Reach for the Stars

2009 Rules
This year you will only be allowed to bring one 8.5" x 11" single or double sided sheet of paper. You may put anything on this paper such as text, illustrations, tables, and pictures. Participants will need to know the same constellations, stars, and deep sky objects as they did last year. There are a few new things they need to know as noted below.


 * 1) Aquarius: Helix Nebula
 * 2) Cygnus: Deneb, Veil Nebula
 * Leo: Regulus & Wolf359
 * 1) Orion: Trapezium
 * 2) Scorpius: M6 Butterfly Cluster
 * 3) Vulpecula: M27 Dumbbell Nebula

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 helpful 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.

For the second part of the event you have to know about the general characteristics of stars, galxies, 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.

Learn the life cycle 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.

Description (2002 Rules)
"Students will demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts of mathematics and astrophysics relating to stellar evolution."

For this competition, you may bring ANY resources, including programmable calculators and laptop computers. You need to provide your own scientific calculator at least.

First of all, you need to review the rules. Make sure you are familiar with all the terms used in the rules.

You are asked to use information which includes the following:


 * Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams


 * Spectra


 * Light curves


 * Kepler's laws


 * Energy transfer


 * Impulse-momentum


 * Circular motion


 * Radiation laws (Wien's and Stefan-Boltzmann)


 * Period-luminosity relationship


 * Stellar magnitudes and classification


 * Parallax


 * Slides


 * Photographs


 * Star charts and animations

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

following objects...'''
 * '''Identify, know the location, be knowledgeable about, and/or answer questions relating to the stellar evolution of the

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

47 Tucanae - globular cluster

Rho Ophiuchi molecular clouds - contain protostars

M4 - globular cluster in Scorpius

LP 944-20 - brown dwarf (no picture available at this time)

Eta Carinae - massive star that is "blowing bubbles" (infrared, optical, radio, and X-ray images)

NGC 6543 (Cat's Eye Nebula) - planetary nebula

Circinus X-1 - X-ray binary (artist's impression)



Mayall II

SS Cygni - variable star (SS Cygni's light curve)

Gliese 229B - brown dwarf

NGC2244? - Rosette Nebula

Familiarize yourself with these pictures, print them out, or put them on your laptop.

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 for the identification portion. I would advise putting some time in to familiarize yourself with how the skies look on it.

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

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)]]