Every year, high school students compete in the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA). Each national delegation consists of two leaders chosen at the national level and a maximum of five student participants.

Get acquainted with the Astronomy Olympiad syllabus for your particular level. Different topics, including cosmology, astrophysics, or observational astronomy, may be highlighted at each level. Click the link below to find the syllabus. Note: The syllabus might vary each year;hence, kindly find the relevant syllabus for the year you are participating in.

IOAA Website: https://www.ioaastrophysics.org/

IOAA Syllabus: https://www.ioaastrophysics.org/syllabus/

Astronomy Textbooks

• "Fundamental Astronomy" by H. Karttunen, P. Kröger, H. Oja, M. Poutanen, Karl J. Donner
• "Astronomy: Principles and Practice" by A.E Roy and D. Clarke
• "Astronomy: Structure of the Universe" by A.E Roy and D. Clarke
• "The Physical Universe" by Frank Shu
• "An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics" by Bradley W. Carrol and Dale A. Ostile
• "Astronomy: A Physical Perspective" by Marc L. Kutner
• "Schaum’s Outline of Astronomy" by Stacey Palen
• "Universe" by Roger A. Freedman and William J. Kaufmann III

Physics Textbooks

• "Fundamentals of Physics” by Robert Resnick, Jearl Walker, David Halliday
• "An Introduction to Mechanics" by Kleppner and Kolenkow
• "Physics” by John D. Cutnell, Kenneth W. Johnson

Past Papers can be very useful

To familiarize yourself with the kinds of problems, try to solve as many papers from prior years as you can. Below are several links for your practice:

Past Papers

• International Astronomy Olympiad Problems with Solutions (2011-2014)
• Russian Open School Astronomical Olympiad by Correspondence Problems with Solutions (2005-2008)
• Indian National Astronomy Olympiad Problems with Solutions (2008-2014)
• Srilankan Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad Problems with Solutions (2007-2011)
• Romanian Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics Problems (2014)
• United States Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad Problems (2014)
• Bangladesh Astronomy Olympiad Problems
• "Astronomical Olympiad Problems" by V.G Surdin
• Proceedings of 3rd International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Proceedings of 4th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics

Useful Formulas

• Useful Formulas for Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad
• Useful Formulas for "Spherical Astronomy" for Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad [Short Note II]

Observational Textbooks and Software

• Stellarium
• Useful Practical & Observational Skills for Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad [Short Note III]
• Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas

Skills needed for Observational and Data Analysis Test

• How to search planets around
• About 40-50 constellations
• About 100-150 bright stars and their Bayer designation
• Positions of 40 easier "M" objects
• How to Measure Angle in the Sky
• How to Estimate Magnitude
• Exact Path of Ecliptic
• Errors and their Estimation
• Graph Plotting Techniques

Special Video Lectures and Notes

• Spherical Astronomy
• "Introduction to Astronomy" by Prof. Ronen Plesser
• HyperPhysics

Also, Look Into

• Doppler Effect
• “Physics I: Classical Mechanics” by Prof. Walter Lewin

Links for Important Formulas

• Useful Formulas for Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad
• Useful Formulas for "Spherical Astronomy" for Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad [Short Note II]

Required Textbooks for the Astronomy Olympiad

• An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics

The significant shifts and developments in astrophysics over the last ten years are reflected in An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics. This is an excellent textbook that clearly and methodically introduces all the fundamentals of contemporary astrophysics. With its abundance of practical equations, facts, theorems, definitions, working examples, and challenging problems, the book is far more theoretical in nature. Another excellent resource for getting ready for the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics is this book.

• A Student's Guide to the Mathematics of Astronomy

Written by Daniel Fleisch and Julia Kregenow, this book is fantastic for those who are new to astronomy. The writers have covered the subjects that pupils struggle with the most, from light and stars to gravity and black holes. There are more than 150 exercises and homework problems in this book, along with dozens of completely developed examples.

Regular practice and organized preparation can help you establish a solid basis for success in the Astronomy Olympiad.