Account for the apparent motions of the Sun, Moon, and stars in terms of the actual motions of Earth and the Moon.

Show how the relative motions of Earth, the Sun, and the Moon lead to eclipses.

Explain how the observed motions of the planets led to our modern view of a Sun-centered solar system.

Sketch the major contributions of Galileo and Kepler to the development of our understanding of the solar system.

State Kepler's laws of planetary motion.

State Newton's laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation, and explain how the latter permits us to measure the masses of astronomical bodies.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Discuss the nature of electromagnetic radiation and how that radiation transfers energy and information through interstellar space.

Name the major regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Tell how we can determine an object's temperature by observing the radiation it emits.

Describe the characteristics of continuous, emission, and absorption spectra, and the conditions under which each is produced.

Specify the basic components of the atom and describe our modern conception of its structure.

Explain how electron transitions within atoms produce unique emission and absorption spectra.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Sketch and describe the basic designs of the major types of optical telescopes.

Explain why very large telescopes are needed for most astronomical studies and specify the advantages of reflecting telescopes for astronomical use.

Describe how Earth's atmosphere affects astronomical observations and discuss some of the current efforts to improve ground-based astronomy.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of radio astronomy.

Explain how interferometry can enhance the usefulness of radio observations.

Discuss the advantages, limitations, and chief uses of infrared, ultraviolet, high-energy, and full-spectrum astronomies.

Explain why it is important to make astronomical observations in many different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Describe the scale and structure of the solar system and summarize the basic differences between the terrestrial and the jovian planets.

Summarize the orbital and physical properties of the major groups of asteroids.

Describe the composition and structure of a typical comet and explain how a cometary tail forms.

Explain what cometary orbits tell us about the probable origin of comets.

Summarize the orbital and physical properties of meteoroids and explain how these bodies are related to asteroids and comets.

List the major facts that any theory of solar system formation must explain and indicate how the leading theory accounts for them.

Outline the process by which planets form as natural by-products of star formation and explain the crucial role of dust in planet formation.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Summarize and compare the basic properties of Earth and the Moon, and explain why the two bodies differ.

Describe the consequences of gravitational interactions between Earth and the Moon.

Discuss how Earth's atmosphere helps heat us as well as protect us.

Explain how dynamic events early in the Moon's history formed its surface features.

Outline our current model of Earth's interior structure and describe some experimental techniques used to establish this model.

Describe the nature and origin of Earth's magnetosphere.

Summarize the evidence for continental drift and discuss the physical processes that drive it.

Discuss theories of the formation and evolution of Earth and the Moon.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Explain how Mercury's rotation has been influenced by its orbit around the Sun.

Describe how the atmospheres of Venus and Mars differ from one another and from Earth's.

Compare the surface of Mercury with that of the Moon and the surfaces of Venus and Mars with that of Earth.

Describe how we know that Mars once had running water and a thick atmosphere.

Discuss the similarities and differences in the geological histories of the four terrestrial planets.

Explain why the atmospheres of Venus, Mars, and Earth are now so different from one another.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Explain how both chance and calculation played major roles in the discovery of Uranus and Neptune.

Describe the similarities and the differences among the four jovian worlds.

Discuss some of the processes responsible for the properties of the jovian atmospheres.

Describe how the internal structure and composition of the jovian planets are inferred from external measurements.

Explain why three of the four jovian worlds radiate more energy into space than they receive from the Sun.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Describe how the Galilean moons form a miniature solar system around Jupiter and exhibit a wide range of properties.

Understand that Titan, Saturn's largest moon, has an atmosphere in which complex chemical reactions take place.

Explain what the medium-sized jovian moons reveal about the outer solar system.

Describe the nature and detailed structure of Saturn's rings.

Discuss the differences between the rings of Saturn and those of the other jovian planets.

Explain how the Pluto–Charon system is fundamentally different from all other planet–moon systems.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Objectives

Summarize the overall properties of the Sun.

Explain how energy travels from the solar core, through the interior, and out into space.

Name the Sun's outer layers and describe what those layers tell us about the Sun's surface composition and temperature.

Discuss the nature of the Sun's magnetic field and its relationship to the various types of solar activity.

Outline the process by which energy is produced in the Sun's interior.

Explain how observations of the Sun's core challenge our present understanding of solar physics.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Explain how stellar distances are determined.

Discuss stellar motion and how this motion is measured from Earth.

Explain how physical laws are used to estimate stellar sizes.

Distinguish between luminosity and apparent brightness, and explain how stellar luminosity is determined.

Explain the usefulness of classifying stars according to their colors, surface temperatures, and spectral characteristics.

Describe how an H–R diagram is constructed and used to identify stellar properties.

Explain how stellar masses are measured and how mass is related to other stellar properties.

Distinguish between open and globular star clusters, and explain why the study of star clusters is important to astronomers.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Summarize the composition and physical properties of the interstellar medium.

Describe the characteristics of emission nebulae, and explain their significance in the life cycle of stars.

Discuss the nature of dark interstellar clouds.

Specify the radio techniques used to probe the nature of interstellar matter.

Summarize the sequence of events leading to the formation of a star like our Sun.

Explain how the formation of a star is affected by its mass.

Describe some of the observational evidence supporting the modern theory of star formation.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Explain why stars evolve off the main sequence.

Summarize the evolutionary stages followed by a Sun-like star once it leaves the main sequence, and describe the resulting remnant.

Explain how white dwarfs in binary systems can become explosively active.

Contrast the evolutionary histories of high-mass and low-mass stars.

Describe the two types of supernova, and explain how each is produced.

Explain the origin of elements heavier than helium, and discuss the significance of these elements for the study of stellar evolution.

Discuss the observations that help verify the theory of stellar evolution.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Describe the properties of neutron stars and explain how these strange objects are formed.

Explain the nature and origin of pulsars, and account for their characteristic radiation.

List and explain some of the observable properties of neutron-star binary systems.

Describe how black holes are formed and discuss their effects on matter and radiation in their vicinity.

Relate the phenomena that occur near black holes to the warping of space around them.

Discuss some of the ways in which the presence of a black hole might be detected.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Describe the overall structure of the Milky Way Galaxy, and specify how the various regions differ from one another.

Explain the importance of variable stars in determining the size and shape of our Galaxy.

Describe the orbital paths of stars in different regions of the Galaxy, and explain how these motions are accounted for by our understanding of how the Galaxy formed.

Discuss some possible explanations for the existence of the spiral arms observed in our own and many other galaxies.

Explain what studies of galactic rotation reveal about the size and mass of our Galaxy, and discuss the possible nature of dark matter.

Describe some of the phenomena observed at the center of our Galaxy.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Describe the basic properties of the main types of normal galaxies.

Summarize what is known about the large-scale distribution of galaxies in the universe.

Discuss the distance-measurement techniques that enable astronomers to map the universe beyond our Milky Way.

Describe some of the methods used to determine the masses of distant galaxies.

Explain why astronomers think that most of the matter in the universe is invisible.

Discuss some theories of how galaxies form and evolve.

State Hubble's law and explain how it is used to derive distances to the most remote objects in the observable universe.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Specify the basic differences between active and normal galaxies.

Describe the important features of Seyfert and radio galaxies.

Explain what drives the central engine thought to power all active galaxies.

Describe the observed properties of quasars and discuss the special properties of the radiation they emit.

Discuss the place of active galaxies in current theories of galactic evolution.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

State the cosmological principle and explain its significance.

Explain how the age of the universe is determined and discuss the uncertainties involved.

Summarize the leading evolutionary models of the universe and discuss the factors that determine whether or not the universe will expand forever.

Describe the cosmic microwave background radiation and explain its importance to our understanding of cosmology.

Explain how nuclei and atoms emerged from the primeval fireball.

Summarize the horizon and flatness problems, and discuss the theory of cosmic inflation as a possible solution to these problems.

Explain the formation of large-scale structure in the cosmos and discuss the observational evidence for our theories of structure formation.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

Summarize the process of cosmic evolution as it is currently understood.

Evaluate the chances of finding life in the solar system.

Summarize the various probabilities used to estimate the number of advanced civilizations that might exist in our Galaxy.

Discuss some of the techniques we might use to search for extraterrestrials and to communicate with them.

*Test will be M/C and T/F

* All Test Fall on Tuesdays unless Monday is a Holiday then they fall on Wednesday