Reach for the Stars B

[AstroKing]

Any topics that deviate from the rules manual that are found in tests??

[AstroKing]

Any topics that deviate from the rules manual that are found in tests??

[gz839918]

This is a question that I am having trouble with.

What are the benefits of different wavelengths for astronomy? (Infrared, X-Ray, Visible, UV, Optical, and Radio).

Help Please!!

Different wavelengths give different information about an object. By examining the wavelength of an object, you can learn properties about its temperature through Wien's Law. Different wavelengths can also tell you about what an object is made out of, because different gases emit different wavelengths of light. And since you won't know what the spectrum of wavelengths of an object is until you observe it, it's beneficial to observe across the entire spectrum of wavelengths.

Moreover, building telescopes for certain wavelengths helps to compensate for times when light at other wavelengths aren't available. It's hard to detect gamma rays from the Earth, so we observe at other wavelengths like optical and radio for our Earth-based observatories to account for that. Meanwhile, in space, it's too costly to build radio telescopes because radio telescopes are enormous; in this case, it's more feasible to launch gamma ray detectors, like the Fermi and Compton telescopes.

Thank you for your reply, but I was asking for the benefits of each individual wavelength!!

I'm assuming you mean the benefits of observing at each wavelength. It's not possible to list all the purposes of each range of light, and I'm not going to make all your notes for you, but some examples of uses include interferometry (radio), cosmology from observing CMB (microwave), heat detection (infrared), literally anything observable to humans (optical), and observing black holes (most wavelengths, but especially x-ray and gamma radiation). I'll leave the rest to you because part of the fun is in discovering for yourself all the fascinating ways we use light

Also, I don't know what's on your test, so I can't tell you what will deviate. (If I did know, I wouldn't tell you either!) Tests at different tournaments are usually written by different people, so just because one test deviates from the rules, that's no indication another test you take later will deviate with the same topics. I'd suggest studying as much as possible if you want to be extra sure that you're prepared even for topics not listed in the rules. Since your username suggests you like astronomy, you could simply find a book and reading to learn more about what could be on tests but not necessarily in the rules.

[Locoholic]

Any topics that deviate from the rules manual that are found in tests??

A test that does deviate from the rules is a bad test, states/nationals shouldn’t give any trouble on that front.

[anandymous]

I don't know if anybody here noticed, but the A-team released the National tests for BOTH Astronomy and RFTS.
If any member is reading this I thank you, as an 8th grader who was genuinely excited to take a Nationals RFTS exam, I have so much gratitude towards everyone who made this possible.
Link: https://www.soinc.org/reach-stars-b
Astro is on its respective site, but i don't know why you would be here if you wanted Astro...