Dear all,

We are proud to present to you another rendition of AstroChallenge rhis year. If you have not done so, please register at this link. Please register under “Junior” if either you are a secondary school or if you are enrolled in the first 4 years of an IP/IB school. If you are enrolled in a Junior College, Polytechnic or the last 2 years of an IP/IB school, please register under “Senior”. Any queries, any at all can be directed to astrochallenge@gmail.com. We will try our best to reply you as soon and as well as we possibly can.

With this, we are also delighted to present to you 30 questions for you to ponder about for the Project Round. This segment would count 35pc for Junior Section and 25pc for Senior Section this year. They are in the document attached below.

With regards to the Project Round, do include a written transcript for your video (can be in doc/pdf) and submit the transcript together with your video on Day 0 (31st May 2019) of AstroChallenge. At the end of your transcript, do include the references that you have used for your video.

Once again, if you have any queries with regards to AstroChallenge 2019, kindly direct them to astrochallenge@gmail.com. Furthermore, do keep a lookout on our facebook page for more updates on information pertaining to AC2019.

Regards,
AC 2019 Organizing Committee

Project Round Questions

Dear Teachers-in-charge and School Astronomy Clubs,

Thank you for submitting your feedback for our proposed reforms to AC2019. In response, we have fine-tuned our proposals in order to make AC2019 more accessible to all. We have summarized the major changes to AC in the attached changelog. Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

In conjunction with our goals of making astronomy accessible to all participants, we would like to invite all potential participants of AC2019 to come down to the NUS Astro introductory sessions on astronomy. We hope that these sessions will be fruitful for beginners to astronomy that are looking for a place to start learning from. The dates of the sessions and session details are available at this link. Should you be interested, please check for updates about the session venues and details at the NUS Astro Facebook page

Regards,
The AC2019 Committee

Hi all,

We have created a feedback form based on the preliminary proposals we have received so far, and would greatly appreciate your thoughts on these changes. As always, we welcome your suggestions and take them seriously, so do provide us with your honest opinions.

The feedback form can be found at here

Regards,
The AC2019 Committee

Dear School Astronomy Clubs,

We have received feedback from certain schools last year, requesting for greater transparency regarding upcoming major decisions. In response to this, we will like to provide advance notice about potential AstroChallenge dates and other intended major changes.

1. Potential AstroChallenge Dates

   AstroChallenge is usually held around the first/second week of the June holidays, subject to favourable lunar phases. In 2019, this would likely translate to Day 0 being held on 31^st May, Day 1 being held between 3^rd – 5^th June, and Day 2 occurring on 8^th

   We would like to hear from you if there are potential issues/clashes surrounding these dates. Please kindly let us know of your concerns regarding these dates by contacting us directly, or via our email.

2. Changes to AstroChallenge Format

   After feedback that AstroChallenge is becoming too lengthy and could be made more relevant, the organizers have conducted an internal review and are proposing several major changes. It is our hope that the streamlined format will induce a greater focus on certain key aspects of astronomy knowledge and community engagement.

   To this end, the organizers are proposing the following (non-exhaustive) changes:

   Rebalancing the Theory Observation Round

   Previously, the format of the Theory Observation Round created an unhealthy incentive to memorize obscure NGC objects and galaxies, nearly all of which could not be seen in Singapore. Furthermore, other areas of practical astronomy (e.g. astrophotography and setup) were being neglected in comparison. While deeper knowledge of the night sky should and will still be rewarded, going forward the questions in the Theory Observation Round will place comparatively more emphasis on night sky basics and other aspects of practical astronomy. In doing so, we hope that these changes will help prepare students for the demands of a typical sidewalk session.

   Restructuring the AC Finals

   Due to the sheer quantity of questions, the AC Finals tend to drag beyond schedule. To combat this, we are adopting a 3-pronged approach:

   -Standardizing all future Game Rounds to be based on the Kahoot format
   -Reduction in the number of Buzzer Round Questions to 15 per round
   -Increasing the weight of the Preliminaries to 35% of the final score, at the expense of the Game and Buzzer Round

Once again, we would love to hear from you regarding your thoughts about these changes. We hope to make AC2019 an enjoyable and enriching experience for all.

Regards,

The AC2019 Committee

Dear all,

The relevant solutions to the MCQ, DRQ and Observation Round(Theory) have been uploaded. Once again, thank you for participating in AstroChallenge 2018. We hope to see you guys in AstroChallenge 2019!

Regards,
Organising Committee
AstroChallenge 2018

Dear all,

With regards to the Project Round, do include a written transcript for your video (can be in doc/pdf) and submit the transcript together with your video on Day 0 (1st June 2018) of AstroChallenge. At the end of your transcript, do include the references that you have used for your video.

If you have any queries with regards to AstroChallenge 2018, kindly direct them to astrochallenge@gmail.com and we will respond to you as soon as we can. Furthermore, do keep a lookout on our facebook page for more updates on information pertaining to AC2018.

Regards,
Organising Committee
AstroChallenge 2018

Dear all,

Good news! We are opening up Astronomy Crash Course (happening on Day 0, 1st June 2018) to the astronomy clubs all over Singapore! Feel free to bring your club along to attend lectures conducted by astronomy lecturers from the NUS Physics Department! We have also attached the relevant poster to this email for your reference. The following are the abstracts for the lectures that is going to be held on the day itself:

Cosmology – Dr Cindy Ng (1230 – 1330)

Abstract: Cosmology is the study of the origin, evolution, and eventual fate of the universe. In physics, we study the universe through conducting astronomical observations of the universe’s large-scale structures and dynamics, and developing theories to construct viable cosmological models. This lecture provides an introduction to the Big Bang theory, which is the prevailing cosmological model for the universe. The history and development of the theory will be covered, and some outstanding problems will be discussed.

The Scientific Process in Astronomy – Prof Phil Chan (1345 – 1445)

Abstract: Science sounds so exact but what exactly is Science? Carl Sagan once mentioned that “Science is more than a body of knowledge[1]. It is a way of thinking by humans, a way of skeptically interrogating the Universe with a fine understanding of human fallibility”.[2] Science is indeed a process whereby we arrive at a certain conclusion based on a theoretical framework through the use of the language of mathematics.

[1] we do not distinguish epistemic (invisible) and ontological (visible) knowledge.
[2] “If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then, we are up for grabs for the next charlatan (political or religious) who comes rambling along.”

The Lifecycle of Stars – Dr Abel Yang (1500 – 1600)

Abstract: We will start from interstellar gas leading into star formation, and build up a star. Then we will look at the physics of a single star before discussing the end stages of a star’s life.

Do encourage your fellow astronomy club members to sign up via the link below:
https://goo.gl/forms/jIcqpcvWvo2j0Fh23

Should you have indicated a lower attendance for Day 0 in the registration form for AstroChallenge 2018, but wish to increase the attendance for Day 0, do send an email to astrochallenge@gmail.com with the expected attendance for your teams on Day 0.

If you have any queries with regards to the Astronomy Crash Course above or AstroChallenge 2018 itself, kindly direct them to astrochallenge@gmail.com and we will respond to you as soon as we can. Furthermore, do keep a lookout on our facebook page for more updates on information pertaining to AC2018.

Regards,
Organising Committee
AstroChallenge 2018

Dear all,

A huge thanks to those who have registered for AstroChallenge 2018! In view of the great response thus far, we will be extending the registration deadline till 11th May 2018. For those of you who have missed the original deadline, please ensure that you have your team’s particulars submitted before 11th May as this will be the final extension. You may find the registration form here.

In addition, the information letter for AC2018 is now available on our website. The information letter includes the finalised questions for project round, and other changes to AstroChallenge 2018. For more information, do refer to it on our website at this link.

A copy of this information letter will also be circulated to all schools in our mailing list within the next few days.

Thank you for your attention and we hope to see you in June on Day 0 for AstroChallenge 2018!

Regards,
Organising Committee
AstroChallenge 2018

Dear all,

We are pleased to announce that we will be including an Astronomy Crash Course on Day 0 of AC2018. The crash course is offered with the intent to help the participants to prepare for AstroChallenge and impart general knowledge in astronomy. We hope this new initiative would incentivise and encourage schools that have not participated in AstroChallenge previously to do so this year. More information about the Astronomy Crash Couse will be released in the upcoming information letter and nearer to Day 0.

If you have any queries with regards to the Astronomy Crash Course above, kindly direct them to astrochallenge@gmail.com and we will respond to you as soon as we can. Furthermore, do keep a lookout on our facebook page for more updates on information pertaining to AC2018.

Regards,
Organising Committee
AstroChallenge 2018