nebulae, cirrus, molecular clouds
star formation: shock wave -> fragmentation -> collapse -> protostars
protostar track on HR diagram, birth line, T Tauri stars
4 forces of nature
fission vs. fusion, stability of iron
CNO cycle vs. heavy-element fusion
solar neutrino problem
hydrostatic equilibrium: gravity-pressure balance
evolutionary track through width of Main Sequence on an HR diagram
lifetime = fuel / luminosity
which stars become white dwarfs/neutron stars/black holes when they die
why stars -> giants, why red dwarfs never become giants, evolutionary tracks on HR diagram
degeneracy pressure (electrons, neutrons), Chandrasekhar limit, mass limit of neutron stars
helium flash, carbon ignition, core vs. shell fusion
planetary nebula
white dwarf cooling
why supernovae occur, Type I vs. Type II, difference from novae
main sequence turnoff as an estimate of age
pulsars, lighthouse theory, why spins up and slows down
black holes: event horizon, singularity, gravitational redshift
variable stars, instability strip on HR diagram, RR lyrae & cepheids
open star clusters vs. globular clusters
structure and size of our Galaxy: disk, nuclear bulge, halo
rotation curve and evidence for dark matter
Population I vs. Population II stars and where they are found
spiral tracers, spiral density waves (trailing edge - why?)
self-sustaining star formation
evidence for a massive Black Hole in the Galactic Center
Hubble Sequence/Tuning Fork Diagram: ellipticals vs. spirals vs. irregulars
distance indicators used to calibrate Hubble's constant
look-back time
how we determine the diameter and luminosity of galaxies
evidence for dark matter in galaxies and clusters
rich clusters vs. poor clusters (groups)
galactic cannibalism and collisions
Active Galactic Nuclei vs. QSO (quasars) vs. radio galaxies vs. active galaxies
unified model of AGN, narrow vs. broad emission lines
Olber's paradox, Cosmological Principle: homogeneity, isotropy, universality
evidence for Big Bang: expansion, nucleosynthesis, Cosmic Microwave Background radation (CMB)
problems with Steady State theory
inflationary universe hypothesis & the horizon problem
fate of universe: critical density, open vs. flat vs. closed
Hot vs. Cold dark matter
age of the universe, cosmological constant, acceleration of expansion
origin of structure - density variations, gravitational instability