I-Universe A celebration of the International Year of Astronomy by IU Dept. of Astronomy.

Overview | Object Selection | Proposal | Eligibility | Deadline | Evaluation | Observing | FAQ

Observe for a night on the WIYN 0.9m telescope at Kitt Peak!

High school students can compete to use the WIYN 0.9-m telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona for one night to make astronomical observations. This contest is offered by the Indiana University Department of Astronomy in celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009.

Overview:

One night's observing time at the WIYN 0.9m telescope will be awarded to the winning student or student group to take pictures of their favorite night sky objects. The winning student(s) will visit the Remote Observing Center on the IU Bloomington campus to make their observations. IU Astronomy faculty or advanced students will help the winners to obtain and prepare the astronomical images. The resulting images will then be used for educational and/or scientific purposes to encourage student interest in astronomy.

Choosing Astronomical Objects for Observation:

Any astronomical objects may be selected, but they must meet the following requirements:

1. The brightness of the objects must be between magnitudes 8 and 22 for stars. Objects that are too bright will be overexposed and objects that are too faint will not show up in the image. Most galaxies and nebulae are within the correct range of what the telescope can image.
2. The objects must be up in the sky to be observed with the telescope. The observing time will be scheduled to accommodate the objects proposed, but objects must be available in the summer or autumn sky. Generally, objects should fall within the right ascension range from 18 to 24 hours or 0 to 4 hours, and be above -17 degrees declination.
3. The field of view of the telescopes camera is about a third of a degree, less than the diameter of the full Moon. Objects selected for observation may be smaller than this size, but if they are larger, only a portion of the object will be seen in the image.

For an introduction to sky coordinates and the magnitude system, please refer to the Helpful Resources page. Questions about the suitability of any particular targets can be submitted to iya@astro.indiana.edu.

Content of the Proposal:

The competition is closed for 2009.

Eligibility:

Indiana high school students in grades 9-11 are eligible to enter. Students may work individually or in groups of 2-4.

Deadline:

All proposals must be received by email to the IU Dept. of Astronomy no later than APRIL 1, 2009. Proposals should be submitted to iya@astro.indiana.edu.

Evaluation:

A committee of faculty and graduate students from the IU Department of Astronomy will select the winning entry. This decision will be final. The winner will be announced on or before May 15, 2009.

Scheduling, Observing and Data:

The winning student(s) will be contacted by the IU Department of Astronomy to schedule the specific dates of the observing time. The winning student(s) will be invited to the IU campus in Bloomington to make the observations at our Remote Observing Center. All costs, including transportation to and from Bloomington and accommodations on campus will be covered. The winning student(s) must be accompanied by a parent or adult chaperone.

Once the data are acquired, the student(s) will be assisted by an IU Department of Astronomy faculty member or advanced student to work with the data to produce the final image(s).

Contact Information:

For questions or further information, please contact iya@astro.indiana.edu, or consult the FAQ.

	Indiana University
	Department of Astronomy
	727 East 3rd St, Swain Hall West 319	Phone: (812) 855-6911
	Bloomington, IN 47405-7105	Fax: (812) 855-8725