These themes are concepts that we will return to more than once in different contexts throughout the course. They are good very general staring points for studying for the exams and for the final.

• Properties of light- speed, wavelength/frequency, energy
• Atoms, especially the hydrogen atom: emission in different contexts (HII, 21 cm)
• Properties of stars and how we measure them
  • temperature
  • luminosity
  • radius
  • mass
  • distance
• The problem of how to calculate distances in astronomy
  • Inverse square law vs. distance modulus
  • Parallax
  • Cepheids
  • Other standard candles (e.g. Type 1a supernovae)
• Story of stellar evolution from star formation to remnants for:
  • low mass stars- main sequence (H core fusion), red giant, horizontal branch (He core fusion), AGB, planetary nebula + white dwarf
  • high mass stars- main sequence, multiple supergiant phases with different elements fused in core, Type II supernova + neutron star/pulsar or black hole
• Binary stars: mass transfer- Type 1a, Novae
• The size and structure of the Milky Way Galaxy, and the different stellar populations in each component
• Galaxy types and what distinguishes them from one another
• Evidence for dark matter
• Accretion disks around protostars, binaries undergoing mass transfer, active galactic nuclei
• Relationships between redshift, velocity, distance, and lookback time
• Age, shape, and composition of the universe
• Evidence for the beginning of the universe in a Big Bang and for dark energy throughout the universe