Astronomy C

[astroblue]

Thanks!

Has stellar evolution been a topic before?
How close is it to variable stars? Would old tests from when the topic was variable stars be good for practice?

I'm almost positive that an important part of the event will be variable stars. Equally important will be Stellar Evolution in general, and especially Supernovae.

Why do you think Variable Stars will be important in this year's tests?

[AlphaTauri]

Thanks!

Has stellar evolution been a topic before?
How close is it to variable stars? Would old tests from when the topic was variable stars be good for practice?

I'm almost positive that an important part of the event will be variable stars. Equally important will be Stellar Evolution in general, and especially Supernovae.

Why do you think Variable Stars will be important in this year's tests?

As they evolve, some (most?) giant stars cross the Instability Strip on the H-R diagram, which makes them...well, unstable. Because of this, they pulsate and their brightness varies, creating intrinsic variable stars (Cepheids, RR Lyrae, etc.).

Also, stars that go supernova are automatically variable stars, because their luminosity suddenly jumps when they explode.

[astroblue]

haha, thank you for the insight, I'll be sure to look into variable stars a bit
How much does the year's topic influence the questions generally. Like, I know for Disease Detectives, there are scenarios based around the topic, like food-borne illness, along with some more general questions. Are there any recurring types of problems/topics that it's imperative to know?
And I know I already asked this, but now that this thread is getting more posts, does anyone have any book recommendations for someone starting this event without any previous knowledge in astronomy? I know quite a bit of physics though

[Infinity Flat]

haha, thank you for the insight, I'll be sure to look into variable stars a bit
How much does the year's topic influence the questions generally. Like, I know for Disease Detectives, there are scenarios based around the topic, like food-borne illness, along with some more general questions. Are there any recurring types of problems/topics that it's imperative to know?
And I know I already asked this, but now that this thread is getting more posts, does anyone have any book recommendations for someone starting this event without any previous knowledge in astronomy? I know quite a bit of physics though

For the basics, I can't recommend astronomynotes.com enough.
For the more advanced stuff, I personally use Carrol & Ostlie's "An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics."

[bookluvr-yoyo39]

Hi! it is my first year doing astronomy in scioly, only because i just entered high school. as for my background, i did solar system for 2 years in the past.. thank you so much for the websites and the books!! do you have any tips as to other books for astronomy?

thanks....
also, does anyone know how the test is usually structured?

[fishman100]

also, does anyone know how the test is usually structured?

I can't say for sure (mostly because I haven't participated in Astronomy either) but all of the tests I've seen are all together, in a packet, not stations. But the test really depends on the writer...

[Infinity Flat]

Hi! it is my first year doing astronomy in scioly, only because i just entered high school. as for my background, i did solar system for 2 years in the past.. thank you so much for the websites and the books!! do you have any tips as to other books for astronomy?

thanks....
also, does anyone know how the test is usually structured?

As far as books, just check your library for some interesting ones. Astronomy books can be found in the science section. Just be sure to avoid anything with a focus on stargazing or the like.
Another good online resource is college websites. Occasionally, an Astronomy professor will post course notes online. These can be a valuable addition to your notes; I recommend checking the AST 101 courses first.

There are three main components to most astronomy tests: questions on specific DSOs (Deep space objects), general theory, and calculations. How these components are arranged and interconnected is up to the writer. I have personally never seen this event set up in stations.

[iYOA]

also, the astronomy teaching guide that is sold on the SO website is pretty useful.

[TheBalticSea]

I've been using Astronomy Today (Chaisson & McMillan) and have been pretty happy with it. I know a few other people who use it too for scioly/nat'l science bowl.

[tad_k_22]

I should let everyone new to this event know that there are sample questions for this year available here: http://soinc.org/astronomy_c. They are meant especially for those who are doing Astronomy for the first time, and don't know what types of questions to expect at competition. If anybody has any questions about the answers, you should discuss on this board!