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IOAA > IOAA SYLLABUS

IOAA Syllabus ANNOUNCEMENT

Updated 2021-11-17 The next Event will be

the 17th IOAA, to be

General Notes: hosted at Vassouras, Rio

de Janeiro state in
1. Extensive contents in basic astronomical concepts are required in Brazil between August
theoretical and practical problems. 17-26, 2024
2024. The
2. Basic concepts in physics and mathematics at high school level are official website for the
required in solving the problems. Standard solutions should not involve event is:
use of calculus and/or the use of complex numbers and/or solving www.ioaa2024.on.br.
differential equations. The deadline for pre-
3. Astronomical software packages may be used in practical and registration is 1st March.
observational problems. The contestants will be informed the list of
software packages to be used at least 3 months in advance. The chosen The next Event for junior
software packages should be preferably freeware or low-cost ones students will be the 3rd
enabling all countries to obtain them easily for practice purpose. The IOAA-Jr, to be hosted at
chosen software should preferably be available on multiple OSs Kathmandu, Nepal
(Windows / Unix / GNU-Linux / Mac). between October 3-10,
4. Concepts and phenomena not included in the Syllabus may be used in 2024
2024. The official
questions but sufficient information must be given in the questions so website for the event
that contestants without previous knowledge of these topics would not will be available shortly.
be at a disadvantage.
5. Sophisticated practical equipment likely to be unfamiliar to the
candidates should not dominate a problem. If such devices are used in
the questions, sufficient information must be provided. In such cases, The 16th IOAA, was held
students should be given opportunity to familiarise themselves with the in Poland from 10th to
equipment before the exam. 20th August 20232023.
6. The original text of the problems must use SI units, wherever For more information,
applicable. Participants will be expected to give appropriate units in see: https://ioaa2023.pl/
their answers and should be familiar with the idea of correct rounding
off and expressing the final result(s) and error(s) with the correct
number of significant digits.
2nd IOAA-Jr, for the
students under 16 years
of age was held in
Theoretical Part Greece from 24th to
30th September 2023.
Symbol (Q) is attached to some topics in the list, meaning “qualitative
For more information
understanding only”. Quantitative reasoning / proficiency in these topics is not
see:
expected.
https://ioaajr2023.gr/.

The following theoretical contents are proposed for the contestants.

Basic Astrophysics
Contents Topics
Celestial Mechanics Newton’s Laws of Gravitation, Kepler’s Laws
for circular and non-circular orbits, Roche
limit, barycentre, 2-body problem, Lagrange
points
Electromagnetic Theory & Electromagnetic spectrum, Radiation Laws,
Quantum Physics Blackbody radiation
Thermodynamics Thermodynamic equilibrium, Ideal gas, Energy
transfer
Spectroscopy and Atomic Absorption, Emission, Scattering, Spectra of
Physics Celestial objects, Doppler effect, Line
formation, Continuum spectra, Splitting and
Broadening of spectral lines, polarisation
Nuclear Physics Basic concepts including structure of atom,
Mass defect and binding energy Radioactivity,
Neutrinos (Q)

Coordinates and Times

Contents Topics
Celestial Sphere Spherical trigonometry, Celestial coordinates
and their applications, Equinox and Solstice,
Circumpolar stars, Constellations and Zodiac
(Note: azimuth is measured in the range 0° to
360° starting from N and increasing towards E
unless stated otherwise.)
Concept of Time Solar time, Sidereal time, Julian date,
Heliocentric Julian date, Time zone, Universal
Time, Local Mean Time, Different definitions of
“year”, Equation of time

Solar System
Contents Topics
The Sun Solar structure, Solar surface activities, Solar
rotation, Solar radiation and Solar constant,
Solar neutrinos (Q), Sun-Earth relations, Role
of magnetic fields (Q), Solar wind and
radiation pressure, Heliosphere (Q),
Magnetosphere (Q)
The Solar System Earth-Moon System, precession, nutation,
libration, Formation and evolution of the Solar
System (Q), Structure and components of the
Solar System (Q), Structure and orbits of the
Solar System objects, Sidereal and Synodic
periods, Retrograde motion, Outer reaches of
the solar system (Q)
Space Exploration Satellite trajectories and transfers, Human
exploration of the Solar System (Q), planetary
missions (Q), Sling-shot effect of gravity,
Space-based instruments (Q)
Phenomena Tides, Seasons, Factors influencing climate (Q),
Eclipses, Aurorae and space weather (Q),
Meteor Showers

Stars
Contents Topics
Stellar Properties Methods of Distance determination, Radiation,
Luminosity and magnitude, Color indices and
temperature, Determination of
radii and masses, Stellar motion, Irregular and
regular stellar variabilities – broad
classification & properties, Cepheids and
period-luminosity relation, Physics of pulsation
(Q)
Stellar Interior and Stellar equilibrium, Stellar nucleosynthesis,
Atmospheres Energy transportation (Q), Boundary
conditions, Stellar atmospheres and
atmospheric spectra
Stellar Evolution Stellar formation, Hertzsprung-Russell
diagram, Pre-Main Sequence, Main Sequence,
Post-Main Sequence stars, supernovae,
planetary nebulae, End states of stars

Stellar Systems
Contents Topics
Binary Star Systems Different types of binary stars, Mass
determination in binary star systems, Light
and radial velocity curves of eclipsing binary
systems, Doppler shifts in binary systems,
interacting binaries, peculiar binary systems
Exoplanets Techniques used to detect exoplanets,
Habitable zone, Classes of exoplanets (Q),
Spectral signatures of possible life (Q)
Star Clusters Classification and Structure, Mass, age,
luminosity and distance determination
Milky Way Galaxy Structure and composition, Rotation, Satellites
of Milky Way (Q)
Interstellar Medium Gas (Q), dust (Q), HII regions, 21cm radiation,
nebulae (Q), interstellar absorption, dispersion
measure, Faraday rotation
Galaxies Classifications based on structure, composition
and activity, Mass, luminosity and distance
determination, Rotation curves
Accretion Processes Basic concepts (spherical and disc accretion)
(Q), Eddington luminosity

Cosmology
Contents Topics
Elementary Cosmology Expanding Universe and Hubble’s Law, Cluster
of galaxies, Dark matter, Dark energy (Q),
Gravitational lensing, Cosmic Microwave
Background Radiation, Big Bang (Q),
Alternative models of the Universe (Q), Large
scale structure (Q), Distance measurement at
cosmological scale, cosmological redshift

Instrumentation and Space Technologies

Contents Topics
Multi-wavelength Astronomy Observations in radio, microwave, infrared,
visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray
wavelength bands, Earth’s atmospheric effects,
Artificial light and EM pollution
Instrumentation Telescopes and detectors (e.g. charge-coupled
devices, photometers, spectrographs),
Magnification, Focal length, Focal ratio,
resolving and light-gathering powers of
telescopes, Geometric model of two element
interferometer, Aperture synthesis, Adaptive
optics, photometry, astrometry

Practical Part
This part consists of 2 sections: observations and data analysis sections. The
theoretical part of the Syllabus provides the basis for all problems in the
practical part.

The observations section focuses on contestant’s experience in

1. naked-eye observations,
2. usage of sky maps and catalogues (note: any stars referred to by name
rather than Bayer designation or catalogue number must be on the list
of IAU-approved star names; knowledge of the whole list should not be
required).
3. application of coordinate systems in the sky, magnitude estimation,
estimation of angular separation
4. usage of basic astronomical instruments-telescopes and various
detectors for observations but enough instructions must be provided to
the contestants. Observational objects may be from real sources in the
sky or imitated sources in the laboratory. Computer simulations may be
used in the problems but sufficient instructions must be provided to the
contestants.

The data analysis section focuses on the calculation and analysis of the
astronomical data provided in the problems. Additional requirements are as
follows:

1. Proper identification of error sources, calculation of errors, and

estimation of their influence on the final results.
2. Proper use of graph papers with different scales, e.g., polar and
logarithmic papers. Transformation of the data to get a linear plot and
finding “Best Fit” line approximately.
3. Basic statistical analysis of the observational data.
4. Knowledge of the most common experimental techniques for measuring
physical quantities mentioned in Part A.

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