so i won't get my hands on the book before next week (if at all before christmas), and i was wondering if someone could give me a quick rundown on some of the new skills:

alchemy: making potions and magic crafting i guess? some clarification would be appreciated

astrocartography: i guess like astrogation from star wars, but is it supposed to also be used for general navigation in a fantasy setting for example?

operating: i read its for big ships, i guess both starships and sailing in medieval settings (and possibly heavy machinery?)

knowledge: was it all rolled into a single skill or is there guidance on how many knowledge skills one should create?

I have not yet looked through the book thoroughly, but I think that any new skills are just new names to fit the game.

The various 'schools' of magic are Skills.

You pretty much have the rest down.

Knowledge is left to the GM to decide how many for their setting. I'm sure genre books will make their suggestions.