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5th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics

Selection Test
26 May 2011
Constants:
G = 6.672 10-11m3.kg-1.s-2
Mass of sun = 1.989 x 1030 kg
Sidereal period of Earth = 365.25 days
Hubbles constant = 70 km/s/Mpc
Question 1
Assume the Tropic of Capricorn passes through the city of Sao Paulo (longitude: 46.5W). During
summer, the city is 2 hours behind GMT.
a) Find the local time at which the sun is at its zenith on 22 Dec. [3]
b) The time between sunrise and sunset on that day is 13h 35m 32s. Sunrise is defined when the
leading edge touches the horizon, while sunset is defined when the trailing edge goes below the
horizon. Explain the main factors that lead to this time being longer than 12 hours exactly, and
account for the contribution of each factor in terms of approximate how long it lengthens the
day. Show your working clearly. [6]
c) Assume you are in Sao Paulo with a clear view of all horizons and assume there is no
atmosphere on earth. For each of these stars listed below, find
i. the maximum altitude, and
ii. the length of time it is above the horizons every 24h. [10]
Star

RA (nearest minute)

Dec (nearest half degree)

Sirius

06h 45m

-16.5

Beta Hydri

00h 25m

-77.5

Deneb

20h 41m

+45.5

Kappa Cephei

20h 09m

+77.5

Question 2
Titan is the only moon in the solar system that supports a thick atmosphere. Based on what you
know about Titan's atmosphere, estimate its height if the entire atmosphere were to be cooled to a
liquid. State any assumptions or estimates of values that you have used clearly, and provide a brief
substantiation why you consider them valid. [8]

Question 3
Given that a sidereal year is 365.25636 days and a solar year is 365.24219 days. State what causes
this difference and calculate how many years it takes for this process to complete 1 cycle. [5]

Question 4
Some information on the star system consisting of Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B is given
below:
Parallax: 0.747
Orbital period: 79.9 years
Semi-major axis: 17.57
Neglecting any effects caused by Proxima Centauri, find
a) the separation between the two stars in AU, and [3]
b) the combined mass of the two stars. [3]
c) Given further that Alpha Centauri A has a mean distance of 11.2 AU from the systems
barycenter, find the mass of each of the component stars in the system. [4]

Question 5
The table shows orbital data for the planet we
call home. Perform appropriate calculations to
fill in the missing data. [7]

Perihelion (106 km)


Aphelion (106 km)
Max. orbital velocity (km/s)
Min. orbital velocity (km/s)

147.09

29.29

Question 6
The solar constant, defined as the solar irradiance at a distance of 1 AU, is 1366 W/m.
a) What mass of hydrogen is converted to helium every second? [5]
b) The apparent magnitude of the sun at 1AU is -26.72. Find the apparent magnitude of a light
bulb placed 1 AU away. [3]
c) Hence find the absolute magnitude of a light bulb. [3]

Question 7
a) A recently discovered exoplanet was found to have the same average temperature as the Earth.
This exoplanet orbits a yellow dwarf, which has the same mass and average density as the Sun,
but the temperature of its photosphere is less than the Suns by a factor . Determine the
exoplanets orbital period when (i) = 1.1 and (ii) = 20. [6]
b) Comment on your answer to part (a)(ii), with regard to the physical situation. [2]

Question 8
A spiral galaxy was observed to cover an area of the sky 17 by 25, with a redshift of 0.06. When
the spectrum of this galaxy was obtained, the spectral lines were found to be broadened, such that
the width of each line was 0.06% of its wavelength. Estimate the number of stars in this galaxy. You
may assume that there is no dark matter, and that all stars are solar-mass stars. [12]

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