DOHA: The 9th edition of the Qatar School Astronomy Olympiad contest has officially begun, with the theme "Earth and its size relative to sunspots." Organized by Qatar Calendar House (QCH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the competition will run until February 20, 2025. The event aims to promote astronomical knowledge among students from various schools across the state and select a team to participate in the International Astronomy Olympiad. According to Qatar News Agency, Eng. Faisal Al Ansari, the Executive Director of QCH, announced that this year's edition includes participation from 110 preparatory and secondary schools. Among these, 90 are Arab schools, and 20 are English schools. The competition features three key astronomical projects, which involve calculating the Earth's size relative to sunspots, analyzing current and future solar activity, and identifying the solar activity cycle. Students from all participating preparatory and secondary schools will engage in these projects, with the final project focused solely on secondary school students. In the latter half of January 2025, a workshop will be organized for participating students and their teachers. This workshop will provide practical training on using telescopes and safe methods for observing the sun and sunspots. The initial competition workshops have already been conducted at the Sheikh Abdullah Al Ansari Complex. These sessions saw the participation of male and female teachers from the involved schools. Astronomy experts Dr. Bashir Marzouk and Hani Al Dulayee were present to deliver insights into the scientific aspects of the contest.