Nine months ago, Meg Emery told her science teacher she wanted to do her HSC project in the field of astronomy. "Do you know anything about it?" the teacher asked. "Not much," the 17-year-old replied.

This week Ms Emery became a published author in the subject when her analysis of hundreds of years' worth of orbit measurements in the constellation of Scorpio was featured in the Journal of Double Star Observations.

"I didn't expect it to take off so well," said Ms Emery, from Kildare Catholic College in Wagga Wagga.

Meg Emery, aged 17, this week was published in the international Journal of Double Star Observations. Credit:Mark Jesser

The year 12 student is one of more than 850 students undertaking the new HSC Science Extension course, in which students develop their research skills by producing their own scientific report.