Are there astronomy competitions?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the possibility of astronomy competitions that a school astronomy club could participate in to justify funding for a telescope. Participants explore various ideas for competitions, educational activities, and potential resources to enhance the club's offerings.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests the Astronomy Olympiad as a potential competition, although it does not involve telescope use.
  • Another participant expresses skepticism about the feasibility of competitions due to the long observation times and dependence on weather conditions.
  • Several participants propose organizing educational events, such as open nights for the community to observe the sky, rather than focusing solely on competitions.
  • There are discussions about the potential for using a telescope for photography, with questions about adapters for connecting DSLR cameras.
  • One participant mentions a resource that provides suggestions for astronomy activities that could engage the school community.
  • Another participant recalls an article about a "super bowl of astronomy," indicating that there may be some competitive events in the field, though details are unclear.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the existence of astronomy competitions suitable for their needs. While some suggest alternative educational activities, others remain uncertain about the competitive aspect of astronomy.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying levels of interest and knowledge about astronomy competitions, with some suggesting that the nature of astronomical observations may not lend itself well to competitive formats. There are also discussions about the limitations of the telescope's design for certain types of observations and photography.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to students involved in astronomy clubs, educators looking for ways to engage students in STEM activities, and individuals seeking resources for astronomy-related competitions or events.

GiantSheeps
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I run an astronomy club at my school, and I recently discovered that the robotics club gets $2000 from the school every year to build a robot. They then go on to compete in tournaments with that robot, so that justifies the $2000.

It would be great if I could get the school to give us $2000 to buy a really nice telescope, but of course we would need to compete in some kind of competition or find some other way to make the telescope beneficial for the entire school. There's the obvious benefit of learning and experience and all that that goes along with owning and operating the telescope, but they need something more tangible like the award that could come from a competition.

So what I'm asking is, are there any sort of Astronomy Competitions that we could compete in that we could use such a telescope for? Or some other way to rationalize the purchase of the telescope?

I am a student, and here's the telescope I was thinking of:
http://www.highpointscientific.com/...9j5-4k_S1vSmzNf3oR27GI-2hvrKICrcWgRoCVk3w_wcB

and then I was thinking we would get it rigged up to a gps thing, computer and monitor, if that's possible, and then maybe get the university (my high school is located on a university campus) to provide us with a dome of some sort. But that's all next step if we can even get the school to give us the money.

Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
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All I can think of is the Astronomy Olympiad, but that doesn't have you looking through a telescope. http://www.usaaao.org/

Have you approached your supervisor or principal and ask for ideas or solutions?
 
Competitions would be difficult, as observations typically take a long time and are extremely dependent on location and weather. I can't think of any real competitions off the top of my head.
 
This seems a strange idea... Competitive astronomy ?
But maybe you could find another way to make it interesting for everyone, perhaps organize an open night where members of the club show everyone the sky, visually and through the scope. You could time it to coincide with some interesting astronomical happening. Or maybe do some presentation about celestial mechanics. Or something else educational to let others get a glimpse of what there's to see. Or you could run some kind of observing program with your scope and display the pictures with a presentation... Just some thoughts...

Edit : just saw the scope you're considering is mostly a visual instrument, so strike the idea about pics, but the rest stand I think.
You might also want to consider something like an 8" computerized SCT which would have more potential for pictures and scientific observations, while still providing nice views visually.
 
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That looks interesting, I'll look into it. Thanks for pointing it out! I haven't spoken to my supervisor yet, but I will first chance I get

EDIT: I meant for this to be a reply to Greg Bernhardt by the way
 
wabbit said:
This seems a strange idea... Competitive astronomy ?
But maybe you could find another way to make it interesting for everyone, perhaps organize an open night where members of the club show everyone the sky, visually and through the scope. You could time it to coincide with some interesting astronomical happening. Or maybe do some presentation about celestial mechanics. Or something else educational to let others get a glimpse of what there's to see. Or you could run some kind of observing program with your scope and display the pictures with a presentation... Just some thoughts...

Edit : just saw the scope you're considering is mostly a visual instrument, so strike the idea about pics, but the rest stand I think.
You might also want to consider something like an 8" computerized SCT which would have more potential for pictures and scientific observations, while still providing nice views visually.

It does seem strange, but I remember seeing an article titled "super bowl of astronomy" or something like that awhile back, and I didn't read the article but I assumed it was some sort of competition. Those are all good ideas, I could present those to my supervisor and see what he says.

Also for the telescope, is it not possible to get some sort of adapter to connect a DSLR camera to the telescope? Would this do that? http://www.telescopehouse.com/acatalog/Revelation_T_Adaptor_1_25__.html
 
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GiantSheeps said:
Also for the telescope, is it not possible to get some sort of adapter to connect a DSLR camera to the telescope? Would this do that? http://www.telescopehouse.com/acatalog/Revelation_T_Adaptor_1_25__.html

Yes, that's a T-ring adaptor, I have one for my Pentax camera. Still haven't got around to getting one for my Canon cameraDave
 
Last edited by a moderator:
GiantSheeps said:
Also for the telescope, is it not possible to get some sort of adapter to connect a DSLR camera to the telescope? Would this do that? http://www.telescopehouse.com/acatalog/Revelation_T_Adaptor_1_25__.html
Certainly, you can take pictures with this telescope. Its photographic capabilities are however limited by its dobsonian mount, which does not provide for easy tracking. Most targets suchs as nebulas, galaxies, etc, being quite faint require exposure times from several mimutes to several hours, so accurately tracking the target is essential.
 
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  • #10
Chronos said:
This might be of interest http://afterschoolastronomy.org/index.html
I didn't know about this, must say it looks like an excellent ressource, I see they have lots of concrete suggestions about activities you might set your club to - activities that should be of interest to the school.
 
  • #11
wabbit said:
I didn't know about this, must say it looks like an excellent ressource, I see they have lots of concrete suggestions about activities you might set your club to - activities that should be of interest to the school.
Yeah, it is great. Wish in my country existed such club. But even now there is no big interest in astronomy here. =_=
 

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