All members of the Korean delegation won medals at the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science & Creativity (KOSAC) announced on the 25th that all members of the Korean delegation obtained medals at the 18th International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad.
This competition, which began in 2007, is an international friendship event that participants under the age of 20 in astronomy and astrophysics from around the world take part in. This year, it was held in Mumbai, India, from the 11th to 21st, with 288 participants from 64 countries.
The Korean delegation included students Min Ji-ho (Daejeon Science High School, 3rd year), Oh Seung-min (Gyeonggi Science High School, 3rd year), and Jeong Tae-hoon (Seoul Science High School, 3rd year) who won gold medals, Yu Chan-young (Seoul Science High School, 3rd year) who received a silver medal, and Lee Yong-geon (Gyeonggi Northern Science High School, 3rd year) who achieved a bronze medal.
The competition consists of theoretical exams, observational exams, and data analysis exams over four days. The theoretical exam featured 12 questions covering fundamental concepts of astrophysics, time and coordinates, planetary and stellar systems, interstellar matter, cosmology, and observational instruments. This year's questions included topics such as 'Hawking radiation of black holes' and 'internal structure and evolution of stars.'
The observational exam utilized reflecting telescopes and a 26m planetarium to include problems relating to gravitational lens observations, quasar time delay measurements, and analysis of exoplanetary rings. The final data analysis exam involved analyzing astronomical data, including calculating the time it takes for coronal mass ejections to reach Earth.
Yun Seong-cheol (Seoul National University), Director General of the Korean Astronomical Society's Korean Astronomy Olympiad Committee, said, 'I felt the passion for space from the prodigies gathered from around the world and realized again the importance of astronomy education in the New Space era,' adding, 'I hope our delegation has taken a step closer to their dreams of space through this award.'