Astronomy C

[jonpao523]

Watch the test exchange for PA SE Regional and PA State tournament astronomy exams. I should have them up soon.

Nice! That states test was one of the best tests I've taken for scioly, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again. Is there any chance that we will see top scores on those tests as well?

[asdfqwerzzz2]

Could I see some your guys' DSO notes? How do I distinguish between information that's worth placing on the primary sheet v. stored at the back of my binder/deep in my laptop?

[mogrady]

So this year i was put on this event on and off and was never a definite, more of a recurring fill-in. I studied for a little bit but was overwhelmed by the amount of info. So here is my basic question: what is the best way to study for this event?

[Techsam]

Watch the test exchange for PA SE Regional and PA State tournament astronomy exams. I should have them up soon.

Any estimate about when they might be uploaded? Thanks

[Techsam]

So this year i was put on this event on and off and was never a definite, more of a recurring fill-in. I studied for a little bit but was overwhelmed by the amount of info. So here is my basic question: what is the best way to study for this event?

Sorry for the double post in advanced!

So basically I would suggest that you first find each DSO on Wikipedia and read over the articles. You can make a document for each object with a list of all of its features and basic information. Once you have all the basic facts, I suggest you go to http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/ and search for each of the DSO's. You can use the online telescope to view the DSO's and use that to take pictures. You can also use google images to find light curves of the objects and whatnot. Basically the best way to study is to just get all the information you can find, and be able to search for it use Ctrl + F. The whole reason laptops are allowed for Astronomy is the sheer fact that there is so much information that trying to learn it all is basically insane.

As far as practice I would suggest you try to find as many practice tests as you can. If you get a question wrong, make sure to put the information in you notes so you don't get it wrong a second time.

[doge]

Does anyone have a good way of identifying what wavelength/part of the spectrum a picture was taken in, besides recording this information for every image of each DSO?

[syo_astro]

Does anyone have a good way of identifying what wavelength/part of the spectrum a picture was taken in, besides recording this information for every image of each DSO?

If you're given an image of something random, like the Sun, it's a bit trickier. The essential advice that transcends even the DSOs themselves is simple: know what wavelengths translate to what features on an image. Why do we use gamma ray, x-ray, UV, etc? They actually correlate very well to certain specific features for various objects, which is helped by the context of the year (for example, the jets of objects, which come in many varieties/wavelengths depending on the theme of the year practically). Think about this, would we probably be using gamma ray imaging? No, but if we did why would we for this year? I think visual or IR are very clear, and in general use. Very recently tons of images are coming out in the IR to sub-mm range. So essentially look for what features of images emit at wavelengths we view in.

DSOs make this process even easier because normally they're related and have tons of similar practice. Also, if you see "weird stuff" normally that can hint you to "not optical". Conceptual studying of how dust works in space or blackbody radiation (related to mass -> luminosity -> energy emitted) from objects also could be of use. Hope that helps!

[JCicc]

The Southeast Regional and PA state astronomy exams should appear on the test exchange; they have been submitted. Questions? Let me know.

The high score on the Regional exam was 76/80. I don't recall any other scores, all the answer sheets were submitted to the tournament administrators.

The high score on the State exam was 70/100. Then 66/100, 61/100, 53/100, 40/100, and down quickly from there. It did not escape my attention that the astronomy exam was booed at the award ceremony. Perhaps an explanation is in order.

I have supervised this event at the Regional and State level since 2005 (I have also written exams for circuit lab, geomapping, experimental design, it's about time, and fossils). My philosophy regarding Science Olympiad events is straightforward. I am not interested in boosting anyone's self-esteem and giving myself a tie-breaking headache by administering an easy exam. My exams are too long and too hard for two people to finish in 50 minutes. However, when it is over there is NO DOUBT as to the best team, the second best team, the third best team, and so on. The format of my astronomy exam should be, after a decade, well-known to prepared and motivated competitors. Many people from other states have noticed the level of rigor that goes into preparing these exams; I do not take it lightly.

The first third (roughly) of the state exam consists of information concerning the objects. This is effectively an unlimited-resource event; do your research. What is it, where is it, how big is it, how bright is it, what is it called, how is it classified, does it appear in research literature, does it have a lightcurve or a spectrum; these are questions that I research and that I expect competitors to research.

There is always something to do with the types of objects we are dealing with; their distinguishing characteristics, the history of their discovery, their importance, their chemical makeup, etc. This year, we looked at exoplanets and brown dwarfs to a large extent. Since this is the first appearance of such objects, I focused strongly on them.

Another section (or sections) deal with the astrophysics of the objects. Could be the mechanism that drives variable stars, binary stars, galaxies (back a few years), or (this year) planets. Planetary mechanics and transits featured prominently this year.

In short, the astronomy event in the SE region and the state of PA favors the prepared. If you'll be coming back in the next year or two, check out my old exams (many of them are available on the test exchange, just look for PA in the title). They're not going to get any easier. I love this event and I look forward to supervising it every year until I drop dead.

[aditi]

The Southeast Regional and PA state astronomy exams should appear on the test exchange; they have been submitted. Questions? Let me know.

The high score on the Regional exam was 76/80. I don't recall any other scores, all the answer sheets were submitted to the tournament administrators.

The high score on the State exam was 70/100. Then 66/100, 61/100, 53/100, 40/100, and down quickly from there. It did not escape my attention that the astronomy exam was booed at the award ceremony. Perhaps an explanation is in order.

I have supervised this event at the Regional and State level since 2005 (I have also written exams for circuit lab, geomapping, experimental design, it's about time, and fossils). My philosophy regarding Science Olympiad events is straightforward. I am not interested in boosting anyone's self-esteem and giving myself a tie-breaking headache by administering an easy exam. My exams are too long and too hard for two people to finish in 50 minutes. However, when it is over there is NO DOUBT as to the best team, the second best team, the third best team, and so on. The format of my astronomy exam should be, after a decade, well-known to prepared and motivated competitors. Many people from other states have noticed the level of rigor that goes into preparing these exams; I do not take it lightly.

The first third (roughly) of the state exam consists of information concerning the objects. This is effectively an unlimited-resource event; do your research. What is it, where is it, how big is it, how bright is it, what is it called, how is it classified, does it appear in research literature, does it have a lightcurve or a spectrum; these are questions that I research and that I expect competitors to research.

There is always something to do with the types of objects we are dealing with; their distinguishing characteristics, the history of their discovery, their importance, their chemical makeup, etc. This year, we looked at exoplanets and brown dwarfs to a large extent. Since this is the first appearance of such objects, I focused strongly on them.

Another section (or sections) deal with the astrophysics of the objects. Could be the mechanism that drives variable stars, binary stars, galaxies (back a few years), or (this year) planets. Planetary mechanics and transits featured prominently this year.

In short, the astronomy event in the SE region and the state of PA favors the prepared. If you'll be coming back in the next year or two, check out my old exams (many of them are available on the test exchange, just look for PA in the title). They're not going to get any easier. I love this event and I look forward to supervising it every year until I drop dead.

Wow. You're the type of supervisor EVERY event needs -- a dedicated one who makes an equally qualifying exam.

[boomvroomshroom]

The Southeast Regional and PA state astronomy exams should appear on the test exchange; they have been submitted. Questions? Let me know.

The high score on the Regional exam was 76/80. I don't recall any other scores, all the answer sheets were submitted to the tournament administrators.

The high score on the State exam was 70/100. Then 66/100, 61/100, 53/100, 40/100, and down quickly from there. It did not escape my attention that the astronomy exam was booed at the award ceremony. Perhaps an explanation is in order.

I have supervised this event at the Regional and State level since 2005 (I have also written exams for circuit lab, geomapping, experimental design, it's about time, and fossils). My philosophy regarding Science Olympiad events is straightforward. I am not interested in boosting anyone's self-esteem and giving myself a tie-breaking headache by administering an easy exam. My exams are too long and too hard for two people to finish in 50 minutes. However, when it is over there is NO DOUBT as to the best team, the second best team, the third best team, and so on. The format of my astronomy exam should be, after a decade, well-known to prepared and motivated competitors. Many people from other states have noticed the level of rigor that goes into preparing these exams; I do not take it lightly.

The first third (roughly) of the state exam consists of information concerning the objects. This is effectively an unlimited-resource event; do your research. What is it, where is it, how big is it, how bright is it, what is it called, how is it classified, does it appear in research literature, does it have a lightcurve or a spectrum; these are questions that I research and that I expect competitors to research.

There is always something to do with the types of objects we are dealing with; their distinguishing characteristics, the history of their discovery, their importance, their chemical makeup, etc. This year, we looked at exoplanets and brown dwarfs to a large extent. Since this is the first appearance of such objects, I focused strongly on them.

Another section (or sections) deal with the astrophysics of the objects. Could be the mechanism that drives variable stars, binary stars, galaxies (back a few years), or (this year) planets. Planetary mechanics and transits featured prominently this year.

In short, the astronomy event in the SE region and the state of PA favors the prepared. If you'll be coming back in the next year or two, check out my old exams (many of them are available on the test exchange, just look for PA in the title). They're not going to get any easier. I love this event and I look forward to supervising it every year until I drop dead.

Wow. They seriously booed you? That's kind of rude. Hard tests are good tests, as long as they're on-topic.
Question: do you have the 2015 tests? I'm very grateful that you posted 2014, but of course the DSOs and math aren't the same as this year's focus.