All Five Korean Delegates Win Gold at Astronomy Olympiad for the First Time

312 Students from 64 Countries Compete
Tasks Included JWST Data Analysis and Estimating Black Hole Mass

All five Korean students who participated in the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics took home gold medals. This marks the first time since Korea started taking part in this competition that every member of its delegation has won a gold medal.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity announced on October 6 that all five members of the Korean delegation won gold medals at the 19th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA), held in Hanoi, Vietnam from September 25 to October 5.

This year’s event brought together 312 students from 64 countries. Representing Korea, Kim Gunho (3rd year, Seoul Science High School), Kim Hyunggun (3rd year, Seoul Science High School), Park Hayoon (3rd year, Daejeon Science High School), Yeo Eunsoo (3rd year, Sejong Science Arts Gifted School), and Yoon Yejun (3rd year, Gwangju Science High School) all secured gold medals.

Korean Delegation Commemorative Photo (Medal Award Ceremony): From left, Yoon Yejun (Gwangju Science High School), Kim Geonho (Seoul Science High School), Kim Hyunggeon (Seoul Science High School), Yeo Eunsu (Sejong Science and Arts Gifted School), Park Hayoon (Daejeon Science High School). Courtesy of Ministry of Science and ICT

The competition was held over four days and consisted of theoretical, data analysis, and observational exams. The theoretical exam lasted five hours and accounted for 50% of the overall assessment, while the data analysis exam took four hours and was worth 25%. The observational exam was divided into sections using telescopes and planetariums.

The theoretical exam covered fundamental concepts in astrophysics, planetary and stellar systems, interstellar medium, cosmology, and observational instruments. This year, there were 12 questions, including topics such as "spiral structures in stellar winds from evolved stars" and "ultra-luminous galaxies in the early universe."

The data analysis exam included problems such as analyzing the identity of "Little Red Dots (LRD)" found in the early universe using observational data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and verifying the equation of state of neutron stars.

In the observational exam, students directly observed Saturn and the open cluster M29 in Cygnus with a reflecting telescope and calculated hour angles, among other tasks. There was also a question applying "reverberation mapping" to estimate the mass of black holes at the centers of active galactic nuclei. In the planetarium section, students solved problems such as determining the position of the Sun based on a virtual sky as seen from the far side of the Moon.

Lee Heewon, head of the Korean Astronomy Olympiad Committee and leader of the Korean delegation, commented, "The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics is a major global competition where young astronomy talents from various countries interact, express their creative knowledge, and demonstrate their passion for the universe. I hope that our delegation members, through participating in the event, have grown into valuable talents for Korea who will help lead the space era."

This year, including the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Korean delegation participated in a total of eight international competitions, covering mathematics, physics, and other subjects. The only remaining event on this year’s international olympiad schedule is the International Junior Science Olympiad, which will be held from December 2 to 9.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.