Topics for the first exam (21 October, 2002)
It is possible that not all these topics will be included in the exam - please follow the material discussed in class

1. Kepler's laws
2. Newton's laws
3. Law of Universal Gravitation
4. Conic sections
5. Semimajor and semiminor axes
6. Eccentricity
7. Centripetal and centrifugal forces
8. The Zodiac
9. Mercury or Venus as an Evening Star
10. Mercury or Venus as a Morning Star
11. Retrograde motion of a planet
12. Conjunction, Eastern Quadrature, Opposition, and Western Quadrature for a Superior Planet
13. Superior Conjunction, Great Eastern Elongation, Inferior Conjunction, and Great Western Elongation for an Inferior Planet
14. The Ecliptic
15. Retrograde motion of a superior planet in a heliocentric model
16. Synodic period of a planet
17. Sidereal period of a planet
18. Phases of Venus
19. Phases of the Moon
20. Astronomical unit
21. Perihelion, Aphelion, Perigeum, Apogeum
22. True anomaly
23. Eccentricity of conic sections
24. Weight and mass of a body
25. Newton's form of Kepler's Third Law
26. Equatorial inclination of a planet
27. Determination of planetary masses
28. Using Kepler's third law
29. Orbits of artificial satellites and space probes
30. A day, upper transit, celestial meridian
31. Vernal equinox and sidereal time
32. Local sidereal time and the hour angle
33. Apparent solar time
34. Mean solar time
35. Celestial equator
36. Equatorial coordinate system
37. Horizontal coordinate system
38. Daily motion of the sky for observers at different geographical latitudes
39. Division of the sky into regions containing stars that never rise, never set, and tose that rise and set
40. Highest and lowest altitude of the Sun for a given location
41. Highest and lowest altitude of the Moon for a given location
42. Equation of time
43. Time zones
44. Greenwich mean time
45. Origin of the month
46. Sidereal and tropical year
47. The seasons: vernal equinox, autumnal equinox, winter solstice, summer solstice
48. Tropics and Arctic circles
49. Solar insolation

8 October 2002