ASTR 1010 Fall 2007: Study Guide for Quiz #1

READING: Sections 1.1 - 1.6; Sections 2.2: pages 36-37; Appendix 1.

Topics you should know and understand for Quiz #1 (not necessarily a complete list)

1) DEFINITIONS: Astronomical Unit, light year, arcminute, arcsecond, right ascension, declination, latitude, longitude, constellation, star cluster, celestial sphere, celestial equator, celestial north pole, precession, ecliptic, zenith, meridian, vernal equinox, autumnal equinox, summer solstice, winter solstice, solar day, sidereal day, lunar month, sidereal month, solar eclipse, lunar eclipse, annular eclipse, synchronous rotation, retrograde motion of the planets.

2) MATHEMATICAL RELATIONSHIPS: The angular size of an object is proportional to its physical size, and inversely proportional to its distance from us; powers of 10 notation.

3) OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: What causes the seasons, what causes the phases of the moon, how to tell a waxing moon from a waning moon, what time of day a first quarter, full, or third quarter moon rises, what time of day they cross the meridian, when solar and lunar eclipses occur, how to tell a planet from a star on the sky, what the retrograde motion of the planets is, and why it happens.