Euro-Asian Astronomical Society
The First (Experimental)
International Astronomy Olympiad
![[Image of BTA, winter]](img/btaw_ico.gif)
The First (Experimental) International Astronomy Olympiad
was carried out by Euro-Asian Astronomical Society and took place
at the Special Astrophysical
Observatory of Russian Academy of Sciences (SAO RAS) in North
Caucasus on November 1-8, 1996. Pupils representing five
nationalities in Russia (winners of
all-Russian national olympiad)
and Swedish-Finnish team from Stockholm participated. Contacts with several more
countries had been taken, but it was impossible to find
financial support for participants from these this year.
Professional astronomers were involved into the composition of
exercises on astronomy and their checking. Olympiad consised of three
separate tours. Exercises included tasks
and questions on different branches of astronomy and astrophysics
which are quite availible for schoolchildren. According to the
Statutes the competitors were divided in two age groups: grades 8-10
and grades 11-12.
The following olympic problems were proposed
for the participants on the theoretical part:
Grades 8-10
1. Why is it sometimes better to use a small telescope in orbit
around the Earth than it is to use a large telescope on a mountain top?
2. A thick black fly has dotten onto the object lens of a 5 cm
telescope. What will an observer looking to the Moon through the telescope
see?
3. Explain why we see more meteors from midnight to dawn than
from evening to midnight.
4. The 12 Zodiacal signs are equally extended on the ecliptic. In
which of them does the Sun lie in for the shortest period?
5. On 1 cm2 of Pluto's surface fall approximately
10,000 photons per second from a star of the fifth magnitude. How
many photons would fall on a detector from a star of 20m
during half an hour, if BTA at the Earth is used (the diameter
of the main mirror is 6 m)?
6. The sun has a parallax of ps
= 8".8, and a star with the same absolute brightness -
p* = 0".022. Is it possible to
observe the star at night sky visually?
7. The moon set in St.Petersburg (60œ North, 30œ East) yesterday
just at midnight. In what region of the Earth will there be an
opportunity to observe a total solar eclipse sometime next week?
8. A spaceship landed on an asteroid 2.2 km in diameter with an
average density of 2.2 g/cm3. The asteroid is slowly rotating.
The cosmonauts decided to travel along the equator of the asteroid in a
rover in 2.2 hours. Will it be possible for them to do such a thing? If the
answer is negative, why? If the answer is positive, what do they take
into account?
Grades 11-12
1. Why might some stars appear double in blue light through they
could not be resolved in red light?
2. Why can radio astronomers observe during the day, whereas
optical astronomers are (for the most part) limited to nighttime
observing?
3. Why is it better for some purposes to use a medium size
telescope on a mountain instead of a telescope on a spaceship at
low orbit near the Earth?
4. What are the reasons why the Hubble Space Telescope is able
to observe fainter objects than we can study from the ground?
5. The moon set in St.Petersburg (60œ North, 30œ East) yesterday
just at midnight. In what region of the Earth will there be an
opportunity to observe a total solar eclipse sometime next week?
6. Altair (a Aquila) has a parallax of
p = 0".198, proper motion m = 0".658/year,
radial velocity Vr = -26 km/s and visible brightness
m = 0m.89. When and what would be the minimum distance of
Altair to the Sun? Also find the brightness of Altair at that point.
7. Recently the Ten-meter Keck telescope began to operate on Mauna
Kea (Hawaii), where the diameter of stellar images may be as small
as 0".3. Can you evaluate the limiting stellar magnitude for visual
observation with this telescope?
On the practical part problems were the following:
Grades 8-12
Paper with a drown circle and table of maximal elongations of
Mercury and Venus had been done for participants.
1. The figure show a circle, that is the orbit of Earth. By using
data from the table, draw orbits of Mercury and Venus.
2. Estimate radii of the orbits (in a.u.).
Table: Greatest Elongations of Mercury and Venus.
|
Mercury: 1989-1990 |
|
Venus: 1983-1990 |
| Date |
East |
West |
|
Date |
East |
West |
| 8 Jan 89 |
19œ |
|
|
15 Jun 83 |
45œ |
|
| 18 Feb 89 |
|
26œ |
|
4 Nov 83 |
|
47œ |
| 30 Apr 89 |
21œ |
|
|
21 Jan 85 |
47œ |
|
| 18 Jun 89 |
|
23œ |
|
12 Jun 85 |
|
46œ |
|
28 Aug 89 |
27œ |
|
|
26 Aug 86 |
46œ |
|
|
10 Oct 89 |
|
18œ |
|
15 Jan 87 |
|
47œ |
|
22 Dec 89 |
20œ |
|
|
2 Apr 88 |
46œ |
|
|
1 Feb 90 |
|
25œ |
|
22 Aug 88 |
|
46œ |
|
13 Apr 90 |
20œ |
|
|
8 Nov 89 |
47œ |
|
|
31 May 90 |
|
25œ |
|
30 Mar 90 |
|
46œ |
|
11 Aug 90 |
27œ |
|
|
24 Sep 90 |
|
18œ |
|
5 Dec 90 |
21œ |
|
As for observational part, its problem
was non-competitional:
Grades 8-12
1. At what time did you see Venus on Saturday, November 2, 1996...
2. ... and at what angular distance from the Sun?
Text of all these problems is available in Russian too.
![[Image of BTA, summer]](img/btas_ico.gif)
In immediate connection to the competitions, an autumn school for
astrophysics took place at SAO. The lectures were mostly in Russian
but they were translated into English by interpreters. Activities
included excursions to the lagest in Euro-Asia
6-m BTA telescope and
the largest in the world
radio telescope
RATAN-600 during observations.
The students also had the opportunity to expose plates with the
Kazan' University 40 cm telescope, with the kind assistance of an
astronomer whenever needed. They could borrow strong binoculars
and amateur telescopes.
The Olympiads and the autumn schools were a very great experience
for the students. The next Olympiad
is already being planned and proposally to be preceded by national
competitions in the participating countries.
Those who are interested to get further information
about these activities are welcome to contact organizers in
English
or Russian.
Winners of the First (Experimental) International Astronomy Olympiad:
I prize:
Chilingarian Igor (Moscow)
Tuntsov Artiom (Moscow)
Yevdokimov Nikolai (Moscow)
Zhuravlyov Vyacheslav (Moscow)
II prize:
Andersson Andreas (Stockholm, Sweden)
Bondar Valentin (Kirov reg., Russia)
Mazunin Serge (St.Petersburg, Russia)
Podnebesov Alexey (Orenburg, Russia)
Pudeyev Andry (Nizhnij Novgorod, Russia)
III prize:
Ahlqvist Erika (Stockholm, Sweden)
Karjalainen Eeva-Liisa (Stockholm, Sweden)
Pavliuchenko Serge (Ukhta, Russia)
Shakhvorostova Nadezhda (Krasnodar, Russia)
To The International Science Olympiads
1996:
Biology,
Chemistry,
Informatics,
Mathematics,
Physics
Back to Moscow-Regional Branch of M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University
© Dr. Michael G. Gavrilov,
Chairman of the Olympic Coordinating Council.
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