IOAA Syllabus 2026: Complete Topic-Wise Syllabus for Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad

Section

Major Areas Covered

Basic Astrophysics

Celestial mechanics, electromagnetic theory, thermodynamics, spectroscopy, nuclear physics

Mathematical Methods

Calculus, vectors, numerical methods, statistics, error analysis

Coordinates and Time

Celestial sphere, coordinate systems, astronomical time concepts

Solar System

Sun, planets, space exploration, astronomical phenomena

Stars

Stellar properties, evolution, stellar systems

Galaxies and Cosmology

Milky Way, galaxies, expanding universe, cosmological concepts

Instrumentation

Telescopes, detectors, multi-wavelength astronomy

Practical Astronomy

Observations, sky maps, instruments, data analysis

Celestial Mechanics

Topic

Concepts Covered

Newton’s Laws of Gravitation

Gravitational force and applications

Kepler’s Laws

Circular and non-circular planetary orbits

Roche Limit

Gravitational effects between celestial bodies

Barycentre

Centre of mass in astronomical systems

Two-Body Problem

Motion under gravitational interaction

Lagrange Points

Stable points in gravitational systems

Electromagnetic Theory & Quantum Physics

Topic

Concepts Covered

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Different wavelength regions

Radiation Laws

Basic laws related to radiation

Blackbody Radiation

Radiation emitted by ideal objects

Thermodynamics

Topic

Concepts Covered

Thermodynamic Equilibrium

Balance of energy systems

Ideal Gas

Gas behaviour in astronomical environments

Energy Transfer

Movement and exchange of energy

Spectroscopy & Atomic Physics

Topic

Concepts Covered

Absorption and Emission

Formation of spectral lines

Scattering

Interaction of radiation with matter

Doppler Effect

Measuring motion of celestial objects

Line Formation

Origin of atomic spectra

Spectral Line Splitting and Broadening

Changes in observed spectra

Polarisation

Properties of electromagnetic waves

Nuclear Physics

Topic

Concepts Covered

Structure of Atom

Atomic components

Mass Defect

Difference between nuclear masses

Binding Energy

Energy holding nuclei together

Radioactivity

Nuclear decay processes

Neutrinos

Qualitative understanding only

Topic

Concepts 

Numerical Methods

Linearisation of equations and expressions, iterative solving of functions, estimating area under a curve using graphical methods, integration, numerical approximations, and Taylor series approximations of common functions

Basic Calculus

Derivatives of elementary functions, their sums, products, quotients, and nested functions; integration as the inverse process of differentiation; finding definite and indefinite integrals for elementary functions and sums of functions; geometrical interpretation of derivatives and integrals; finding constants of integration using initial conditions

Vectors

Basic properties of vector sums, dot product and cross product, and geometrical interpretation of the time derivative of a vector quantity

Geometric Instruments

Use of ruler, geometric compass, protractor, and set-square

Statistics & Error Analysis

Mean, median, mode, percentiles, box plots, standard deviation, basic probabilities, relative errors, and error estimation using maximum error and/or standard error

Topic

Concepts

Celestial Sphere

Spherical trigonometry, celestial coordinates and their applications, equinox and solstice, circumpolar stars, constellations, and zodiac.

(Note: Azimuth is measured from 0° to 360°, starting from North and increasing towards East unless stated otherwise.)

Concept of Time

Solar time, sidereal time, Julian date, heliocentric Julian date, time zones, Universal Time (UT), Local Mean Time (LMT), different definitions of a year, and equation of time

Topics 

Contents 

The Sun

Solar structure, Solar surface activities, Solar rotation, Solar radiation and Solar constant, Solar neutrinos (Q), Sun-Earth relations, Role of magnetic fields (Q), Solar wind and radiation pressure, Heliosphere (Q), Magnetosphere (Q)

The Solar System

Earth-Moon System, precession, nutation, libration, Formation and evolution of the Solar System (Q), Structure and components of the Solar System (Q), Structure and orbits of the Solar System objects, Sidereal and Synodic periods, Retrograde motion, Outer reaches of the solar system (Q)

Space Exploration

Satellite trajectories and transfers, Human exploration of the Solar System (Q), planetary missions (Q), Sling-shot effect of gravity, Space-based instruments (Q)

Phenomena

Tides, Seasons, Factors influencing climate (Q), Eclipses, Aurorae and space weather (Q), Meteor Showers

Topics 

Contents

Stellar Properties

Methods of Distance determination, Radiation, Luminosity and magnitude, Color indices and temperature, Determination of radii and masses, Stellar motion, Irregular and regular stellar variabilities – broad classification & properties, Cepheids and period-luminosity relation, Physics of pulsation (Q)

Stellar Interior and Atmospheres

Stellar equilibrium, Stellar nucleosynthesis, Energy transportation (Q), Boundary conditions, Stellar atmospheres and atmospheric spectra

Stellar Evolution

Stellar formation, Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, Pre-Main Sequence, Main Sequence, Post-Main Sequence stars, supernovae, planetary nebulae, End states of stars

Topics

Contents 

Binary Star Systems

Different types of binary stars, Mass determination in binary star systems, Light and radial velocity curves of eclipsing binary systems, Doppler shifts in binary systems, interacting binaries, peculiar binary systems

Exoplanets

Techniques used to detect exoplanets, Habitable zone, Classes of exoplanets (Q), Spectral signatures of possible life (Q)

Star Clusters

Classification and Structure, Mass, age, luminosity and distance determination

Milky Way Galaxy

Structure and composition, Rotation, Satellites of Milky Way (Q)

Interstellar Medium

Gas (Q), dust (Q), HII regions, 21cm radiation, nebulae (Q), interstellar absorption, dispersion measure, Faraday rotation

Galaxies

Classifications based on structure, composition and activity, Mass, luminosity and distance determination, Rotation curves

Accretion Processes

Basic concepts (spherical and disc accretion) (Q), Eddington luminosity

Topics Covered

Contents 

Elementary Cosmology

Expanding Universe and Hubble’s Law, Cluster of galaxies, Dark matter, Dark energy (Q), Gravitational lensing, Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, Big Bang (Q), Alternative models of the Universe (Q), Large scale structure (Q), Distance measurement at cosmological scale, cosmological redshift.

Topics

Contents 

Multi-wavelength Astronomy

Observations in radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelength bands, Earth’s atmospheric effects, Artificial light and EM pollution

Instrumentation

Telescopes and detectors (e.g. charge-coupled devices, photometers, spectrographs), Magnification, Focal length, Focal ratio, resolving and light-gathering powers of telescopes, Geometric model of two-element interferometer, Aperture synthesis, Adaptive optics, photometry, astrometry

Topic

Skills Required

Naked-Eye Observation

Identifying celestial objects without instruments

Sky Maps and Catalogues

Locating stars and astronomical objects

Coordinate Systems

Applying celestial coordinates

Magnitude Estimation

Measuring brightness of objects

Angular Separation

Estimating distances between objects in the sky

Telescope Usage

Understanding basic astronomical instruments

Detector Usage

Working with observation equipment

Topic

Skills Required

Error Identification

Recognising possible sources of errors

Graph Analysis

Using different graph scales

Best Fit Line

Finding approximate trends from data

Geometrical Tools

Using ruler, compass, protractor, and set-square