La Copa de Ray      Adventures in Astronomy La Copa de Ray involves courses in astronomy in memory of William Raymond Bick. The launch of the trophy in 2018 is an attempt to keep the excitement of Christmas going right up to the twelfth night. Preparations for Christmas seem to start earlier every year to the extent that by the time the New Year arrives there is a collective form of Christmas fatigue and the majority of people take their decorations down before the end of Christmas. This is just ridiculous. In Spain presents are exchanged on the twelfth night, The Night of the Kings, so it seems a good idea to award the trophy on the twelfth night to keep the spirit alive. This attempt to keep the excitement of Christmas alive comes under the heading ”Christmas Entropy” and this is how it works. Christmas Entropy The course gives people the opportunity to learn about the main visible stars and astronomical objects. It begins with an Advent calendar in the form of a star map. Each day, candidates number the featured star on the map. Download the worksheet version of the Advent calendar. (Right click on the star map to access options.) The stars featured in the first edition of the competition are primarily in the first two quadrants of the northern celestial sphere. As the competition develops, over the years, candidates can build up a good working knowledge of stars, constellations and astronomical objects. Will You See the Sun Shine on Christmas Day?  The featured star for Christmas Day is the Sun. But will it be visible? 11 Nebulae or Other Astronomical Objects Each of the first eleven days of Christmas has a featured astronomical object and candidates mark these objects on the star map. The Twelfth Night Each year a roulette wheel determines the winner of La Copa de Ray. As the competition develops marks in tasks may be converted to roulette chips to produce an advantage but this is something to be considered in due course. Although various resources for the course will be available online, entry to La Copa de Ray competition is by invitation only.