IOAA Syllabus

Celestial Mechanics:
Newton’s Laws of Gravitation, Mechanics, Kepler’s Laws for circular and non-circular orbits, Non-
inertia reference frames, Roche limit, barycenter, 2-body problem, Lagrange points, Perturbation
Electromagnetic Theory & Quantum Physics:
Electromagnetic spectrum, Radiation Laws, Blackbody radiation
Thermodynamics:
Thermodynamic equilibrium, Ideal gas, Energy transfer
Spectroscopy and Atomic Physics:
Absorption, Emission, Scattering, Spectra of Celestial objects, Doppler effect, Line formation,
Continuum spectra, Splitting and Broadening of spectral lines, Polarization
Nuclear Physics:
Basic concepts including structure of atom, Mass defect and binding energy, Radioactivity,
Neutrinos
Celestial Sphere:
Spherical trigonometry, Celestial coordinates and their applications, Equinox and Solstice,
Circumpolar stars, Constellations and Zodiac
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
The Sun:
Solar structure, Solar surface activities, Solar rotation, Solar radiation and Solar constant, Solar
neutrinos, Sun-Earth relations, Role of magnetic fields, Solar wind and radiation pressure,
Heliosphere, Magnetosphere
The Solar System:
Earth-Moon System, precession, nutation, libration, Formation and evolution of the Solar System,
Structure and components of the Solar System, Structure and orbits of the Solar System objects,
Sidereal and Synodic periods, Retrograde motion, Outer reaches of the solar system
Space Exploration:
Satellite trajectories and transfers, Human exploration of the Solar System, planetary missions,
Sling-shot effect of gravity, Space-based instruments
Phenomena:
Tides, Seasons, Factors influencing climate, Eclipses, Aurorae and space weather, Meteor Showers
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
Stellar Interior and Atmospheres:
Stellar equilibrium, Stellar nucleosynthesis, Energy transportation, 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
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, Spectral signatures of
possible life
Star Clusters:
Classification and Structure, Mass, age, luminosity and distance determination
Milky Way Galaxy:
Structure and composition, Rotation, Satellites of Milky Way
Interstellar Medium:
Gas, dust, HII regions, 21cm radiation, nebulae, 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), Eddington luminosity
Elementary Cosmology:
Expanding Universe and Hubble’s Law, Cluster of galaxies, Dark matter, Dark energy, Gravitational
lensing, Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, Big Bang, Alternative models of the Universe,
Large scale structure, Distance measurement at cosmological scale, Cosmological redshift
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
Mathematics:
High school mathematics, Basic Calculus (Should not involve complex numbers and solving PDE.)
Statistics & Error Analysis:
Mean, Median, Mode, percentiles, box plots, Standard deviation, basic probabilities, relative
errors, error estimation using maximum error and/or standard error.
Data Analysis:
Proper identification of error sources. Proper use of graph papers with different scales, e.g., polar
and logarithmic papers. Finding “Best Fit” line approximately. Knowledge of the most common
experimental techniques for measuring physical quantities, e.g., ruler and protractor.
Observations:
Naked-eye observations. Usage of sky maps and catalogues (IAU-approved star names and Bayer
designation). Application of coordinate systems in the sky, magnitude estimation, estimation of
angular separation. Usage of basic astronomical instruments-telescopes and various detectors for
observations.