Union Introduction

Union Name

上海市中学生天文联盟（Shàng Hǎi Shì Zhōng Xué Shēng Tiān Wén Lián Méng）

Abbreviation

S4AU

English Name

Shanghai Secondary School Student Astronomy Union

Founded

Circa 2009 (Revived in 2025)

Nature of the Union

An astronomy organization jointly initiated by secondary school clubs and student enthusiasts across Shanghai.

Members

Composed of astronomy clubs and individual astronomy enthusiasts from secondary schools in Shanghai (including junior high, senior high, vocational and technical schools), with member organizations as the core.

Current Achievements

The newly revived union is currently in the preparatory stage, having drafted initial regulations and membership systems, optimized organizational structure, preliminarily compiled member lists, designed logos and websites, and plans to hold a members' representative assembly in early August 2025.

Future Prospects

The union aims to carry out a series of activities, including joint observation events with school enthusiasts, participation in various international public astronomy activities, astronomy club exchanges, academic competitions and exchanges, as well as preliminary astronomical research in cooperation with astronomy institutions. It is committed to becoming a sustainable, growing, collaborative, and forward-looking platform for student astronomy organizations.

Founding Background

The predecessor of the union was the "Shanghai High School Astronomy Club Union" established around 2009 (later renamed "Shanghai Secondary School Astronomy Club Union"), initiated by active senior enthusiasts inspired by the International Year of Astronomy (IYA 2009) and related media such as the anime "Sora no Manimani ". The goal was to integrate resources and enable schools with abundant resources to assist those with fewer, promoting citywide astronomy club development.

In 2009, the union held a city-wide offline meeting and signed cooperative agreements. Initially, it had a relatively private and efficient communication system — only presidents, vice presidents, and liaisons of each school joined groups for inter-school coordination, with strict term limits. Later, management passed to members such as DC, gradually expanding member participation.

The union once played a significant role in promoting astronomy education and club exchanges in the city. However, with stricter school management, increased difficulty in inter-school communication, and time constraints for teachers due to pandemic and geography subjects joining university entrance exams, the union gradually became inactive, maintained only by a nominal online group.

In recent years, Shanghai has increased attention to astronomy education; many school astronomy clubs have emerged, inter-school exchanges and cooperation have become frequent, creating a positive development atmosphere. Shanghai's provincial team members have repeatedly won national astronomy competitions. The construction and opening of the Shanghai Astronomy Museum have enriched astronomy education resources, providing broader space and new opportunities for youth exploration of the universe.

Based on these factors, since 2025, to further promote astronomy activities, observations, and competition information exchange among secondary school students in Shanghai, enthusiasts and some former union members began reorganizing the "Shanghai Secondary School Student Astronomy Union".

The new union aims to provide a communication platform for secondary school astronomy clubs and enthusiasts, organizing observation, joint testing activities, and preliminary astronomical research projects. It will also assist with Shanghai teams' selection for the Chinese National Astronomy Olympiad (CNAO) finals.

Following the reorganization initiative, the union has rapidly gained wide support. Currently, it has established connections with dozens of school astronomy clubs and hundreds of members across Shanghai, and formed stable cooperation links with multiple astronomy organizations nationwide, with a continuously expanding membership.

Union Functions

• Provide a platform for astronomy knowledge exchange among secondary school students and clubs in Shanghai, improving amateur astronomy literacy and observation skills;
• Integrate citywide astronomy education resources, encouraging resource-rich schools to support resource-poor ones, building a shared and supportive astronomy network;
• Promote astronomy knowledge popularization to secondary students and the broader public;
• Advance public science projects in astronomy among secondary school groups;
• Provide academic and other support to Shanghai secondary school students participating in astronomy competitions;
• Other activities beneficial to astronomy popularization among secondary school students.

Union Logo

The current union logo is the first version designed on July 11, 2025. It integrates elements of a telescope, barred spiral galaxy, and the Oriental Pearl Tower, cleverly presenting the "S4AU" acronym. The RGB font below represents the three primary colors, commonly used in LRGB astronomical imaging. The background features a part of the Gemini constellation, with the marked star HIP 39109 (RA=120°, Dec=+31°), whose celestial position closely mirrors the geographic coordinates of Shanghai (121°E, 31°N). The badge symbolizes the starry sky and youthful vitality, reflecting a passion for astronomy and the spirit of exploration.

SHA39109 Team

SHA39109 Team（Shanghai 39109, 上海39109队） is the Shanghai provincial team for the China National Astronomy Olympiad (CNAO). It is currently managed by the Shanghai Secondary School Student Astronomy Union. All Shanghai contestants who successfully qualify for the CNAO national finals are eligible to join SHA39109 Team.

Due to a series of special circumstances, and the recent cancellation of Shanghai's preliminary contest centers, SHA39109 Team experienced a period of dormancy. Particularly from 2023 to 2025, many Shanghai qualifiers joined representative teams from other provinces. In 2024, as the originally planned host school could not form a team due to safety liability concerns, all Shanghai contestants temporarily joined the Hubei provincial team "Chutian Xingkong Team" (楚天星空队), forging a strong friendship with astronomy enthusiasts in Hubei.

Notably, between 2023 and 2025, student Liao devoted continuous efforts to rebuilding SHA39109 Team, frequently organizing communications among provincial team members and playing a key role in maintaining the team's continuity.

In 2025, the number of Shanghai contestants qualifying for the national finals reached nine, marking a recent high in team size. Although a suitable school to lead the team had not yet been found, the contestants joined forces with participants from Jiangxi and parts of Jiangsu provinces to form the joint team "Xingji 39109." The team's name "Xingji" (Altair, 星纪) refers to an ancient border region between Wu and Yue. The team leader was a teacher from Jiangxi, with observers from Shanghai and Zhejiang. That year, the team performed excellently, with three members winning gold medals simultaneously for the first time.

At the same time, SHA39109 Team became a vital driving force behind the Union's revival. During the 2025 reestablishment process, core members were largely drawn from current and former SHA39109 team members, with nearly all active members participating. After full consultation, it was decided that SHA39109 Team would be managed by the Shanghai Secondary School Student Astronomy Union, which will also assist in restoring Shanghai's CNAO preliminary contest centers and team formation in the future.

The name of Team SHA39109 originates from the star HIP 39109, whose equatorial coordinates roughly correspond to the geographical location of Shanghai (31°N, 121°E). The team's flag features the star field surrounding HIP 39109 as its background. This flag has been passed down by successive generations of team members, symbolizing the continuity of the team and the transmission of its spirit. The background of the official union emblem is also derived from this very flag, which represents both dreams and legacy.

If you are interested in joining SHA39109 Team, or want to learn more about the city's middle school astronomy competitions, study opportunities, and related activities, please visit the Astronomy Competition page for more information.

Public Information

• Union Charter (ZH)
• Past Key Members
• Member Organizations
• Board Members
• S4AU 2025-2026 Representative List (Members Access)

Official Accounts

• Bilibili Channel
• Twitter / X Account
• Official Email
• Weibo Account
• WeChat Public Account QR Code
• Rednote Account

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