Reach for the Stars

Reach for the Stars is a Division B event being held in the 2016 season. This event rotates every two years with Solar System. It was previously an event during the 2011-2012 season and the 2012-2013 season.

For information pertaining to the 2011-2012 rules, see Reach for the Stars 2011-2012.

2016-2017 Rules
Each team will be allowed to bring 2 double-sided 8.5" x 11" sheets of notes, and may be asked to bring a clipboard and red filtered flashlight. You are allowed to put anything on this paper, such as text, illustrations, tables, and pictures.

Stars
These are the stars from the 2016-2017 list (not in alphabetical order):

Altair: The name Altair is derived from the Arabic for "The Flying Eagle." The star is located about 16.7 light-years (ly) away from our Sun, Sol, in the north central part (19:50:47.00+08:52:05.96, ICRS 2000.0) of Constellation Aquila, the Eagle. Also called Alpha Aquilae, Altair is the brightest star in Aquila. It is also the lower left member of the "Summer Triangle" of first magnitude stars viewed from the northern hemisphere, formed with Vega (Alpha Lyrae) at the lower right, and Deneb (Alpha Cygni) at upper right. Altair is readily visible to the naked eye. With a telescope, an optical companion may be visible. Altair is a white main sequence dwarf star of spectral and luminosity type A7V. According to various estimates, the star has about 1.7 times Sol's mass, 1.8 times its equatorial diameter, and about 10.7 times its visual luminosity and 9.845 its bolometric luminosity (NASA Star and Exoplanet Database, derived from of Kenneth R. Lang, 1980). Like Sirius, however, Altair radiates much more in ultraviolet wavelengths than Sol, and, not surprisingly, the European Space Agency has used ultraviolet spectral flux distribution data to determine stellar effective temperatures and surface gravities, including those of Altair.

Capella: Capella, also designated Alpha Aurigae (α Aurigae, abbreviated Alpha Aur, α Aur), is the brightest star in the constellation of Auriga; the sixth-brightest in the night sky and the third-brightest in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus and Vega. Although it appears to be a single star to the naked eye, it is actually a star system of four stars in two binary pairs. The first pair consists of two bright, type-G giant stars, designated Capella Aa and Capella Ab, in a very tight circular orbit some 0.76 AU apart and a derived orbital period of 104 days. Capella Aa is the brighter of the two at spectral class K0III (G8 Giant) whereas Ab is slightly smaller and of spectral class G1III (G0 Giant). Aa has a calculated mass of 3.05 times that of the Sun and Ab some 2.57 times that of the Sun. These two stars have both exhausted their core hydrogen fuel and become giant stars, though it is unclear exactly what stage they are on the stellar evolutionary pathway. The second pair, around 10,000 astronomical units from the first, consists of two faint, small and relatively cool red dwarfs. They are designated Capella H and Capella L. The stars labelled Capella C through to G and I through to K are actually unrelated stars in the same visual field. The Capella system is relatively close, at only 42.8 light-years (13.1 pc) from the Sun.

Arcturus: Arcturus, also designated Alpha Boötis (α Boötis, abbreviated Alpha Boo, α Boo) is a star in the constellation of Boötes. It is relatively close at 36.7 light-years from the Sun. Together with Spica and Denebola (or Regulus, depending on the source), Arcturus is part of the Spring Triangle asterism and, by extension, also of the Great Diamond along with the star Cor Caroli. With an apparent visual magnitude of −0.05, Arcturus is the brightest star in the Northern celestial hemisphere and the fourth-brightest star in the night sky,[16] after Sirius (−1.46 apparent magnitude), Canopus (−0.86) and Alpha Centauri (−0.27). However, Alpha Centauri is a binary star, whose unresolved components to the naked eye are both fainter than Arcturus. This makes Arcturus the third-brightest individual star, just ahead of Alpha Centauri A, whose apparent magnitude is −0.01.[17] The French mathematician and astronomer Jean-Baptiste Morin observed Arcturus in the daytime with a telescope (a first for any star other than the Sun and supernovae) in 1635, and Arcturus has been seen at or just before sunset with the naked eye. Arcturus is visible from both Earth's hemispheres as it is located 19° north of the celestial equator. The star culminates at midnight on 27 April, and at 9PM on June 10 being visible during the late northern spring or the southern autumn.[18] From the northern hemisphere, an easy way to find Arcturus is to follow the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper (Plough). By continuing in this path, one can find Spica, "Arc to Arcturus, then spike to Spica". Ptolemy described Arcturus as subrufa ("slightly red"): it has a B-V color index of +1.23, roughly midway between Pollux (B-V +1.00) and Aldebaran (B-V +1.54). Eta Boötis, or Muphrid, is only 3.3 light-years distant from Arcturus, and would have a visual magnitude −2.5, whereas an observer on the former system would find Arcturus as bright as Venus as seen from Earth. Arcturus is a type K3 III red giant star. With an absolute magnitude of −0.30 it is, together with Vega and Sirius, one of the most luminous stars in the Sun's neighborhood. It is about 110 times brighter than the Sun in visible light wavelengths, but this underestimates its strength as much of the light it gives off is in the infrared; total (bolometric) power output is about 180 times that of the Sun. The lower output in visible light is due to a lower efficacy as the star has a lower surface temperature than the Sun. With a near-infrared J band magnitude of −2.2, only Betelgeuse (−2.9) and R Doradus (−2.6) are brighter.

Sirius: Sirius is a star system and the brightest star in the Earth's night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek Σείριος (Seirios), meaning "glowing" or "scorcher". The system has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris (α CMa). What the naked eye perceives as a single star is actually a binary star system, consisting of a white main-sequence star of spectral type A1V, termed Sirius A, and a faint white dwarf companion of spectral type DA2, called Sirius B. The distance separating Sirius A from its companion varies between 8.2 and 31.5 AU. irius appears bright because of both its intrinsic luminosity and its proximity to Earth. At a distance of 2.6 parsecs (8.6 ly), as determined by the Hipparcos astrometry satellite, the Sirius system is one of Earth's near neighbors. Sirius is gradually moving closer to the Solar System, so it will slightly increase in brightness over the next 60,000 years. After that time its distance will begin to increase and it will become fainter, but it will continue to be the brightest star in the Earth's night sky for the next 210,000 years. Sirius A is about twice as massive as the Sun (M☉) and has an absolute visual magnitude of 1.42. It is 25 times more luminous than the Sun but has a significantly lower luminosity than other bright stars such as Canopus or Rigel. The system is between 200 and 300 million years old. It was originally composed of two bright bluish stars. The more massive of these, Sirius B, consumed its resources and became a red giant before shedding its outer layers and collapsing into its current state as a white dwarf around 120 million years ago. Sirius is also known colloquially as the "Dog Star", reflecting its prominence in its constellation, Canis Major (Greater Dog).

Procyon: Procyon, also designated Alpha Canis Minoris (α Canis Minoris, abbreviated Alpha CMi, α CMi), is the brightest star in the constellation of Canis Minor. To the naked eye, it appears to be a single star, the eighth-brightest in the night sky with a visual apparent magnitude of 0.34. It is a binary star system, consisting of a white main-sequence star of spectral type F5 IV–V, named Procyon A, and a faint white dwarf companion of spectral type DQZ, named Procyon B. The reason for its brightness is not its intrinsic luminosity but its relative closeness to the Sun. As determined by the European Space Agency Hipparcos astrometry satellite, it lies at a distance of just 11.46 light-years (3.51 parsecs), and is therefore one of Earth's nearest stellar neighbours. Its closest neighboring star is Luyten's Star, about 1.12 ly (0.34 pc) away, and the latter would appear as a visual magnitude 2.7 star in the night sky of a hypothetical planet orbiting Procyon. Procyon is the eighth-brightest star in the night sky, culminating at midnight on January 14. It forms one of the three vertices of the Winter Triangle asterism, in combination with Sirius and Betelgeuse. The prime period for evening viewing of Procyon is in late winter. It has a color index of 0.42, and its hue has been described as having a faint yellow tinge to it.

Deneb: Deneb, also designated Alpha Cygni (α Cygni, abbreviated Alpha Cyg, α Cyg), is the brightest star in the constellation of Cygnus. It is one of the vertices of the asterism known as the Summer Triangle and forms the 'head' of the Northern Cross. It is the 19th brightest star in the night sky, with an apparent magnitude of 1.25. A blue-white supergiant, Deneb is also one of the most luminous stars. However, its exact distance (and hence luminosity) has been difficult to calculate; it is estimated to be somewhere between 55,000 and 196,000 times as luminous as the Sun.

Castor: Castor, also designated Alpha Geminorum (α Geminorum, abbreviated Alpha Gem, α Gem) is the second-brightest star in the constellation of Gemini and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Although it has the identifier 'alpha', it is actually fainter than Beta Geminorum (Pollux). Castor was recorded as a visual binary in 1718 by James Pound. It may have been resolved in 1678 by Cassini. The separation of the two stars has increased from 2" in 1907[15] to 7" in 1997. The two stars form a visual double, with magnitudes of 1.9 and 3.0. A third star is 73" distant from the main components. It was discovered to vary in brightness with a regular period and was thought to be an eclipsing binary, but the variations are now considered to be due to areas of different brightness on the surface of one or both stars. It was given the variable star designation YY Geminorum. All three of the visual components are actually spectroscopic binaries and Castor is a complex multiple star system made up of six individual stars. Castor A and B both have orbits of a few days with a much fainter companion. The Castor C components orbit in less than a day. Castor C is believed to be in orbit around the bright pair, but with an extremely long period of several thousand years. The combined apparent magnitude of all six stars is +1.58. Castor is 51 light-years away from Earth, determined from its large annual parallax. The two brightest stars are both A-class main-sequence stars, more massive and brighter than the Sun. The properties of their red dwarf companions are difficult to determine, but are both thought to have less than half the mass of the Sun. The two red dwarfs of Castor C are almost identical, with masses around a half M☉ and luminosities less than 10% of the Sun. Castor B is an Am star, with particularly strong spectral lines of certain metals. Castor C is a variable star, classified as a BY Dra type. BY Draconis variables are cool dwarf stars which vary as they rotate due to star spots or other variations in their photospheres. All the red dwarfs in the Castor system have emissions lines in their spectra, and all are Flare stars.

Pollux: Pollux, also designated Beta Geminorum (β Geminorum, abbreviated Beta Gem, β Gem), is an orange-hued evolved giant star approximately 34 light-years from the Sun in the northern constellation of Gemini. It is the closest giant star to the Sun. Since 1943, the spectrum of this star has served as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified. In 2006, an extrasolar planet (designated Pollux b or β Gem b, later named Thestias) was confirmed to be orbiting it. Parallax measurements made with the Hipparcos astrometry satellite place Pollux at a distance of about 33.78 light-years (10.36 parsecs) from the Sun. At an apparent visual magnitude of 1.1, Pollux is the brightest star in the constellation, brighter even than its neighbor Castor (Alpha Geminorum). The star is larger than the Sun, with about two times its mass and almost nine times its radius.[8] Once an A-type main sequence star, Pollux has exhausted the hydrogen at its core and evolved into a giant star with a stellar classification of K0 III. The effective temperature of this star's outer envelope is about 4666 K, which lies in the range that produces the characteristic orange hue of K-type stars. Pollux has a projected rotational velocity of 2.8 km·s−1. The abundance of elements other than hydrogen and helium, what astronomers term the star's metallicity, is somewhat uncertain, with estimates ranging from 85% to 155% of the Sun's abundance. Evidence for a low level of magnetic activity came from the detection of weak X-ray emission using the ROSAT orbiting telescope. The X-ray emission from this star is about 1027 erg s−1, which is roughly the same as the X-ray emission from the Sun. A magnetic field with a strength below 1 Gauss has since been confirmed on the surface of Pollux; one of the weakest fields ever detected on a star. The presence of this field suggests that Pollux was once an Ap star with a much stronger magnetic field. The star displays small amplitude radial velocity variations, but is not photometrically variable.

Regulus: Regulus, also designated Alpha Leonis (α Leonis, abbreviated Alpha Leo, α Leo), is the brightest star in the constellation of Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky, lying approximately 79 light years from the Sun. Regulus is a multiple star system composed of four stars that are organized into two pairs. The spectroscopic binary Regulus A consists of a blue-white main-sequence star and its companion, which has not yet been directly observed, but is probably a white dwarf. Located farther away are Regulus B, C, and D, which are dim main-sequence stars. Regulus is 0.46 degree from the ecliptic, the closest of the bright stars, and is regularly occulted by the Moon. Occultations by the planets Mercury and Venus are possible but rare, as are occultations by asteroids. Regulus is a multiple star system consisting of at least four stars. Regulus A is the dominant star, with a binary companion 177" distant that is thought to be physically related. Regulus D is a 12th magnitude companion at 212", which shares a common motion with the other stars.

Vega: Vega, also designated Alpha Lyrae (α Lyrae, abbreviated Alpha Lyr, α Lyr), is the brightest star in the constellation of Lyra, the fifth-brightest star in the night sky and the second-brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus. It is relatively close at only 25 light-years from the Sun, and, together with Arcturus and Sirius, one of the most luminous stars in the Sun's neighborhood. Vega has been extensively studied by astronomers, leading it to be termed “arguably the next most important star in the sky after the Sun.” Vega was the northern pole star around 12,000 BC and will be so again around the year 13,727 when the declination will be +86°14'. Vega was the first star other than the Sun to be photographed and the first to have its spectrum recorded. It was one of the first stars whose distance was estimated through parallax measurements. Vega has served as the baseline for calibrating the photometric brightness scale, and was one of the stars used to define the mean values for the UBV photometric system. '''Vega has an unusually low abundance of the elements with a higher atomic number than that of helium. Vega is also a variable star that varies slightly in brightness.''' It is rotating rapidly with a velocity of 274 km/s at the equator. Based on an observed excess emission of infrared radiation, Vega appears to have a circumstellar disk of dust. This dust is likely to be the result of collisions between objects in an orbiting debris disk, which is analogous to the Kuiper belt in the Solar System. Stars that display an infrared excess because of dust emission are termed Vega-like stars.

Zeta Ophiuchi: Zeta Ophiuchi (ζ Oph, ζ Ophiuchi) is a star located in the constellation of Ophiuchus. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 2.57,making it the third-brightest star in the constellation. Parallax measurements give an estimated distance of roughly 366 light-years (112 parsecs) from the Earth. ζ Ophiuchi is an enormous star with more than 19 times the Sun's mass and eight times its radius. The stellar classification of this star is O9.5 V, with the luminosity class of V indicating that it is generating energy in its core by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen. This energy is being emitted from the outer envelope at an effective temperature of 34,000K, giving the star the blue hue of an O-type star. This is a young star with an age of only three million years. Its luminosity is varying in a periodic manner similar to a Beta Cephei variable. This star is roughly half way through the initial phase of its stellar evolution and will, within the next few million years, expand into a red supergiant star wider than the orbit of Jupiter before ending its life in a supernova explosion leaving behind a neutron star or pulsar.

Betelgeuse: Betelgeuse, also designated Alpha Orionis (α Orionis, abbreviated Alpha Ori, α Ori), is the ninth-brightest star in the night sky and second-brightest in the constellation of Orion. Distinctly reddish, it is a semiregular variable star whose apparent magnitude varies between 0.0 and 1.3, the widest range of any first-magnitude star. Betelgeuse is one of three stars that make up the Winter Triangle asterism, and it marks the center of the Winter Hexagon. It would be the brightest star in the sky if the human eye could view all wavelengths of radiation. The star is classified as a red supergiant of spectral type M1-2 and is one of the largest and most luminous stars visible to the naked eye. Currently in a late stage of stellar evolution, the supergiant is expected to explode as a supernova within the next million years. Betelgeuse is classified as a semiregular variable star, indicating that some periodicity is noticeable in the brightness changes, but amplitudes may vary, cycles may have different lengths, and there may be standstills or periods of irregularity. It is placed in subgroup SRc; these are pulsating red supergiants with amplitudes around one magnitude and periods from tens to hundreds of days. Betelgeuse typically shows only small brightness changes near to magnitude +0.5, although at its extremes it can become as bright as magnitude 0.0 or as faint as magnitude +1.3. Betelgeuse is listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars with a possible period of 2,335 days. More detailed analyses have shown a main period near 400 days and a longer secondary period around 2,100 days.

Rigel:

Algol:

Antares:

Aldebaran:

Mizar:

Alcor:

Polaris:

Spica:

Deep Sky Objects
These are the DSOs (Deep Sky Objects) from the 2016-2016 list (not in alphabetical order):

NGC 7293 (Helix Nebula):

NGC3603:

NGC3372:

Cassiopeia A:

Tycho's SNR:

Cygnus X-1:

30 Doradus:

LMC:

Geminga:

NGC 602:

M57 (Ring Nebula):

Kepler's SNR:

M42 (Orion Nebula):

Sagittarius A*:

M17:

M8:

M16 (Eagle Nebula):

M1 (Crab Nebula):

T Tauri:

SMC:

Harvard Spectral Classification
There are 7 spectral Classes (O,B,A,F,G,K,M). This order is based on decreasing surface temperature. A Class stars have the strongest Hydrogen lines, while M Class stars have the weakest hydrogen lines. Each class is then subdivided into 10 subdivisions (0-9).

The following is a table with properties of each of the spectral classes.

The following is the class of each of the stars on the list:

Class O- None on the list

Class B- Rigel, Spica, Regulus, and Algol

Class A- Vega, Sirius A, Deneb, Altair, and Castor

Class F- Procyon, and Polaris

Class G- The Sun, and Capella

Class K- Arcturus, Aldebaran, and Pollux,

Class M- Betelgeuse, Wolf 359, and Antares

There are also S, N, and Y for brown dwarfs, which are generally not considered stars.

Yerkes Spectral Classification
The Yerkes Spectral Classification is based on luminosity and temperature. It is also known as luminosity classes. There are seven main luminosity classes:

Type Ia- Bright Supergiants

Type Ib- Normal Supergiants

Type II- Bright Giant

Type III- Normal Giant

Type IV- Sub-Giants

Type V- Main Sequence

Type VI- Sub-Dwarf

VII- White Dwarf

There is also Type 0, for hypergiants. However, these are exceedingly rare; examples include VY Canis Majoris, the Pistol Star, and R136a1.

Galaxies
There are three main types of galaxies: Spiral, Elliptical, and Irregular. However, in the 2013 rules, there are no galaxies on the list. Nevertheless, we have here a short description of each type of galaxy.

Spiral Galaxies


Spiral Galaxies are named so because they have prominent spiral arms and a central "galactic nucleus" or central bulge. Spiral Galaxies also have a very large rate of star formation in the spiral arms of the galaxy. Also, almost all spiral galaxies have a galactic halo that surrounds the galaxy. These halos contain stray stars and globular clusters. It is also theorized that many spiral galaxies have supermassive black holes at the center of the galaxy. Our own galaxy, The Milky Way, is a spiral galaxy, and is also theorized to have a supermassive black hole at its center, called Sgr A*. There is also a sub-division of spiral galaxies, known as barred-spiral galaxies. Barred-spirals have a central bar, and then have spiral arms shooting off at each end of the bar.

Spirals are classified by presence of a central bar and how tightly the rings are wound.

The spiral galaxies on the list for 2009 are:

- M31 Andromeda Galaxy (in Andromeda)

- M51 Whirlpool Galaxy (In Canes Venatica)

- Milky Way Galaxy (Barred-Spiral)

Elliptical Galaxy
Elliptical Galaxies appear just like they sound- they are elliptical/ spherical. Elliptical Galaxies contain mostly old Population II stars, and also, they have a very low rate of star formation because there is barely any interstellar matter in elliptical galaxies. There is the least amount of elliptical Galaxies in the known Universe. Also, they are classified by how spherical they are, with E followed by a number from zero to seven. Zero indicates perfectly spherical; seven indicates the extremely elongated and cigar-shaped. The Elliptical Galaxies on the list for 2009 are:

-M84 (in Virgo)

Concerning M84, some astronomers believe that it actually may be a Lenticular Galaxy (which is a half-way point between a Spiral galaxy and an Elliptical galaxy)

Irregular Galaxies
Irregular also appear just how they sound- they are without a definite shape. They are normally formed by Spiral or Elliptical Galaxies that have been deformed by different forces- such as gravity. They contain a lot of interstellar matter. There is distinction between "normal" irregular galaxies - with no hint of shape - and peculiar galaxies, that have some hint of form - usually they were bent out of shape by outside forces or became violently active.

The Irregular Galaxies on the list for 2009 are:

-Large Magellanic Cloud (in Dorado and Mensa)

-Small Magellanic Cloud (in Tucana)

Star Identification
The best way to study for the first part of the event is to go outside and look at the sky. If you are not familiar with the constellations this is a great way to learn them. Look up into the sky and use a star chart to find a few constellations and stars. Doing this even a few times a month really pays off.

Another great way to study for this event to get you ready to go outside is to make flash cards with the constellation on the front and the name and the deep sky objects on the back.

It is helpful if you can relate easy-to-find constellations such as Orion or Ursa Major (Big Dipper) to the constellations around them. This guides you to the constellation via others, rather than having to rely only on the shape. On your reference sheet, you may want to include a section about how to find the constellations you have trouble with.

Also, in general, the brightest stars (lowest apparent magnitude) in a constellation are Alpha [constellation with slight variance], and second brightest Beta, and so on. After the Greek alphabet has been used up, numbers are used - 1 is dimmer than Omega but brighter than 2. However, there are exceptions - Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) usually appears dimmer than Rigel (Beta Orionis), and Castor (Alpha Geminorum) appears to be dimmer than Pollux (Beta Geminorum).

Stellar Information
"Students will demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts of mathematics and astrophysics relating to stellar evolution."

For the second part of the event you have to know about the general characteristics of stars, galaxies, star clusters, etc. You must be able to figure out a star's spectral class, surface temperature, and evolutionary stage (i.e. giant, supergiant, main sequence, white dwarf) by reading an H-R diagram.

Another thing you should do is learn the life cycles of various types of stars. Look at some of the pictures below and try to put them in order.

You should also be familiar with redshift and blueshift and how they are related to the (theoretical) creation of the universe, something that many people overlook.

Another aspect of the event that is new for 2009 is that you must be able to label a model of the sun and be familiar with its spectral class and placement on an H-R diagram as well as other general characteristics.

You are asked to use information which includes the following:


 * Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams
 * Spectra
 * Light curves
 * Kepler's laws
 * Radiation laws (Wien's and Stefan-Boltzmann)
 * Period-luminosity relationship
 * Stellar magnitudes and classification
 * Parallax
 * Slides (PowerPoint)
 * Photographs
 * Star charts and animations

You may also be asked to complete activities which include:


 * Determine answers relating to stellar birth
 * Determine answers relating to stellar evolution and the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
 * Determine answers relating to the motions and evolution of star systems
 * Identify and be knowledgeable about multi-wavelength images of the different stages of stellar evolution listed above
 * Identify, know the location, be knowledgeable about, and/or answer questions relating to the stellar evolution of the following objects...

Pictures
Know these pictures: (Harvard's Chandrasekhar X-Ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope are to be credited with these images)

Cas A (Cassiopeia A) - super nova remnant (infrared, optical, radio, and X-ray images)



M1 (Crab Nebula) - Nebula (infrared, optical, radio, and X-ray images)

Crab Pulsar - fastest pulsar known (30 pulses per second)

Orion Trapezium Cluster - 4 hot young stars in an open cluster in the Orion Nebula

M57 (Ring Nebula) - Planetary Nebula (optical, infrared)



Familiarize yourself with these pictures, print them out, or put them on your laptop. You may also need to know about other pictures and the pictures of the stars on the list.

Radiation Laws
Wein's Law:$${\lambda}_{max}=2.9\times \frac { {10}^{7} }{T}$$

Where $${\lambda}_{max} $$= the maximum output of radiation from an object, and T=temperature in Kelvin.

Stefan-Boltzmann's Law: $$L=4\pi {R}^{2}\sigma {T}^{4}$$

Where L=luminosity, R=radius of object, $$\sigma$$=the Stefan-Boltzmann Constant, and T=temperature in Kelvin.

Helpful Tips
Identification certainly is not the most important part of this event but I have found it is it easiest way to begin your study. For the rest of the event, you must study the things mentioned in the table above (make it a checklist if you want). This task is facilitated by Astronomy Today--I have found all the information I have ever needed, either during a test or after a test, in that book.

Sometimes, the test will use a StarLab or planetarium for the identification portion. I would advise putting some time in to familiarize yourself with how the skies look on it.

Also, there is always a chance that a bad star map may be used, so make sure to get yourself accustomed to anything that may be thrown at you.

The best way to study for the identification part, is not only maps, but actually going outside and finding constellations and stars in the night sky. Not only is star-gazing fun, but it is one of the best ways to learn the location of the constellations and the stars that are on the list.

Sample Tests
Identification practice: [[Media: Reach for the Stars Practice Test.pdf|Reach for the Stars Test (2009)]]

Also be sure to check out the Reach for the Stars Test Exchange.

RFTS Test: [] and Pic Sheet for the test: []

Useful Resources
Astronomy Today by Eric J. Chaisson

Foundations of Astronomy by Michael A. Seeds   

New York Coaches Conference

Astronomy Picture of the Day

[[Media:rfts.pdf|An Example of a Reach For The Stars Study Sheet]]

[[Media:Reach_for_Stars_Guide_Sheet.pdf|Another Example of a Reach For the Stars Guide Sheet (2007)]]

| Hertzsprung-russell diagram study

| Astronomy blog, by scioly.org's own AlphaTauri, syo_astro, and foreverphysics