Astronomy

Welcome to Astronomy! In this event, teams will demonstrate an understanding of stellar evolution in normal & starburst galaxies.

The information below should not be interpreted as an extension of the rules. You can find free online copies of the current rules for download on the 2027 Rules page of the Science Olympiad website. The official rules in the current Rules Manual take precedence. 

Resources & Links

Current Season Resources 

• Coming soon!

Previous Seasons Resources

• Astronomy Questions & Answers Webinar
• Earth & Space Science Committee Created
  • Practice Test
  • Key
• NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory Site - Webinars and more!
  • Stellar Evolution
• 2025 Astronomy Webinar video!
  • Webinar Transcript
  • Resources 2025
    • Hubble Space Telescope
    • Chandra Photo Album
    • Astronomy Picture of the Day - NASA
    • National Radio Astronomy Observatory
    • Spitzer Space Telescope
    • NASA's Universe of Learning
    • JS9
    • AstroPix - Browsethe Universe
    • ESO - Very Large Telescope
• January 2024 Webinar Slides & Links from the NASA A-Team
  • Transcript of Webinar
• NASA Exoplanet Watch
• Institute of Physics - Teaching Exoplanets
• NASA - Life and Death Stars
• Universe Unplugged Talk on Astronomy & Reach for the Stars with Chuck Cynamon
• Universe Unplugged Talk on Astronomy & Reach for the Stars with Michael Zhang
• All Universe Unplugged Videos for Science Olympiad astro events
• Types of Variable Stars
• Pulsating Stars & H-R Diagrams
• H-R Diagrams
• Spectroscopy
• Swift Observatory
• Space Telescope Science Institute
• Spitzer Space Telescope
• National Radio Astronomy Observatory
• Astronomy picture of the day
• NASA JS9 Image Analysis Tools, Guides, Tutorials and Investigations
• Hubble Space Views of Variable Stars - NASA
• Exoplanet Study Lab
• Amazing Space
• Sky & Telescope Magazine
• Space Weather
• JWST
  • First Images Gallery
  • First Images Expert Panel
  • James Web Homepage
• PlanetQuest - Jet Propulsion Lab Resource
• Space Photography
• Curated Astronomy resources from our friends at LabXchange > Excel download

Science Olympiad Store Materials 

• 2027 National Test Packet
• 2026 National Test Packet
• 2025 National Test Packet
• 2024 National Test Packet
• 2023 National Test Packet
• 2022 National Test Packet

PRACTICE PROBLEMS & TESTS

• 2026 Earth & Space Science Committee Created
  • Practice Test
  • Key
• Practice Test - 2026 BullSO Invitational
• Practice Test - 2026 Wichita Heights High School Invitational
• Practice Test - 2026 GullSO Invitational
• Practice Test - 2026 Northview Invitational
• Practice Test - 2026 Hawk & Hornet Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 Bulls SO Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 UW River Falls Border Battle
• Practice Test - 2025 Purdue Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 USC Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 Northview Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 UT Austin Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 Mira Loma Science Olympiad Invitational
• Practice Test - 2025 Mason High School Invitational
• Practice Test - 2024 Brown University Invitational
• Practice Test - 2024 Case Western Reserve University Invitational
• Practice Test - 2023 UGA Invitational
• Practice Test - 2023 Whiting Invitational
• State-Level Practice Test - 2023 - developed by the NASA A-Team
• Regional-Level Practice Test - 2023 - developed by the NASA A-Team
• Practice Test - 2023 Golden Gate Science Olympiad Invitational - developed by the NASA A-Team
• Practice Test - 2023 Columbia University Invitational
• Practice Test - 2023 University of Michigan Invitational
• Practice Test - 2023 MIT Science Olympiad Invitational - developed by the NASA A-Team
• Practice Test - 2023 Northmont Invitational
• Practice Test - 2023 Carolina Science Olympiad Invitational
• Practice Test - 2023 Ohio State University Invitational
• 2022 UT Austin In-Person Invitational Astronomy Exam, Image Set, Answer Sheet and Answer Key
• Practice Test - 2022 Rickards Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 Highlands Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 BullSO Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 National Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 MIT Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 SOLVI Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 MIT Invitational
• Practice Test - 2022 UChicago Invitational
• Practice Test - 2021 UT Austin Invitational
• Practice Test - 2021 BirdSO Invitational

EVENT SUPERVISOR RESOURCES

In addition to the resources on the Event Supervisors page, Astronomy Event Supervisors should be sure to use the following resources:

• Event Logistics Resource - coming soon!

CAREER CONNECTIONS 

• SPACE CAREER RESOURCE GUIDE
• About a Career in Astronomy | American Astronomical Society 
• James Webb Telescope Workshop
• Astronomy STEM Session
• NASA - So You Want to Be an Astronaut?
• CareerOneStop - Atmospheric and Space Scientists Occupation Profile
• STEM Session on Space
• US Bureau of Labor Statistics - Space Careers: A Universe of Options