First Info - IAYC 2020 (12th July - 1st August)

EPIC - Evi's Planet Investigators & Co.

Tags: Data Analysis, Observing, Programming, Planets, Spectroscopy

Have you ever wondered how many planets exist outside of our solar system? And what elements these exoplanets are made of, or if they could harbour life? Have you ever been amazed by our ability to detect these small objects orbiting a star several light years away? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, you are going to enjoy my working group!

In EPIC we are going to look at different aspects of planets — from detecting exoplanets ourselves to studying the theory of planet formation — there are many exciting projects waiting for you! While some might be analysing the data which led to the award of the Physics Nobel Prize in 2019, others in the group might look at spectra of exoplanets, finding clouds in their atmospheres, or discussing what signatures could give away the presence of extraterrestrial life. Whether you’re an exoplanet expert or need help telling Mercury from Mars, everyone will have an EPIC time!

As you can see, the only requirement for this working group is a love for planets and I will provide the rest (along with tea, coffee, biscuits, cookies, etc.)! If you have any questions about the projects or an idea which we could include, I would love to hear from you!

Clear skies and see you soon in Spain, it’s going to be EPIC!

Evi

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EPOCH - Early Physics Outlined with Code and Happiness

Tags: theoretical, research, programming, physics, cosmology

It would be nearly impossible to study astrophysics without thinking about time. When astronomers make observations of the Universe, they often say we are “looking back in time”. When we run simulations, we want to investigate how a system evolves over time. Astronomers – and your average human – are deeply interested in what the future holds for us and for our Universe. In this working group, we will be looking /backwards/, a crucial step in understanding our present state and beyond.

Early Universe physics includes some of the most strange physical, chemical, and cosmological environments. Each project team will research a moment in time after the Big Bang. The epoch of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis – when the first elements form – only endures for a mere three minutes. The epoch of recombination and decoupling, at 270,000 years, marks the surface of last photon scattering and the birth of the cosmic microwave background. The dark ages – and the following epoch of reionization – are a mysterious point in cosmic history when the first structures start to arise. Finally, there is strong evidence suggesting a peculiar period of exponential inflation in the Universe’s size. Together, we will investigate each of these puzzle pieces that fit together to result in the Universe we live in today.

This working group will be theoretical* and programming-based. If learning about weird physics, using code to make predictions, or simply stretching your mind sounds intriguing to you, then join us in EPOCH, or shoot me an email at melanie@iayc.org to discuss ideas. See you in Spain!

*unless we can rally the funds for a particle accelerator. If you can do that, I’d like to point out, IAYC is accepting donations to our PayPal.

Melanie

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FLAT - FLirting with Absurd Theories

Tags: Programming, Theoretical, Practical, Conspiracies, Debunking

More often than not we take for granted theories that have been proven long before we had a chance to learn about them. Since ancient Greece, we have known not only that the Earth is round but also its radius with surprising accuracy, thanks to polymaths like Eratosthenes. However, it’s easy to be skeptical when it comes to topics that are hard to prove empirically. That’s where most conspiracy theories are born.

In FLAT we will learn about not only conspiracies but also theories that have been disproved by our more modern tools. Programming a simulation of the geocentric model or theorizing about how gravity would make a flat disc collapse into a sphere are some of the things we will work on. But we’ll also get rid of our computing power and try to recreate some of the measurements that our ancestors got so accurately. Together we’ll figure out whether they put a man on the Moon or R.E.M. is lying to us.

Personally, I always chuckle when I stumble upon a crazy theory and find amusement in pushing the theory forward until it’s too absurd too handle; if that sounds appealing to you, in FLAT you’ll feel at home. I can’t wait to meet you all in Spain, hopefully we can help each other with the disappointing amount of questions that the Area 51 Raid left us with.

See you soon,

Gabi

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MESSY - Modelling Energy Systems SustainablY on exoplanets

Tags: Energy, Colonisation, Design, Modelling

Do you like lights? How about heat? Or rockets, electronics, the internet, cars, trains, planes, food, hospitals or sanitation? All of those things need energy to be created and to run, and a colony on another planet would need to do all of those things too! How would their energy system work? Would it copy Earth? Or would they use a new system altogether?

In MESSY, we’ll pick an exoplanet from a catalogue and use what’s known about it to design an energy system for a future human colony there. We’ll learn the basics of modelling. We’ll guess what future human civilisations will want energy for and propose how they might obtain it. Is there nuclear fuel on the planet? Do they need to worry about greenhouse gas emissions in their atmospheres? We’ll consider dozens of questions like this together, and see how the system we’re designing compares to Earth!

For a bit of practical application, we can build a wind turbine (or any other generation device – be creative) and measure its power output!

If you like planning, designing and creating things, MESSY is for you. We’ll combine existing knowledge with creativity to tell the story of the future of humanity’s energy as an interstellar species! We’ll also play endless games, drink our weight in tea, and discuss every topic imaginable.

Finnbar

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OOPSIE - Observing and Photographing Skies In Extremadura

Tags: Astrophotography, Observation, Telescopes, Cameras

Astronomy is an ancient science, since the beginning of time we humans have raised our eyes to the sky and wondered what was lying out there. We pictured it as a solid dome with bright dots stuck to it, or imagined it being the home of mythological creatures surveying the skies. Only 400 years ago these questions began to be resolved thanks to a powerful time machine: the telescope. A tool that let us observe objects our eyes could not see because they were too dim or too far away. Later another revolution came, the camera, allowing us not only to observe objects in a blink but to capture the photons they emit for minutes or even hours – suddenly the sky was bright and full of treasures.

And that’s exactly what we will work on in OOPSIE: we will observe, catalog and photograph the skies at night. We’ll use big aperture telescopes to observe nebulae, galaxies and star clusters with our own eyes; telescopes with great focal length to note the changes in Jupiter’s clouds and moons; cameras to take long exposure photographs of deep-sky objects, planets, the Moon or just photos of the beautiful landscapes surrounding the camp house with the Milky Way rising.

If you are willing to spend countless nights observing and photographing the sky, this is the working group for you. I’ll make sure you have a constant supply of coffee, tea and cookies to keep you warm and happy. And if not, OOPSIE.

See you at El Solitario!

Alex

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SCOUSE: Science COmmunication of the UniverSe and Everything

Tags: astrophysics, social science, presentation skills, media, communication, theoretical, practical

Astronomy is an infinite source of awe and mystery. Yet, astrophysicists aren’t always the best communicators; research in its original form is filled with complex equations and unintelligible text — near-impossible for members of the public 👪 to understand. As scientists, it’s our responsibility to help bridge the gap between science and the public, and make science accessible to all.

Join me on this journey as we delve into the deepest and darkest secrets of the Universe. We’ll read astrophysics research papers 📖; learn how to translate complex scientific jargon; communicate in a variety of ways: writing 📝, presenting 🖥️, podcasting 🎙️, vlogging 📹, (interpretive dance?), … We’ll also relive the good old days, when science journalists took analog photos 📷 and developed film 🎞️ in the darkroom to document their work.

But there’s more to science communication than just communicating. If we want communities at large to be more engaged in science, we need to take things to the next level — we need to evaluate. Did people understand what we’ve communicated? What was our impact? Were some techniques better than others? How can we improve?

If it ever gets too much and fake news 📰 and the FLAT-earthers start bringing us down, do not fear. I’ll be here providing tea & biscuits, and emotional support for when the going gets tough and the camp gets going.

I hope you’ll be here with me too,

P.S. I may even try and do a Scouse accent if you’re lucky.

Hannah

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STORYTIME – STars On the Radiant skY Truly Inspired Mythology on Earth

Tags: cultural astronomy, mythology, archaeoastronomy, research

Have you ever gazed at the night sky and felt your heart skip a beat in awe of its beauty? Or how small you felt underneath the firmament?

Now imagine our ancestors hundreds and thousands of years ago staring at the same stars and the awe they must have felt. They weaved the stars into stories about their gods, built temples and structures according to the path of the Sun or the Moon. But stars did not only play an important role in religion and stories told around the fireplace, but also in navigation and for calendars.

In STORYTIME we will compare different cultures from all over the world in terms of their relationship to astronomy and how their myths and legends are linked to the stars we know. I am sure you know about ancient Greek mythology, but what about the legends of the Aborigines or Inca?

Get ready to travel through time to the early beginnings of astronomy, starting with the Nebra sky disk, the oldest concrete depiction of the night sky, and astronomical structures like Stonehenge. What can they tell us about how life and astronomy were connected?

We will take a closer look at how astronomy developed in cultures all over the world and how people started to use the stars to find their way through a strange world. Who knows, maybe you will even get the chance to build ancient navigational instruments on your own?

I can promise you that we’ll spend hours underneath the stars, discussing stories of old times, eating cookies and drinking tea and I will do my best to make sure you have a great time at the IAYC. I can’t wait to finally get to know you all in El Solitario!

Wanda

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T-REX - Training Robots to EXplore

Does space fill you with Curiosity? Are you interested in the Spirit of space exploration, and the Opportunity that it brings? Unfortunately the puns stop there because NASA didn’t care to give the rest of their space probes more convenient names.

In T-REX we will learn all about robotic space exploration using planetary rovers. Rovers are awesome. Using them we’re able to analyse the soil on Mars, sniff the toxic atmosphere of Venus and even take photos from the surface of comets (yes, I know Philae was a lander). Although rovers often carry different payloads depending on the mission (spectrometers, lasers, drills, etc), virtually every system has a bunch of cameras to give us eyes on an alien world. We can use images to navigate, reconstruct 3D models of terrain, identify interesting geology and help the rover avoid obstacles. Plus, of course, we can take pretty panoramas.

Let’s build one and explore El Solitario! But what will we actually do, I hear you ask? How about:

• Planning a robotic mission, making trade offs to achieve science goals when SWAP (Size, Weight and Power) are against you?
• Mapping an environment in 3D, localising the rover in the environment and overlaying sensor data?
• Using computer vision/machine learning to locate, classify and analyse objects in images
• Understanding how we control systems that are very far from Earth

This is a great opportunity to get involved with hardware hacking, computer vision and machine learning. We will be using Python for pretty much everything. Don’t be afraid if you know nothing (Jon Snow), you will learn!

  #!/usr/bin/env python

  import random

  benefits = ['caffeine', 'food', 'good music', 'Josh', 'memes', 'robots']

  print("Don't worry, there will be {} to keep you going!").format(random.choice(benefits))

Josh

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GEN - General Coordinator

So you’re wondering what the General Coordinator of the IAYC does eh? Fair enough, it’s easy to miss how much work goes on behind the scenes to make sure camp runs smoothly and everyone has a great time.

As the GEN it’s my job to make sure everything is working right from start to finish. You need transport to and from the camp? Let me get you a bus. You need hot food and all the tea and coffee you can lay your hands on when we get up at midday? I’ll be constantly keeping up with the staff of the house to keep us fed and watered. You can’t fit enough clothes for 3 weeks of camp into your suitcase (for some reason)? I’ll see to it that we can do at least some laundry during the camp, just don’t count on weekly washes.

Aside from the day to day running of the camp it’s also my job to handle any problems that come up. Water not running, the heating/cooling is broken, your leader is missing/sick, and anything else you can think of. It’s up to me to deal with issues as they arise so that you don’t have to, and find solutions that keep things feeling seamless and smooth.

Not even the legendary squawkers of El Solitario or pool induced nightmares will keep me from delivering daily announcements and safeguarding your camp experience against all misfortune.

At the camp, I am your first port of call if you have any issues and I’m always happy to help so please come knock on my office door any time. Just remember to ask your common sense if you can deal with it first since there is a camp to run after all.

Can’t wait to see you all in El Solitario.

Cillian

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NAP - Non-Astronomical Programme

Welcome to NAP! I am your director of in camp entertainment so allow me to introduce you to the wonderful madness of NAP. The Non-Astronomical Programme is at the heart of the IAYC.

After lunch the camp comes together to enjoy a period of something completely different.

The NAP is a wide and varied programme that brings the camp together to run around a field playing the games you haven’t played since you were a child. It’s pure unadulterated fun.

But it’s not all silliness; we also learn about each other’s cultures, appreciate poetry and performances, and bond as a group.

As NAP leader I will be in charge of the chaos that is NAP sessions, but I will also be the GEN’s right hand in the day-to-day running of the camp. While Cillian is dealing with the big things I will be making sure everyone is awake with time to make it to breakfast by singing you awake, and I will be on hand throughout the day to keep you supplied with all the materials you require for your projects.

There’s no formula for NAP. I will try to spark some creativity, and watch the beautiful chaos that you come up with (and keep a hold on the reigns).

Every member of the IAYC is automatically inducted into NAP, so I will see you at IAYC 2020!

Carys

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PAL

Tags: Night observations, Telescopes, Technical help

Picture the scene. It’s 1 am, you’ve just finished a delicious midnight meal and you walk outside. It’s 20 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, you look up and see the majesty of the Milky Way stretching from horizon to horizon overhead. You rush to the observation field, hoping to glean a better view of the night sky through one of the many telescopes available to you at the IAYC. You arrive, however, to find the battery pack is out of charge, the eyepiece missing and you’re not entirely sure how to operate this particular telescope. Well, have no fear, your PAL is here!

My job is to ensure the smooth running of any and all observing at the camp. Whether your leader has set you a fascinating observing project and you need help acquiring the data, you’re wanting a bit of help finding NGC 6871 or perhaps you just want someone to point out the latest constellations to you. Whatever your observing needs I’ve got you covered! As the artists of the legendary Friends theme song once sung, “I’ll be there for you”, especially, “when the rain starts to fall” as we’ll need to get the telescopes inside pretty quickly…

In addition to helping out on the observation field itself, I’ll be delivering daily weather reports, organising star parties, running astrophotography workshops, and as my day job when I’m not being PAL is as a observational astronomer, maybe hosting a couple of lectures on the state-of-the-art professional observatories and how they compare to our setups.

That’s not all. Have you ever wanted to try your hand at the lost art of film photography? At the IAYC we will also have a darkroom. I’ll be on hand to help you take your own photos, develop the film and make prints to take home with you, the perfect way to capture the memories of those hot summer days you spent under the Spanish Sun.

See you in Spain,

Dan

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