AST 1002 STUDY GUIDE -- HOUR TEST 3




  1. observed properties of stars -- apparent brightness, magnitude system, color index; spectral classification, Harvard types and MK luminosity classes, and physical significance
  2. basic properties of stars -- mass, radius, luminosity, surface temperature, chemical composition; how they are obtained from observed properties (binaries, interferometer); mass-luminosity relation and main-sequence lifetime
  3. distances of stars -- trigonometric parallax, spectroscopic parallax; absolute magnitude and standard distance
  4. binary stars -- visual, eclipsing, spectroscopic (single-, double-line)
  5. Hertzsprung-Russell diagram -- coordinates, regions, connection with radius; main sequence turnoff; evolutionary track
  6. star formation -- gravitational instability, density and temperature, molecular clouds
  7. main sequence mass limits -- electron and neutron degeneracy pressure, brown dwarfs; radiation pressure, most massive main-sequence stars
  8. stellar evolution -- H core-burning, H shell-burning, He core-burning, He shell-burning; triple-alpha process, approximate temperature, "helium flash;" planetary nebula and mass loss; low mass, intermediate mass, and high mass; nuclear exhaustion and Type II supernova, supernova remnant and synchrotron radiation; close binaries, Algol paradox, mass transfer and accretion disk
  9. white dwarf -- pressure, mass-radius relation, Chandrasekhar limit; in binary systems: novae, carbon detonation supernovae (Type Ia)
  10. neutron star -- support; pulsars, mechanism; in binaries: "flickering" X-ray sources
  11. black hole -- definition, Schwarzschild type and radius, event horizon, tidal force, gravitational redshift, time dilation; Cygnus X-1
  12. structure of Milky Way -- bulge, disk with spiral arms, halo, Sun's position (Shapley); orbits in central bulge, disk and halo
  13. stellar populations -- Baade and Population I, II: age, "metals" and enrichment; location and orbits
  14. rotation curves for galaxies -- mass inside orbit, dark matter
  15. galactic center -- radio, infrared; motions and supermassive black hole
  16. distances of galaxies -- Hubble, Cepheids and period-luminosity relation; Type Ia supernovae; Hubble Law and calibration
  17. galaxy classification -- Hubble "tuning fork"; ellipticals, spirals, irregulars, and terminology; populations, colors, gas and dust; lenticulars
  18. distribution of galaxies -- groups, clusters, superclusters
  19. dark matter -- virial theorem, hot gas and hydrostatic equilibrium in clusters of galaxies; flat rotation curves
  20. cosmology and cosmological models -- general relativity, Friedman models, mean density, acceleration and dark energy