1st pass: Go through each of the sections below, letter by letter. Make sure you have at least a vague idea about the term or concept. If there's a formula involved, at least write this formula down for further study (so that you do not have to go hunt it up again). When you are done with this pass, you should have at least a basic and/or crude knowledge of all lettered items on the review sheet. 2nd Pass: STUDY YOUR HOMEWORKS AND EXAMS! Get a copy of the exam (from 1993) on reserve in both libraries. Go through it, checking your knowledge of each question. Look for areas which you need to study more. Go back through the review sheet and fill in your knowledge of the more detailed information outlined above, while EMPHASIZING what has been on homeworks and exams (including the final on reserve). Take a look at the homework and solutions for each subject. This pass should fill in the most important gaps in your knowledge. 3rd Pass: Check that you can solve the mathematical problems. Mop up the places where you feel shaky about your knowledge. Fill in your remaining knowledge gaps. Do not get bogged down on details about a few items. Go for a BASIC UNDERSTANDING of these concepts. Mere facts are not the main interest; be able to describe ideas. Talk to your TAs or to Professor Drake if you have questions or need advice on what's important to study. Stuart's Wednesday, Dec. 10 section meeting is moved to Monday, 7-8 pm, Thimann 103A. The best way to contact us about a question is e-mail: stuart@ucolick.org or patrik@ucolick.org. GOOD LUCK!!! =============================================================================== MIDTERM 1 MATERIAL OVERVIEW -- Be able to visually recognize the planets in photographs -- Have a feeling for their relative sizes and distances -- Know Scientific Notation HISTORY OF IDEAS ABOUT THE SOLAR SYSTEM -- What did the Greeks think? Ptolemy? -- What did Copernicus propose? -- Occam's Razor -- Galileo's contributions -- Kepler's and Newton's contributions CELESTIAL MECHANICS -- Heliocentric vs Geocentric Model -- Kepler's 3 laws - (1) ellipses, (2) equal areas, (3) harmonic law -- Be able to draw an ellipse and apply it to a planetary orbit like on homework 2 -- Newton's 3 laws - inertia, f=ma, equal reactions -- Newton's gravity - universal law, how it relates to weight THE "CELESTIAL CLOCKWORK" -- Know what these terms mean: perihelion and aphelion, terrestrial and celestial poles and equators, the ecliptic, obliquity of the ecliptic, summer and winter solstices, spring and fall equinoxes, Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, Arctic and Antarctic Circles, "circumpolar" stars, solar time and sidereal time, precession, lunar and solar eclipses, leap years -- What causes seasons? What causes tides? OPTICAL, RADIO, OTHER TELESCOPES -- Wave-like properties of light: frequency, wavelength, energy -- The Electromagnetic Spectrum: know all the forms of light. What are the wavelengths of visible light? -- Atmospheric Transparency - which types of light coming from space can reach the ground -- Telescopes: light gathering power and angular resolution (hw 2) -- Atmospheric effects on Optical and Radio Telescopes -- Why put telescopes in space? THE MOON -- Features of Moon - craters, maria, highlands, impact basins and lunar volcanism -- Determining ages - radioactive decay, half-life, radioactive dating, crater counts -- Formation theories - what is most favored model for the Moon's formation? MERCURY -- Relative visibility in sky -- Orbital size & period, rotation rate, orbital resonance -- Properties - composition, radius, density, core composition, temperatures (do not memorize numbers) -- Topography - comparative to Moon, craters, scarps, Caloris basin, volcanism -- Moons MARS -- Earth Observation highlights (canals!) -- Orbital size, period, & rotation rate, global perspective -- Spacecraft Missions - Mariner, Viking (1&2), discoveries -- Topology - cratered terrain, volcanos and channels, polar regions -- Atmosphere - composition, comparison to Earth, thermal structure, clouds/dust, winds -- Evidence for Water in the past, implications for early climate -- Moons VENUS -- Orbital size & period, rotation rate, orbital resonance -- Venera (Russian), Pioneer, & Magellan probes -- Atmosphere - composition, clouds, pressure, temperature -- Venera photos of surface -- Results of Magellan -- Atmospheric "Windows" - connection to Greenhouse effect -- Runaway Greenhouse Effect - "greenhouse" gases; can you explain the greenhouse effect and how it is believed to have occurred on Venus? -- Moons STRUCTURE OF THE SUN; NATURE OF RADIATION -- Structure - core, convective zone, photosphere, chromosphere, corona -- Physical Properties - temperature, density, pressure, luminosity (how do these change going outward from the Sun's center to its "surface" and beyond?) -- Energy Transport - conduction, convection, radiation -- Energy Generation - nuclear fusion: what is it, and where does it take place in the Sun? -- Solar Neutrino "Problem" - what is it? SOLAR PHENOMENA: SUNSPOTS, CORONA, ETC. -- Features on the Solar surface - granulation, sun spots, flares, prominences -- Above the Sun - solar wind (what is it composed of?) -- Sunspot Cycle - period in years, relation to magnetic field and differential rotation of Sun, Maunder Minimum ============================================================================== MIDTERM 2 MATERIAL ATMOSPHERES a) Energy Balance - incoming Sunlight, outgoing blackbody radiation b) Atmospheric "Windows" - connection to Greenhouse effect c) Adiabatic Lapse Rates - connection to cloud formations, surface temperature d) Hadley Cells - climatic effects e) Coriolis "Force" - connection to prevailing winds (includes Hadley cells) f) Runaway Greenhouse Effect - "greenhouse" gases, reversibility? e) Ice Catastrophe - reversibility? g) Factors Effecting Climatic Evolution - 4 major ones EARTH a) Orbital size, period, & rotation rate b) Interior - core, mantle, crust, S & P waves c) Tectonics - continental drift, subduction zones, volcanic activity associated with 1) mid-ocean ridges 2) subduction zones, 3) hot spots, volcanic eruptions - a) shield, b) explosive d) Atmosphere - composition, why so little Carbon Dioxide, temperature structure (3 main regimes), convection cells, comparison to Venus e) Carbon Dioxide Cycle - human contribution, influence on temperature, the cycle sources and sinks f) Magnetosphere - Van Allen radiation belts, Northern and Southern lights / auroras g) Climatic Evolution - Ice ages, atmospheric temperature, sunspot connection? Young faint Sun paradox? h) Population Growth - exponential growth, doubling time history on earth, considerations for future i) Space Colonies - proposed plans for them, pro's and con's JOVIAN a) Discovering Uranus - Hershel, serendipity, (George?) b) Discovering Neptune - Leverrier & Adams, Galle, d'Arrest (Galileo!) c) Chemical Differences between inner and outer solar system - why? e) Basic Comparative Properties - periods, sizes, densities, tilts, interiors, composition, cores f) Jupiter's magnetosphere g) Jupiter's Red Spot - high pressure zone, bands, belts h) Comparative Atmospheres - circulation, colors, cloud layers, adiabatic lapse rates, wind speeds and patterns i) Comparative Magnetospheres j) Comparative Moons and Rings k) Evidence for catastophic events in the past l) Internal energy generation (Jupiter's gravitational energy, Saturn's helium rain) PLUTO a) Discovery - irregularities in Neptune's orbit b) Charon - discovery, P.L. initials c) Global perspective - mass, density, size, orbit MOONS AND RINGS a) Mini Solar Systems b) Roche Limit - connection to tidal force c) Saturn's Rings - basic structure, tiny snowballs, Cassini and Encke divisions d) Sheparding & co-orbital satellites - Pandora & Prometheus, Janus & Epimetheus e) Resonance Effect - connection to Cassini Division f) The Galilean Satellites - basic comparative properties (what are they made of, where are they and what do they look like) and histories g) Titan - atmosphere, lakes? h) Iapetus - whitest white / blackest black i) Triton - atmosphere, craters, polar caps, orbit ASTEROIDS a) Orbits - asteroid belt, Apollo, Trojan, comparison with comets, planetary encounters, Kirkwood gaps b) Composition and classification c) Earth related stuff - historical impacts, effects following an impact, evidence of impacts, effects on life e) Naming schemes COMETS a) Orbits - very eccentric, long period, short period, planetary encounters b) Anatomy - tails, coma, nucleus, hydrogen envelope, outgassing, composition c) Origins - Oort cloud, Kuiper belt d) Earth related stuff - chemical contributions, historical impact ============================================================================== MATERIAL AFTER MIDTERM 2 METEORS a) Nomenclature - meteor/asteroid/meteorite/tektite/etc. b) Origins - differentiated vs. primitive c) Anatomy - chemical composition compared with asteroids d) Meteor Showers - relation to comets SOLAR SYSTEM FORMATION a) History - nebular hypothesis vs. passing star b) Angular Momentum - what is it? what role does it play in the nebular hypothesis c) Current Theories - protoplanet formation, planetesimals - temperature gradient outward from Sun and how that affects composition; T Tauri phase - terrestrial versus Jovian planet formation OTHER PLANETARY SYSTEMS a) Detection - 4 main methods and basic ideas to make them work - why is direct imaging of planets difficult? Airy disk pattern b) Effects on central star - stellar "wobble", barycenters, effect on "proper motion" and "radial velocity" c) Recent detections - surprising findings, implications for life? LIFE IN THE GALAXY a) The "Drake" equation - what is each term, good estimates for each term, which is least known ** there is a lot of other science in this equation, be sure to think about that ** b) That's Life - working definitions, simplicity of composition c) Miller-Urey related stuff - origins of organic molecules, sources of energy for pre-biology d) Intelligence - development, measuring it