The Galileo Challenge is a thirty-five question multiple-choice contest on the subject of astronomy, focusing on general knowledge and specific applications in that area. Intended for students in Grade 9 and 10, it is meant to draw from and supplement the mathematics and science, particularly astronomy, studied in the early high school curriculum. This contest is designed to encourage interest in space science, and to challenge all students to develop skills of scientific reasoning and application.

This year's first Galileo Challenge will be held on Wednesday, March 7, 2007, though schools he option of writing it at another time, so long as all Scantrons are submitted to the OCESS prior to the March Break. It will cost one dollar per student to register.

Topics covered by the Galileo Challenge include, but are not limited to:

• Complex Astronomic Phenomena
• Scientific Basis for Regions and Processes in Space
• Simple Cosmology
• Astronomic Measurements and Variables
• Complex Stellar Theories and Processes
• Relation and Distance of Orbits
• Astrochemistry
• Complex Geometry and Algebra in a Celestial Setting