Astro Final

Final Unit Test Study Guide: Astronomical Entities and Galaxies

Astronomical Entities

• White dwarfs 

  • What makes them different from main sequence stars? 

  • Why do we get a better idea of the age of our Galaxy by studying them? 

• Neutron stars

  • General characteristics

  • What causes a neutron star to be considered a pulsar or a magnetar?

• Black holes

  • General characteristics

  • How does light not escape from a black hole, and what happens once the event horizon is crossed, even to information as to what entered the black hole?

• Supernovas

  • What makes Type 1a supernovas different from other types? 

  • What do astronomers use Type 1a supernovas for? 

  • How do they observe Type 1a supernovas? 

Galaxies

• Structure of the Milky Way Galaxy

  • Do you know the general parts of the Milky Way? 

  • Can you describe the basic properties of these parts? 

• Dark matter

  • How much of the universe appears to be dark matter?

  • What evidence do astronomers have that suggest to them that dark matter exists?

• Types of galaxies

  • What are the 4 major types of galaxies as described by Hubble? 

    • Can you distinguish them?

• Galaxy mergers

  • What do galaxy mergers look like?

  • What’s left over after a galaxy merger? 

• Active galactic nuclei

  • What causes an active galactic nucleus?