Download Current Study Guide - Department of Physics and Astronomy

ASTRONOMY FINAL EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
How was the solar system formed?
How are the solar system members distributed from the sun?
What are the characteristics of the outer, or Jovian, planets as compared to the
inner, or terrestrial, planets?
What process which was apparently common to all of the terrestrial planets in
their early history?
What is the Oort cloud?
Where did the oxygen in the earth's atmosphere come from?
Analysis of a stellar spectrum allows us to find what stellar properties?
What two properties govern the brightness of stars?
How are they related?
What are Sunspots and why do they look dark?
What is solar granulation? What is it is evidence for?
What is the important relation observed for Cepheid variable stars?
What is the H-R diagram?
What are its parameters?
Where are most stars found on the H-R Diagram?
Why are Stars spherical?
What is the most fundamental of all stellar properties?
A star spends most of its lifetime undergoing what process?
A pulsar is believed to be what kind of object?
Where were the heavy elements in our bodies formed?
The turn-off point on the H-R diagram of a star cluster will tell us what
property about the cluster?
A 21-centimeter photon comes from what process? Why is this radiation important?
What are Globular clusters and where are they located?
What are the largest definitely known structures in the universe?
How old is the Universe? How do we know?
Hubble's law states what relationship concerning galaxies?
What can you say about the state of the Universe at the moment of the
Big-Bang?
What is the cosmic background radiation and why is it important?
What is Dark Matter and Dark Energy and what is their role in modern cosmology?
How would you define Life?
What is a curious biochemical feature of life on earth?
What does the term “encephalization” refer to?
What is the characteristic molecule called which carries the code of
LAWKI? What are it's properties?
What would best be the best means of communication between other intelligent
species in the galaxy and us?
What is the water hole?
If our radio telescopes detected signals from a distant planet
what kind of extra-terrestrials would you expect to find?
The Miller experiment, with methane, ammonia and water-vapor subjected to
electrical sparks, showed what?
Where could the amino acids necessary for life on earth have originated?
(Hint: about 10% of the water we drink is extraterrestrial in origin)
Where would you expect to find intelligent life around main sequence stars?
Which stars in particular?
What elements in the earth's atmosphere are abundant because of the presence of
life on earth?
What is the probability of a technological civilization existing around a
10 solar mass star?
Which probabilities enter into the Drake Equation?
Life as we know it is based on what substances?
How would you estimate the present number of technical civilizations in our
galaxy?
Why is carbon is so important to living organisms?
What is the necessary medium for the transport of materials needed for the life
process?
Describe the possibility of planets with stable orbits in binary star systems
compared to single star systems.
What do the records left by fossils seem to indicate?
How would evidence of the existence of an alien civilization probably be found?
What is the most important factor in estimating the number of communicative
civilizations now present in the galaxy?
Why would direct contact with alien civilizations probably never occur at this
epoch in the history of our galaxy?
What is your “Cosmic Address?”
What does it me too say that “we are the Universe reflecting on itself?”