A TEAM OF UP TO: 2 APPROXIMATE TIME: 50 Minutes

EVENT PARAMETERS: Teams may bring a four-function calculator, plus handwritten, typed, or computer-generated resources, including books, to the event. All resources must fit within the confines of an area no larger than 12” x 12” x 3”.

THE COMPETITION: Participants will be presented with one or more tasks, each requiring the use of process skills. These skills may include, but are not limited to, generating inferences, making predictions, problem solving, making and recording observations, formulating and evaluating hypotheses, interpreting data, and graphing.

Topics of study may include, but are not limited to:

• Solar features including prominences, flares, sunspots, layers, etc.

• Geologic activity on the planets and their satellites

• Characteristics of terrestrial and giant planets

• Ring systems and how they are formed

• Causes of the seasons, tides, lunar and solar eclipses, lunar and planetary phases

• Planetary motions including rotation, revolution, and precession

• Interpreting topographic maps on the planets and their satellites

• Planetary exploration

• Formation of the Solar System

• Introduction to Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion and Newton’s Laws of Motion and Gravitation (no calculations)

• Forces that keep satellites in orbit around their planets and the planets and their satellites in orbit around the Sun

• Know the constellation in which all planets visible on the evening of the day of the competition are located and be able to find and identify these on a constellation chart

REPRESENTATIVE ACTIVITY Given a diagram illustrating the orbits of Jupiter’s large satellites, participants will calculate the orbital periods of each - in Earth days - and identify the satellites in order of distance from nearest to farthest from Jupiter.

SCORING: Points will be awarded for the quality and accuracy of responses. A minimum of three preidentified questions will serve as tiebreakers.