USAAAO 2024 - First Round

February 10th , 2024

1. David is walking down MIT’s infinite corridor (latitude 42˝ 211 332 ) when he suddenly sees the
sun aligning with the window at the end of the corridor. Being the observational master he is,
David immediately pulls out his compass and measures the Sun to be at an azimuth of 245.81˝ .
Forgetting to bring his jacket, he is painfully reminded as he walks outside that it has been less
than 6 months since the previous winter solstice. Which of the following choices is closest to the
current date? Assume the corridor is parallel to the surface of the Earth.
(a) January 15
(b) January 30
(c) February 15
(d) March 20
(e) April 1

2. Abhay looks at the light curves for two main sequence stars A and B, which you can assume are
blackbodies. A has its peak at a frequency two times as high as that of B. By looking at the
depth of spectral lines, Abhay can also determine that A has higher metallicity than B. Abhay
makes the following statements:
P: A has higher absolute magnitude than B.
Q: A is older than B.
Which of the following is true?
(a) P and Q are true.
(b) P and Q are false.
(c) P is true and Q is false.
(d) P is false and Q is true.
(e) We don’t have sufficient information for one or more of these statements.

3. Aliens in a nearby star system (located in a random direction from Earth) are looking for nearby
planets using the transit method. What is the probability that they can see the Earth transit
across the Sun?
(Assume they observe our Sun over multiple years and their instruments are sensitive enough
to detect any transit that occurs.)
(a) 100%
(b) 5.8%
(c) 0.93%
(d) 0.47%
(e) 0.15%

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4. Orion is observing the sky with two telescopes that he just made. Orion wrote down that the
first telescope has a primary mirror with focal length Fp “ 2m and an eye piece with focal
length Fe “ 30mm . However, he does not know the specifications of his second telescope.
Given that the full-field image on the left was taken by the first telescope, and the full-field
image on the right was taken by the second telescope, which of the following choices could be
the specifications of the second telescope?

(a) Fp “ 1m Fe “ 15mm
(b) Fp “ 1m Fe “ 30mm
(c) Fp “ 1m Fe “ 90mm
(d) Fp “ 6m Fe “ 30mm
(e) Fp “ 6m Fe “ 15mm

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5. A supernova is triggered largely by neutrinos. In fact, 99% of the energy coming from the su-
pernova is released in form of neutrinos. Over a time span of about three months, the supernova
outputs visible light with power equivalent to 10 billion Suns. Assuming supernova neutrinos
have mean energy of around 10 MeV, that all the power of the supernova is released during the
time it is visible, and that all of the power released is released in the form of either visible light
or neutrinos, estimate the number of neutrinos released.
(a) 1054
(b) 1055
(c) 1050
(d) 1057
(e) 1060

6. Newly discovered planets DDP and CJ are found to orbit a nearby star, as shown in the figure
above. Planet CJ has a circular orbit with a radius of 2d, while planet DDP moves in an
elliptical orbit with an aphelion of d and a perihelion of 5d. Their orbits intersect at location
B in the figure. Additionally, through external analysis, planet DDP is found to be three times
more massive than planet CJ. From the perspective of the star, what is the ratio of the angular
momentum of planet DDP when it passes through point B to the angular momentum of planet
CJ when it passes through point B? You may assume that the masses of both planets are
significantly smaller than the mass of the star they orbit.
?
3 3
(a) 2
b
15
(b) 2
?
(c) 2 3
?
(d) 30
b
10
(e) 3

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 7. Arjun launches a 50 kg rocket with speed 10,405 m/s from the surface of the Earth and redirects
it into a stable elliptical orbit. Upon analysis, he finds the area of the orbit to 1.438 ˆ 1015
m2 . What is the approximate distance between the periapsis of the orbit and the center of the
Earth? Assume no energy was lost in the redirection of the rocket into its new orbit.
(a) 10000 km
(b) 5000 km
(c) 2000 km
(d) 39000 km
(e) 15000 km

8. The mass density of the Milky Way galaxy determines the orbital velocity of planets, stars, and
other objects orbiting around its center. Assuming a constant surface mass density σ for the
Milky Way and modeling it as a perfect circular disk, identify the dependence of the circular
orbital velocity vprq of a point mass at radius r from the galaxy’s center.
?
(a) 1{ r
(b) 1{r
?
(c) r
(d) r
(e) r3{2

9. Let’s assume that on an expedition mission to Mars, we take a telescope with 0.01 arcsecond
angular resolution from earth. What is the ratio of the number of the stars we can measure the
parallax distance to using this telescope on Mars compared to earth? The semimajor axis of
Mars is 1.524 AU.
(a) 0.25
(b) 0.5
(c) 1
(d) 4
(e) 8

10. Ben Chen is an alien living on a system identical to earth, except his planet’s obliquity is 0˝ .
Located at latitude 42.20˝ , he wants to observe M52. Due to the open cluster being so dim, Ben
needs perfect conditions to observe M52. Due to atmospheric effects, M52 can only be observed
above an altitude of 30˝ . Additionally, it must be during astronomical twilight (when the Sun is
more than 18˝ below the horizon). Of the following dates, which is the earliest after the vernal
equinox that Ben can observe the cluster? The coordinates of M52 are approximately α = 0h
and δ “ 60˝ .
(a) April 21st
(b) June 21st
(c) August 21st
(d) October 21st
(e) December 21st

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11. Joe lives at the bottom of a vertical cylindrical hole with a radius of 10 m at a depth of 10 km
below the surface. He sees the Sun directly through the opening of the hole for a couple days
twice a year, around November 2nd and February 9th. Which of the following is Joe’s latitude?
(a) 42˝ 221 N
(b) 19˝ 271 N
(c) 4˝ 431 N
(d) 14˝ 381 S
(e) 34˝ 361 S

12. In the same scenario as the question above, what is the longest possible time interval that direct
sunlight reaches anywhere in the bottom of the hole in a single day?
(a) 28 sec
(b) 2 min 8 sec
(c) 2 min 26 sec
(d) 2 min 35 sec
(e) 2 min 41 sec

13. Samvit observes a binary star system of masses M1 and M2 . Unfortunately, the star with mass
M2 is too dim for him to observe it, leading to the following snapshot below.

What could Samvit hypothesize to be the position and mass of the other star at this instant
that would be consistent with the laws of physics and the orbit snapshot that he sees? To be
clear, he has no knowledge of the value of M2 or the period of the binary system.
?
(a) At p a2 ´ b2 , 0q with mass M1 ` M2
(b) At p0, ´bq with mass M1
?
(c) At p a2 ´ b2 , 0q with mass MM11`MM2
2
?
(d) At p´2 a2 ´ b2 , ´bq with mass M1
M2
?
(e) At p M 1
a2 ´ b2 , 0q with mass M2

14. The surface of the Sun exhibits differential rotation, with different rotational periods at different
latitudes. We can measure this rotation speed using Doppler spectroscopy or by tracking the
motion of sunspots.
If the rotation speed of the Sun’s surface at the equator is 2021 m{s, and at 60˝ South is
809 m{s, how long would it take for a sunspot at the equator to do a full extra lap around the
Sun compared to a sunspot at 60˝ South?

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 (a) 6.2 days
(b) 25.0 days
(c) 31.2 days
(d) 41.7 days
(e) 126 days

15. Two protons A and B lie in the solar interior. In the rest frame of proton A, the proton B
approaches it radially from a large distance with speed 0.9c. In the rest frame of proton A,
identify the radius of the “classically forbidden” region for proton B (i.e. the region in which
proton B cannot enter).

(a) 6.6 ˆ 10´12 m

(b) 4.1 ˆ 10´15 m
(c) 2.3 ˆ 10´15 m
(d) 3.8 ˆ 10´18 m
(e) 1.2 ˆ 10´18 m

16. Consider a sun-planet-moon system. The rotation period of the planet is 2 days. The period of
revolution of the moon around the planet is 42 days while that of the planet around the sun is
420 days. What is the length of the lunar cycle as seen from the planet? You can assume the
the direction of planetary rotation, planetary revolution and lunar revolution is the same.

(a) 42.1 days

(b) 44.3 days
(c) 46.7 days
(d) 50.5 days
(e) 53.1 days

17. The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is an optical telescope under construction in Chile. The
primary mirror has been planned to have a diameter of 39.3 m making it largest optical telescope
ever built. One of the goals for this telescope is the direct imaging of exoplanets. Consider an
exoplanet at a distance of 1 A.U. from a star. What is the maximum distance from Earth of
such a star-exoplanet system in which the ELT can resolve the exoplanet separately from the
star? Ignore atmospheric seeing and assume optical wavelength to be 500 nm.
(a) 112 pc
(b) 212 pc
(c) 312 pc
(d) 412 pc
(e) 512 pc

18. At 6am on March 20th, as the Sun is rising, Leo, who is at p40˝ N, 75˝ Wq, plants a stick vertically
on the ground. At that moment, he marks out a (finite) line on the ground in the direction of the
shadow of the stick at that moment, labeling it with the current time. Every hour afterwards,
on the hour, he marks out a new line in the current direction of the shadow, until the sun sets
at 6pm.

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 Three months later, Leo returns to the same spot, where the vertical stick and lines remain.
Again, every hour on the hour, he marks out a line in the current direction of the shadow, until
the sun sets.
Let α12 and α6 be the azimuths of the lines drawn in the spring at 12pm and 6pm, and β12 and
β6 be the azimuths of the lines drawn in the summer at 12pm and 6pm. Which of the following
statements is true? Ignore atmospheric effects and the equation of time.
(a) α12 “ β12 , α6 “ β6
(b) α12 ą β12 , α6 “ β6
(c) α12 ă β12 , α6 “ β6
(d) α12 “ β12 , α6 ą β6
(e) α12 “ β12 , α6 ă β6

19. Leo then realizes that, in order for a single set of hour markings to accurately describe the time
over the course of an entire year, the stick may need to be tilted away from the vertical position.
More specifically, consider straight lines drawn on the ground from the base of the stick; the
shadow at a certain fixed time of day, on different days of the year, should always lie on the
same line. Measured as an angle from the vertical, how much does the stick need to be tilted,
and in which direction?
(a) 0˝ (no tilt needed)
(b) 40˝ towards the North
(c) 50˝ towards the North
(d) 40˝ towards the South
(e) 50˝ towards the South

20. Imagine a very long cylindrical planet that has a satellite orbiting around it. Considering that
the average density of the planet is ρ and the radius is R, find the expression that relates the
period P of the satellite with its distance d to the center of the planet.
c
2d 2π
(a)
R Gρ
c
d 2π
(b)
R Gρ
c
d 4π
(c)
2R Gρ
c
d 4π
(d)
R Gρ
c
d π
(e)
R Gρ

21. The problem of magnetic monopoles — that is, the apparent absence of magnetic monopoles
in the universe — arises from the fact that some modern physical theories (such as string
theory) predict that the number density of magnetic monopoles at the time of their creation
was nM ptGU T q « 1082 m´3 . The inflation theory provides a possible solution to this problem, as
the exponential expansion of the primordial universe would ”dilute” the monopoles. Calculate,
approximately, how much the universe expanded during the inflationary period so that today the
probability of a single magnetic monopole existing in the observational universe is 1%. Consider

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 that the beginning of inflation coincides with the time of the creation of magnetic monopoles,
and that the universe is flat (Euclidean geometry can be used on large scales). You can use that
the diameter of the observational universe is 28.5 Gpc, and that between the end of inflation
and today, the universe has linearly expanded by a factor of 5 ˆ 1026 .
(a) e40
(b) e50
(c) e55
(d) e65
(e) e85

22. Tara is investigating a new interesting type of stars she decides to call the X stars. She observes
that in an X star of mass M and radius R, the gas pressure in the center of the star is proportional
3
to M
R5 . What is the temperature at the center of the star proportional to?

(a) M R
M
(b) R
(c) M 2 R2
M2
(d) R2
(e) const

23. A recently discovered star Recentus in a nearby galaxy has been confirmed to have a luminosity
of 4Ld with a radius of 4Rd . What is the approximate frequency of peak emission of Recentus?

(a) 2 ˆ 1014 Hz
(b) 4 ˆ 1014 Hz
(c) 6 ˆ 1014 Hz
(d) 8 ˆ 1014 Hz
(e) 10 ˆ 1014 Hz

24. Tara has become obsessed with X stars and decides to look for them in other galaxies. She
observes one on the edge of a galaxy with radius r “ 15 ˆ 103 pc. She estimates that the star is
moving with at a speed of v “ 270km{s. What is a good estimate for the mass of the galaxy in
unit mass of the sun?

(a) 1 ˆ 106
(b) 1 ˆ 1011
(c) 1 ˆ 1018
(d) 1 ˆ 1028
(e) 1 ˆ 1041

25. There is a galaxy at redshift 0.5 for which we have a measurement for apparent bolometric
magnitude to be 22. With a standard candle in that galaxy, we have found its luminosity
distance to Earth to be 2.8 Gpc. Estimate the luminosity of this galaxy.
(a) 1010 Ld
(b) 1012 Ld

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 (c) 1011 Ld
(d) 1013 Ld
(e) 1015 Ld

26. An astronomer wants to design a telescope so that the full moon fills the entire FOV of the
telescope. She uses an eyepiece with a FOV of 60˝ . If the focal length of the eyepiece is 25mm,
what will the focal length of the chosen telescope be?
Note that the angular diameter of the moon is 0.5˝ . Never look at the moon through a telescope
without proper precautions!
(a) 2000mm
(b) 1500mm
(c) 6000mm
(d) 3000mm
(e) 1000nm

27. The Cosmic Microwave Background is made of light that was replied when the Universe first
became transparent. It is a blackbody spectrum with temperature equal to the current temper-
ature of the Universe. We observe the peak wavelength of the CMB to be at 1.063 millimeters.
When the CMB was released, we can theoretically predict the temperature of the universe to
be 3000 Kelvins. How much larger was the density of matter when the CMB was released than
now? Select the closest answer.
(a) 103
(b) 106
(c) 109
(d) 1012
(e) 1015

28. Questions 28-30 build upon the same prompt. Use data from any of the questions
for any of the other questions.
Moving into MIT for the start of the spring semester, Austin is flying from Lubbock, Texas
p33.58˝ N, 101.84˝ Wq to Boston, MA p42.36˝ N, 71.06˝ Wq. However, when he lands he finds
that he is not in Boston. The pilots entered the latitude coordinate incorrectly! But Austin
remembers that the plane left Lubbock at a bearing of 63˝ . Assume that the flight still took
the shortest path to the current destination. Where is Austin now?
(a) p51.46˝ N, 71.06˝ Wq
(b) p48.46˝ N, 71.06˝ Wq
(c) p45.46˝ N, 71.06˝ Wq
(d) p41.46˝ N, 71.06˝ Wq
(e) p39.46˝ N, 71.06˝ Wq

29. After that slight headache, Austin is back at MIT in Boston! For his astronomy research, he
is observing the LARES satellite which is a ball of diameter 36.4 cm made out of THA-18N
(a tungsten alloy). It orbits at a distance 1450 km from the surface of the Earth and at an
inclination of 69.49˝ relative to the equatorial plane. What is the highest altitude Austin can
point his telescope if he wants to observe LARES at its highest latitude?

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 (a) 9.4˝
(b) 14.4˝
(c) 18.4˝
(d) 23.4˝
(e) 33.4˝

30. Austin is now observing LARES, but in this problem he is allowed to observe LARES at any
declination. Assume that LARES is a uniform spherical ball, and for the purposes of this
problem, assume that LARES is a perfect blackbody; i.e. THA-18N has an albedo of 0. What
is the brightest apparent magnitude Austin can observe LARES? You can use the fact that the
Sun’s apparent magnitude is ´26.74.

(a) 6.78
(b) 7.77
(c) 8.76
(d) 9.75
(e) 10.74

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