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Exam 3 Review
This “review sheet” has a list of questions that you can ask yourself to get a feel for your
own comfort level on the different topics that we’ve covered in class
Binary Stars
Do you understand the importance of studying binary star systems?
Are you able to describe the different ways binary stars are observed? You should be
able to identify what factors would prevent us from observing a binary star system in
particular way (e.g. why might we not see a binary system as a visual binary?).
Do you know how a star’s evolution can be affected by being a member of a binary star
system?
How are binary stars used to find the existence of black holes?
Star Clusters
How well do you know the characteristics of open clusters and globular clusters (e.g.
number of stars, location in the Galaxy, types of stars in each, etc.)?
What is the assumption we make about the formation of stars in a given cluster and what
does that lead us to believe about the age and distance to each star in a cluster? Can you
explain how we go about determining the age and distance to a given star cluster?
The Milky Way Galaxy
Do you know the properties of each of the three major regions of the Galaxy (bulge, disk,
stellar halo)? You should focus on details such as the types of stars in each region, the
(relative) stellar density, shape of each region, and other properties that may be specific
to each region.
Do you understand how our view of the Galaxy changed through more detailed
observations and how the ISM limited our view to begin with?
What is the difference between the Milky Way and the Milky Way Galaxy?
What leads us to believe that dark matter exists in the Galaxy and what are the two
possible explanations for what dark matter is made of?
Galaxies
What was the Great Nebula Debate and what observations did Hubble use to provide its
resolution?
Can you identify the properties of the different types of galaxies (elliptical, spiral/barred
spiral, irregular)?
Are you able to classify galaxies according to the Hubble Sequence? Do you know the
Milky Way Galaxy’s classification?
Do you understand how we believe galaxies are created as spirals and then evolve to
become elliptical galaxies through collisions/mergers?
Cosmology
Can you trace the general evolution of the Universe from the Big Bang to the present?
Do you know what evidence suggests that the Big Bang Theory is correct? What stage of
the Universe’s evolution is still unknown?
Do you know what the possible fates of the Universe are based on, and which of the
scenarios we believe to be the fate of the Universe based on current observations?
Do you know the estimated age of the Universe?
Exoplanets
What is the definition of a planet?
What are some of the general properties of exoplanets that astronomers have been able to
deduce from their observations (size, mass, orbital radius, total number discovered)?
What has limited astronomers’ attempts at seeing an exoplanet directly?
What are the methods used to detect the presence of exoplanets? Which method has been
most successful to date? Which method of detection will the Kepler telescope use?
What do astronomers hope to achieve with future observations?
What is the significance of each of the following exoplanets: 51 Pegasi (b); GQ Lupi (b);
Fomalhaut (b); HD 209458 (b); Upsilon Andromidae (b); Epsilon Eridani (b); Gliese 581
Extra-terrestrial Life
Do you know what conditions Earth has that made it favorable for life to develop on
Earth? How was life able to develop and thrive on Earth?
What are the properties of water and Carbon that make them essential ingredients for the
development of life?
What properties of other worlds (Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jovian planets, etc.)
would make us think that there isn’t life present there? What worlds show some promise
for the existence of basic forms of life, and why?
What search efforts have we made to establish contact with another advanced
civilization?
Key Terms to Know
The following is a list of terms that you should be comfortable with for the upcoming
exam. This list should be used as a guide and might not include every term that was
covered in class. For completeness, you should refer to the notes you took in class or the
notes that are posted on the web page.
Arecibo Message
Center of Mass
Chicxulub
Closed Universe
Cosmic Microwave Background
Critical Density
Cygnus X-1
Dark Matter Halo
Flat Universe
Habitable Zone
Hubble Constant
Hubble Law
Hubble Sequence
MACHO
Main Sequence Turnoff
Miller-Urey Experiment
Nova
Open Universe
Optical Double
Pioneer Plaques
Planck Era
SETI
String Theory (basic definition)
Supernova (Type I)
The Local Group
Voyager Gold Records
WIMP
Zone of Avoidance