• Lichtenknecker Optics, Hasselt, Belgium
• Galileo Brussels, Zaventem, Belgium
• Qualicopy bvba, Gent, Belgium
• Teahouse Amana, Kosice, Slovakia
• Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, Bonn, Germany
• Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, Belgium
• Institute of Astro- and Particle Physics", University of Innsbruck, Austria

The International Astronomical Youth Camp (IAYC) is a three-week long summer camp aiming to promote knowledge of astronomy and related sciences in a unique international atmosphere. Every year the IAYC takes place somewhere in Europe. About seventy people from many different countries live together for three weeks. They are between 16 and 24 years old and share a common interest: astronomy.

The IAYC is different from most astronomical camps for two reasons: the international character and the fact that you carry out your own small research project. You will not just accept facts, but you will discover them yourself or working together with other people. The IAYC is therefore not like staying in a hotel and following a summer school or an astronomy course.

Every participant, with his or her own cultural background, forms an important piece in the complex puzzle of IAYC camp life. As a participant, the success of the camp depends on your contribution.

The IAYCs are organised by an international team of students and young scientists. They are all volunteers who started as participants in the IAYC and were then asked to join IWA, the association that has been organising these camps for almost four decades now. It must be stressed that we do not have any commercial interest in organising the IAYCs. However, IWA, the organisation behind the IAYC, has a great deal of experience in organising these camps.

To participate in the IAYC you must be between 16 and 24 years old. You must also be able to communicate in English. As we are all from different countries, English is the common camp language. Therefore, you have to speak English not only during the activities in the working groups and the non-astronomical programme, but throughout the entire camp. The aim of this is also to discourage people from the same country or language group to spend all their time together. IAYC offers you a great opportunity to make friends from other countries and it would be a pity to waste that opportunity. You should not worry though, as your English does not need to be perfect. But you should be able to have a normal conversation without a dictionary.

The IAYC is an astronomy camp, therefore it should be clear that you should be interested in science in general, and astronomy in particular. You have to be willing to carry out a project autonomously, though there is always your leader for support. We think that your financial background should not be a criterion for participating in the IAYC. If you cannot come to the IAYC for financial reasons (for instance in case of a non-convertible currency), then contact us about our grant programme by writing an email to .

The International Astronomical Youth Camp (IAYC) 2010 will take place in the small town of Klingenthal in the East of Germany. Klingenthal (9,000 inhabitants) lies in the region called "Vogtland" which forms the geographical border between the two German federal states Bavaria and Saxony. The nearest large towns in the surrounding are Hof in Bavaria (45 km), Plauen in Saxony (30 km) and Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic (40 km). The camp house itself will be a very pleasant youth hostel called "Jugendherberge Aschberg", directly at the border of the Czech Republic (5 m).

The camp house provides bedrooms with 2 up to 10 beds. There are rooms for the working groups and the darkroom. There is also a dining room, a party room, a cosy sit-down room and a large conference room. Outside we find the observation field, a volleyball field, a table tennis table and many nice spots to enjoy the summer. Last but not least, there is a high lookout tower right next to the house. Besides providing a splendid view over the valley, this lookout tower makes a beautiful addition to the IAYC sunrise experience.

An IAYC day starts at noon (12:00) with breakfast to allow you to catch enough sleep after long observation nights. After breakfast, the first of two daily working group sessions is held. Each working group session lasts two hours. During working group session, you will work on a project that you choose at the beginning of the camp. Every working group is based on different topics and consists of seven to nine participants and a leader who is responsible for the group. Each member of the group works on a project, either alone or in study groups of two or three.

You or your study group will work independently on your project. This means you will read about it, you will explain things to each other, you will do necessary observations, calculations, measurements . . . In short, you should not expect a school-like situation where a teacher tells you everything and you take it for granted. You don't have to worry that this might be too difficult for you. In every working group you will find something for all levels, and your working group leader will help you if you encounter any problem. At the end of the camp you will write a report about the work done in the camp. The reports by everyone are collected and compiled into a book which will be sent to you after the camp. This makes a nice souvenir and is a good way to learn about everybody's projects. The working groups available in IAYC 2010 will be introduced later in this brochure by their leaders.

After the first working group session you have some free time. Free time allows you to participate in sports activities and workshops that are organised by participants who want to teach something to others. You can also develop photos or learn how to do it, you can sing with your friends, take a walk . . . you choose! If you feel like organising something yourself with other participants, that's great! Free time ends with lunch at half past five in the afternoon.

Doing astronomy for three weeks without anything else drives you nuts. That's why, every day after dinner, there is an anything-but-astronomy activity with the entire group. That is the Non-Astronomical Program, NAP for short. There will be group games, singing evening, discussions and much more. Further on in this booklet the NAP leader will explain the plans she has in mind. After NAP, at ten o'clock in the evening, the second daily working group session takes place. The final scheduled event of the day is a light meal, served at midnight. If the sky is clear, you will have the opportunity to observe afterwards.

Although most days during the camp are like the one previously described, there are a few special days. One day, during the first week of the camp, is reserved completely for a special programme: the excursion day. In the middle of the camp there is a free day that you can spend almost any way you want. You could go on a trip with some IAYC friends, catch up some sleep, go hiking . . .

Observations will mainly be focused on getting results for your projects rather than gathering observational data that can't be used in the camp. Photographs that are taken at night can be developed in the camp darkroom. The darkroom is set up with material to adequately develop black and white films and print black and white photos. Aside from or as a part of your project you can learn all about darkroom techniques during the camp. Of course there will be time for pure stargazing too, for the fun of seeing the marvels of our universe. If you're not experienced in observing you can learn from the leaders and other participants. For the participants who have not yet gained experience with observations and telescopes, there will be an introduction in observational techniques and usage of telescopes at the beginning of the camp.

The participation fee for the IAYC 2010 will be 620 Euro. However, if your application arrives before the 15th of April, you will receive a discount of 30 Euro. You will have to transfer this fee after you have received a confirmation of your acceptance. People having serious problems paying this participation fee can apply for a grant. If our financial support is necessary for you to attend the camp, then contact us on the address below or write an email to in order to obtain the application form for our limited grant programme.

On the following pages you can find the abstracts of the working groups offered in the IAYC 2010. On the application form you have to indicate in which working group you want to participate. At the end of the working group overviews, the leaders who are not responsible for a working group will also introduce themselves.

Imagine yourself some 4 billion years ago on a hot, summer day. Yes, I'm asking you to imagine you are an insignificant, tiny cell — the very first one! — and that you are happily floating in one of the primitive oceans. Got it? Now stop splashing around and tell me: what do you see? How was our little blue planet back in the days? How did you end up there? And why did not it happen somewhere else? Or maybe it did . . .?

The need of exploring and questioning what's around us, our universe, is in our nature. And that's exactly what we'll be doing in ALF! So in this working group we won't be talking only about astronomy, but also about how the different aspects of astronomy concern life. This leads us towards astrochemistry and astrobiology, indeed, and I'm sure you will find a project that suits you. You could, for instance, discuss the possibility of life elsewhere than on our planet, or even outside our solar system. Consider Europa or Titan, consider extrasolar planets: are they habitable? What if I told you that other, not carbon-based chemistries, could be used to build living systems under completely different conditions? Find out about them! You could also investigate the composition of planets and comets by studying their spectrum. Where in space can we find organic molecules, and how do we detect them?

Are you more into practical stuff? No problem, you can build your own spectrograph and try to get some useful data. Or take pictures from the night sky and learn to develop them. Do you want some explosions? We can build our own working group rockets!

These are only some ideas I have in mind, but of course, your own will be very welcome too. To make them happen we only need the proper scenario: a considerable amount of cookies, tea and coffee to keep us alive and in a good mood . . . and don't forget to bring your favourite music! We will be working mostly during the day, so after midnight meal we will be free to go to the observation field, lie down in the dark and enjoy together the starry nights of Klingenthal . . . not to mention the amazingly crazy working group parties we will for sure have until the Sun comes up again ;)

can't wait to see you there,
Maria

BAM can mean a lot of things. Usually it's the sound of an impact, but it could also be a city in Iran or a province of Burkina Faso. In this context it describes the most awesome and legen. . .(wait-for-it). . .dary working group of all times — Basic Astronomy and More

Joining this elite club, you will not only meet other people interested in down-to-earth astronomy, but also learn a lot in the nicest way possible: being outside under the starry sky observing. Or, on a cloudy night, chatting, while eating cookies and drinking tea/coffee/other beverages.

But what can you really expect from BAM? Apart that it will make a huge impact on your life! The projects in this working group will cover a broad spectrum in astronomical topics — including basic astronomy. You can learn how to operate telescopes with and without tracking (oh ja, thats muuuuuch more fun!). Try (and succeed) to find your way around the sky with only a sky chart, or create your own sky catalogue. Those who are interested in ancient astronomy can read about the different ways ancient cultures interpreted the sky. What and, more importantly, how did they found out about it. Do you think you could do the same? Try it! Measure the distance to the Moon or to the Sun like ancient Greek astronomers. But we can also build something. For instance, a miniature Stonehenge and try to figure out how it might have worked. Or basic astronomical instruments like a quadrant or a sundial. You still did not find something appealing? Ever operated an Astrolabe? Ever just stayed outside the whole night taking pictures? Ever measured the orbit of the Moon? Ever calculated and predicted a lunar or solar eclipse?

I could go on summing up projects like these, because this will be the type of projects in BAM. You have your own idea? No problem, tell me about it and we will make it work! So don't be shy and choose this amazing working group, no matter whether you are new to astronomy or you have been observing for years! We will have lots of fun and learn from each other. So choose BAM and you will not regret it!

See you in Germany (or Czech Republic, if you make a wrong step)
Alex

With his publication of the "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" in 1687, Isaac Newton laid the cornerstone of a fundamental understanding of mechanics and gravitation. In his work Newton stated the three universal laws of motion and defined the law of gravitation. This new framework enabled Newton to integrate Galileo's experiments with the falling stones and Kepler's observations of the celestial movements of the planets into one unified theory of gravitation!

Thanks to Albert Einstein we know today that Newton's laws are just a special case of a more general theory, general relativity! The ideas of an absolute time and space had to be abandoned. Just imagine yourself sitting in a space shuttle. You look out of your window where you see your friend passing by in another space shuttle. So, who is moving then, you or your friend? Obviously, you can't answer this question as there is no absolute frame anymore!

Have you always been fascinated by these theories which aim to explain our observations? Have you always wanted to understand nature more deeply? Then FLIPA is your group! In this working group we will explore physics that plays an important role for astronomy. The aim of this group is to properly understand this field of physics.

Don't panic, there is no reason to freak out if you apply for FLIPA! There will be projects for all levels. Starting with elementary gravitation, we will continue with special relativity, Maxwell's equations or quantum mechanics, depending on your own interests. We might also tackle more physical questions like the possible existence of magnetic monopoles. Dirac showed that a consequence of their existence is the quantisation of electric charge!

It is my responsibility to make sure that you feel comfortable in our working group. And I will try my best by providing you with cookies, music, some cool star parties and all that comes to mind before the camp starts!

Hope I can surprise you,
Florian

The emerging problems in astrophysics these days are no longer solvable by mere mortals. Superhumans (the non-initiated call them `geeks' behind their backs) however mastered the art of translating equations into powerful lines of computer allowing them to unlock answers to Life, the Universe, and Everything.

In this group we will become such superhumans ourselves. The transformation will not be easy, but is essential for anyone who is genuinely interested in astrophysics as their future (or present) carreer. We will tackle problems of simulating interaction between plenty of bodies (imagine star forming galaxies), calculate trajectories of Near Earth Objects in our Solar System and so on. Our godlike powers will allow us to form galaxy clusters on our computer screens. In addition to my prepared list of project ideas you are welcome to suggest your own, just drop me a line before the camp so I can make sure I have sufficient literature available. To optimise efficiency I will make sure that we have tea and cookies aplenty, and that good music is provided during the working group session and during our relaxing parties.

Balazs

Imagine lying under a dark sky and gazing up in wonder . . . Imagine the feeling of finding a nebula with a telescope for the first time or finally getting that image you wanted . . . Imagine sharing your love for astronomy with wonderful people from all over the world . . . If this sounds appealing you should seriously consider coming to IAYC — or better still: applying for Hands on Astronomy! HoA will be a group that primarily focuses on practical activities — observing, imaging, developing, processing . . . This can range from simple projects (such as learning to identify and take pictures of the major constellations using an SLR camera and tripod) to more advanced (why not try to image the same deep sky object with film and CCD and compare the results?). You can either learn techniques from scratch or if you already have experience in observing and astrophotography you can sharpen your skills and share them with others in the group.

A range of telescopes, eyepieces and filters, binoculars, two CCD cameras and SLR cameras will be available for us to use. We will practice setting up and using the equipment during the day to make the most of our observing time. It doesn't matter if you have never even touched a telescope before, but you should be enthusiastic and willing to learn. We will have a darkroom in the camp so there will be opportunities for everyone in the group to learn how to develop their own photos - again you can practice with day time shots before tackling your precious astrophotos! As well as all the hands on stuff, wherever possible we will try to delve deeper into the phenomena we observe. Finding out more about the awe-inspiring processes going on in the universe can only make it more amazing . . . You will have the opportunity to use some of your images and observations to deduce and calculate the properties of a range of objects. How about using your beautiful images of the Pleiades to plot a colour - magnitude diagram of the stars in the cluster and then estimating the distance to the cluster? Or you could observe and image variable stars and plot how their magnitudes change over time. Perhaps you'd like to find out how high the craters in your moon images are? Or investigate the rotation of the sun by tracking the movement of sunspots? If you have specific ideas of your own just let me know :-)

All this should keep us busy, but don't worry: there will still be plenty of time for throwing working group parties . . .

See you under the starry skies of Klingenthal.
Gemma

Hello and welcome to the abstract for the working group called iBOT. So, this is the situation: You have to decide what working group you want to be a part of and I should convince you to join this one. In addition, someone decided I should convince you in less than 350 words. That's fine because I think I only need 17 words. So, why should you join? "Because we are going to build a robot and that makes us a very cool working group". There you go. 17 words. So. There it is. Fill your application right now and then go out and have fun. I just saved you some time from reading the rest of the document.

OK. You are still here. So I guess you want to know more details. But of course. We will build a little autonomous rover vehicle in this working group. This will not be a vehicle for us to hop-in and drive. Our little robot will look a lot like a motorised toy car. It will be small. Like the size of a shoe box. But it will be well equipped! At the time I write this abstract (November 2009) I plan to have a motorised base, with electrical motors in it. It will also have an on board camera, to be able to do some image processing, and recognise for example, a line to follow or some special, predefined signs. Why don't we throw in some ultra sound sensors to detect obstacles and measure distances, and an accelerometer, to be able to determine the vehicle's orientation relative to the gravity field. What else? Well some Radio frequency module to be able to communicate some data back to a home base for example. Aaand . . . what about a little LCD screen so the robot can display some messages? Do we want to regulate the speed of the vehicle? We'll need some way of measuring the speed of the wheels . . . hmm . . . what about optical sensors? Oh! We have so much to choose from! We will have microcontrollers all of them from the Freescale brand. Freescale is a global leader in microcontrollers, it has excellent and amazing products, and it happens to be the company that I work for. You will be working with the C programming language. That's something that should not scare you. This is an astronomy camp. I don't expect people to know a lot of electronic engineering stuff. Programming skills are welcomed. The rest, we'll learn. I will be there to guide you.

The most important thing you need to have to enter this working group is the desire to do it! It will be very fun! We will work together, have working group parties, test our programs and panic together, go annoy the guys in some observing working group, retest, re-panic, and at the end, feel very proud when the rover moves by itself. Damn. I'm at 500 words.

All my best,
Christian

You know what is cool about Superman? Most of the people will answer "He can fly.", some others will go with "He is incredibly strong." and several romantics will say "Lois Lane, dude!" Well, you don't know this yet but after this summer, your answer to the question will be, without any hesitation, "His X-ray vision! And the well paid job but . . . X-rays, man!"

Obtaining X-ray vision would mean for an astronomer . . . Well, actually not much because high-energy radiation does not penetrate through the atmosphere. That is why the data we will be playing around with in this working group will come from satellites (INTEGRAL and Chandra). And there is a vast amount of stuff to do with them ranging in sizes, temperatures, chemical composition and all the rest you can come up with.

Do you want to learn if one stellar object can outshine the whole universe? How do we know there is dark matter, when it does not shine? Why do the high-energy telescopes have bad angular resolution (compared to other wavelengths) and how to cope with it? Do you want to learn how data from high-energy telescopes are processed and interpreted? Do you want to learn about objects all the way from low- and high-mass X-ray binaries to galaxy clusters?

You don't need to answer "YES!" immediately, but if any of the above questions made your heart beat faster and you felt a sudden rush of excitement . . . well then, welcome aboard! If you felt the excitement followed by but-this-is-a-bit-above-my-level feeling, then rest assured. I will do my best to include something for everyone among the projects. So, as long as your curiosity is driving you forward, we will make the camp an amazing experience.

All in all, don't leave your excitement and enthusiasm at home. Take along your favourite music, coolest stories (if there happens to be too much science and we just need to rest a bit) and also sleeping bag as it is always good to leave the X-ray sky for a while and just be amazed by the one you see yourself.

I will see you on the dark side of the Moon!
Ondrej

This one is different. It is not a working group you chose. It is something everyone will be part of. But what is it?

What is NAP? What can you expect from the non-astronomical program? Let me try and answer this question.

When seventy people from all over the world run around in a field making weird sounds or screaming at the top of their voice - that is NAP.

When you learn about different cultures, see traditional dances and taste foreign food - that is NAP.

When you dance through the night knowing how tired you are but still not caring - well, that is a party, but we will have some of those, too.

But people listening to poems in different languages in candlelight - that is NAP.

Also people singing to the sound of one or more guitars - that can be NAP.

Sometimes you will run and get tired, sometimes you will have to think, sometimes you will laugh, sometimes you will be creative. The only thing I can promise is that NAP will be something new every day. It will tear your mind away from your project for some time and give you new energy to carry on with it.

I can't wait to make you run! See you in Klingenthal,
Aga

In the summer of 2009, on a mountain top in Poland, I told the people you have met so far in this 1st info that I speak German. And that's how I became General Coordinator of the IAYC 2010. So here I sit. Thinking about what to tell you, the potential participant. The website tells me there are 258 days left until the camp starts. 258 days . . . that should be enough to do what a General Coordinator needs to do. But what am I supposed to do? I had a look at what all my predecessors wrote in this place in the past 10 years. And almost without exception they claim their task was "to make sure things run smoothly".

My task is to make sure things run smoothly. Think logistics. Think food. Think random problems. You will need to travel to the camp. I will make sure that's going to happen. Smoothly. You will need to eat for three weeks. If you have any problems with the food ("the pink stuff is too pink"), I will talk to the house staff. In German. I will set up a washing machine schedule so sophisticated it will make the Apollo mission look like an 8 year-old's school project. You will not run out of clean socks. Excursion Day? My department. Energy left to do something else on Free Day than sleep? The Sommerrodelbahn is that way. If you happen to become ill, I will take you to the doctor. Need something from a shop? Ask me. The football deflated? Haha! Trick question: not me. That's NAP . . .

OK. I think you get the point. In order to be successful, a scientist needs to be able to worry about nothing. So if you have a problem, I'll fix it. And not just practical stuff. If your working-group party is not what it is supposed to be, I will be happy to help out. If you have difficulty convincing that girl that you are the boy of her dreams, I will be your wingman. If that boy is not leaving you alone, I will distract him. And in the unlikely event that you feel homesick, I will function as mental medium between you and your mom, dad or dog. Everything is possible. It's IAYC. Anything can happen. Anything will happen. And I will make sure it all runs smoothly.

See you in Klingenthal :)
In the meanwhile, Generally Coordinating,
Erik

If you want to participate in the IAYC 2010, fill in the application form that is provided with this booklet and send it to us as soon as possible. If you are not yet 18 (21 in some countries) your legal guardian (usually a parent) has to sign the form instead of you.

We also ask you to include a recent picture of yourself. Make sure you have read the terms and conditions on the reverse of the application form carefully. Specifically, we point out that you are obliged to have a valid health insurance. Once we decide to accept your application you will have to send a copy of your insurance certificate to us. The application form should be sent to:

Ondrej Urban
28. Oktobra 43
91101 Trencin
Slovakia

You can apply any time before the IAYC 2010. But if you apply before April 15th 2010, you will be informed about your acceptance in May 2010. Later applications will be considered if places are still available. Before receiving the letter of acceptance you can withdraw your application without further obligation. If you are accepted as a participant, you will have to submit the full participation fee to the IAYC bank account. The most recent information is always available on our homepage:

http://www.iayc.org/

Well before the camp, you will receive a Second Info brochure containing the contact details of other participants and more detailed travel information, including how to get to the camp house. If you have any questions that are not answered by this booklet, don't hesitate to contact one of us. We are looking forward to receiving your application and to seeing you in Klingenthal in Germany.

Aga, Alex, Balazs, Christian, Erik, Florian, Gemma, Maria, Ondrej

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IWA e.V. is registered at the Amtsgericht Bochum, Germany, Abteilung 14, under registration number VR 1743.

This info booklet was compiled by the leaders of the IAYC 2010.