Course Review

Overview of the Universe and Solar System

• hierarchy of the Universe: solar system, stars, galaxies, universe.
• basic picture the formation of the Universe
• cosmic timeline
• motions of the Earth 

Observing the Sky

• the celestial sphere: definitions, angles, motion in the sky, the ecliptic
• seasonal changes
• lunar phases and rotation
• eclipses: solar, lunar
• motion of the planets: retrograde motion
• epicycles and the development of the heliocentric model of the solar system.
• Copernicus, Tycho, Kepler
• Kepler's Laws
• Galileo's observations
  

Motion, Energy, and Gravity

• definitions: velocity, acceleration, momentum, etc.
• weight and weightlessness
• Newton's Laws of motion
• types of energy: potential, kinetic, thermal, radiant
• conservation of energy
• law of gravity
• orbits and energy; escape velocity
• tidal forces and tides
• tidal friction
  

Light and Matter

• interaction between light and matter
• light: photons and waves
• the electromagnetic spectrum: wavelength, energy, and color/type
• atomic structure
• phases of matter
• how energy is stored in atoms
• types of spectra (continuous, absorption, emission)
• chemical fingerprints
  
• thermal radiation
• the Doppler effect

Telescopes

• light collecting and resolution
• types of telescopes: refractor vs reflector
• effects of the atmosphere; why we put telescopes in space
• different telescopes for different wavelengths

Our Solar System

• scale of the solar system
• basic properties of planets
• patterns in the solar system (orbital, compositional)

Formation of the Solar System

• nebular theory: collapse of a gas cloud into a heated, spinning disk w/ star at the center
• condensation: how it depends on temperature and distance from the Sun
• accretion and planet building
• capture of gases by massive cores to form the gas giants
• asteroids and comets
• how does it explain various properties of the solar system?

Planetary Geology

• structure of planetary interiors
• how planetary interiors heat and cool; how it depends on size
• magnetic fields
  
• shaping surfaces: cratering, volcanic activity, tectonics, erosion
• history of the Moon, Mercury
• Mars: surface features, evidence for ancient (current?) water
• Venus: volcanic activity
• Earth: plate tectonics, continental drift
• Planetary Geology: destined at birth?
  

Planetary Atmospheres

• atmospheric pressure
• the greenhouse effect
• planetary temperatures: what determines them
  
• basic properties of planets' atmospheres
  
• how light interacts w/ atmosphere (why is the sky blue?)
  
• structure: troposphere, stratosphere, thermosphere
• aurorae and the magnetosphere
• what influences climate
• creation and destruction processes of atmospheres
  
• Mars' climate and climate change
• Venus' runaway greenhouse
  
• The Earth's carbon dioxide cycle
  
• Global climate change on Earth
  

The Jovian Planets

• differences in density and composition
• interior structure
• internal heat
  
• atmospheric structure & jovian weather 
• magnetic fields
• the Galilean satellites of Jupiter: tidal heating and basic properties
• Titan: atmosphere, surface, role of methane
• properties of rings
• formation of rings
  

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets

• asteroids: basic properties
• the asteroid belt: resonances and origins
  
• meteorites: primitive and processed meteorites
• comets: structure (nucleus, coma, tails)
• why tails point away from the Sun
• comets and meteor showers
  
• comet reservoirs: Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt
• Pluto: planet or Kuiper Belt object?
• the dwarf planets of the Kuiper Belt
  
• Shoemaker-Levy 9: what happened
• mass extinctions and the dino-killer
• consequences of impacts
• the role of the jovian planets
  

Other Planetary Systems

• gravitational tugs on stars from their planets
• doppler technique
• transits/eclipses
• direct detection (why its hard)
• properties of extrasolar planets (masses, orbits)
• "Hot Jupiters"
• revising the nebular theory: planetary migration and encounters
  

The Sun

• why does the sun shine?
• structure of the sun
• the proton-proton chain
• why is the core of the Sun hot?
• how does energy get out: radiative diffusion, convection
• sunspots and magnetic fields
• the sunspot cycle
• the effect of the Sun's activity on the Earth

Night Sky Interludes

• know your bright stars and prominent constellations