URL: http://www.lib.wsc.ma.edu/astron.htmPage maintained by Oliver Zeff
Last update: May 13, 2013
PhysLink
http://www.physlink.com/
A physics and astronomy web site, PhysLink provides news stories on its home
page and links to educational, reference, directories, and fun pages.
Eric Weisstein's World
of Astronomy
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/
This online encyclopedia has entries that range from short definitions to longer
articles with links to subtopics and related terms. There are topical and alphabetical
indexes.
Lunar and Planetary Science
(National Space Science Data Center)
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/
"The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) at Goddard Space Flight
Center in Greenbelt, Maryland is NASA's primary deep archive site for planetary
and lunar data obtained from spacecraft missions (both NASA and non-NASA), as
well as the primary center for distribution of planetary data and images to
educators and the general public." For each plant, asteroids, and comets,
this site has a factsheet, FAQs, a list of books, detailed missions information,
data (including images), and press releases.
Handbook of Space Astronomy
and Astrophysics by Martin V. Zombeck
http://ads.harvard.edu/books/hsaa/
An online book published by Cambridge University Press. This is a reference
handbook of equations, charts, and other data within the fields of astronomy
and astrophysics. There is no expository text to accompany the data, so this
handbook is best used as a reference source for finding known pieces of data
or equations.
Astronomy 161 and 162:
The Solar System, Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology (Department of Physics
& Astronomy, University of Tennessee)
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/
A series of lectures providing an introduction to the solar system, stars, galaxies,
comets, asteroids, and other objects found in our solar system. Astronomy 162
covers stars, galaxies, and cosmology. The information on this site is geared
toward first year college students.
The Nine Planets: A Multimedia Tour
of the Solar System
http://www.nineplanets.org/
Site is organized by planet with excellent factual and graphical information
about each planet. There are sections on the sun and other solar system bodies
(moons, asteroids, comets, etc). Pictures can be downloaded in GIF format.
Solar System Exploration
(NASA)
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/index.cfm
NASA's website dedicated to the exploration of the solar system, with news,
a section for each specific mission, an informational section on each planet,
images, videos, and a historical timeline of exploration.
The Cosmic and Heliospheric Learning Center
(Cosmic Ray Group, NASA)
http://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/
This site covers cosmic and heliospheric science. (The heliosphere is the HUGE area in space
affected by the Sun.) Astrophysics Basics covers its composition, energetic particles,
acceleration, and magnetic fields. There is information about Cosmic Rays and a diagram of the
Heliosphere. Includes a glossary, history of astronomy, a chance to Ask a Physicist, a topically
organized archive of previously asked questions and related web links.
Astrophysics Data System
(ADS) (NASA)
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html
A NASA-funded project whose main resource is an abstract service, which includes
four sets of abstracts: 1) astronomy and astrophysics, 2) instrumentation 3)
physics and geophysics and 4) Los Alamos preprint server. Each set of abstracts
can be searched by author, object name (astronomy only), title, or abstract
text words. In addition, the abstract service includes links to scanned images
of over 40,000 journal articles for articles appearing in most of the major
astronomical journals. See the article service for details.
Astronomy Center
(American Astronomical Society and American Association of Physics Teachers)
http://www.compadre.org/astronomy/index.cfm
This site is "a collection of Astronomy 101 digital resources for teachers and
students." The resources are organized by subject and an annotation is included
along with the student level.
Amazing Space
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/eds/
A content rich site providing resources for educators on topics in astronomy
including lesson plans, presentations, and "online explorations".
Informational sections are also provided for educators to familiarize themselves
with the basics of astronomy.
Astroventure
(NASA)
http://astroventure.arc.nasa.gov/index.html
From NASA, an animated site serving as an educational tool for students of Astronomy.
Astroventure provides online tutorials and interactive "missions"
for students to learn about biological and geological aspects of the planets.
The lessons are provided in text form for educators to review.
Astrophysics Science Project: Integrating Research
& Education (ASPIRE)
http://aspire.cosmic-ray.org/
For students, this site has interactive labs, science fair
project ideas, and an Ask A Scientist resource. Teachers can access lesson plans and learn about
training and outreach opportunities.
At Home With Astronomy
(Center for Science Education at Space Sciences Laboratory, UC Berkeley)
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/
Instructions for ten astronomy experiments are detailed on this site.
Imagine Mars
(NASA)
http://imaginemars.jpl.nasa.gov/index2.html
Another NASA website, this one offering instructions, materials, and lesson
plans for a Mars project.
NASA
(For Educators)
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html
A collection of web pages from NASA aimed at educators of all levels. This portion
of the site has classroom materials organized by subject. Educators can also
find materials by the school level and by the type of material. There is a wealth
of content including posters, slide sets, online activities, lesson plans, and
briefs.
Astronomy
http://www.astronomy.com/
This site is the homepage for Astronomy Magazine and provides free access to some of the
magazine's content, including news. Astronomy Magazine is available in our periodicals and
through several of our databases.
Space Daily: Your Portal to Space
http://www.spacedaily.com/
International news on space travel and planetary science collected from the European Space Agency,
NASA, and the Agence France-Presse.
Astronomy Now Online
http://www.astronomynow.com/
From the British magazine, Astronomy Now, this site offers the latest
news in astronomy. The site includes an interactive sky chart and information
on the latest planetary alignment.
Astrobiology Magazine (NASA Ames
Research Center)
http://www.astrobio.net/
This NASA affilated site is updated daily with news stories, datasets and images,
science & research, and multimedia.
Sky and Telescope
http://skyandtelescope.com/
The online home of Sky and Telescope magazine, this site has news, articles
on topics in astronomy, and links to other resources for astronomy. We have Sky and Telescope in print at the Ely Library.
Universe Today
http://www.universetoday.com/
This site provides an overview of news and events in the world of astronomy
and space, with links to other sites for more information.
The Galileo Project
http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/
A comprehensive site with links to historical resources about Galileo Galilei
and the science of his time, this site includes links to Galileo's notes on
his discovery of Jupiter's moons, links to astronomers of his time, and web
resources on modern astronomy.
Starry Messenger
(Department of History and Philosophy of Science of the University of Cambridge)
http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/starrymessenger.html
"The aim of this project is to make available electronically some aspects
of the early history of astronomy." There are articles on instrumentation,
theories, and prominent figures in the early history of astronomical study.
Cosmic Evolution (Wright Center for Science Education)
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~ejchaisson/cosmic_evolution/docs/splash.html
An interactive site based on textbooks written by Dr. Eric J. Chaisson, Cosmic Evolution provides an overview of the history of the universe. Movies, text, and educational activities help to tell the story through eight epochs.
Digital Lunar
Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon (Lunar and Planetary Institute)
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/
"The Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon by Bowker and
Hughes (NASA SP-206) is considered the definitive reference manual to the global
photographic coverage of the Moon. The images contained within the atlas are
excellent for studying lunar morphology because they were obtained at low to
moderate Sun angles. The digital Lunar Orbiter Atlas of the Moon is a reproduction
of the 675 plates contained in Bowker and Hughes."
Apollo 11-17
Mission: First Man on the Moon - Fullscreen QTVR photo from panoramas.dk
(Requires QuickTime plug-in)
http://www.panoramas.dk/moon/mission-apollo.html
From the commercial photographer Hans Nyberg, panoramic images from NASA's Apollo
image gallery. These panoramic images allow you to explore the surface of the
moon by dragging your mouse in different directions. The images may take some
time to load.
Skyview: The Internet's Virtual
Telescope
http://skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Use this site to view images generated of any portion of the sky from a static
database of images. Coordinates can be entered by longitude and latitude or
by the name of the celestial object.
Views of the Solar System
http://planetscapes.com/
Award-winning site with over 1,000 graphic and animation files plus a wealth of information - from
basic physical data on the solar system to detailed histories of U.S., Russian, European, and
Japanese space missions.
HubbleSite: NewsCenter
(Space Telescope Science Institute)
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/
"NewsCenter is the complete collection of every Hubble Space Telescope
news release and its supporting materials, along with tools and resources designed
to further your knowledge of astronomy."
Heavens Above
http://www.heavens-above.com/
"Our aim is to provide you with all the information you need to observe satellites such as the
International Space Station and the Space Shuttle, spectacular events such as the dazzlingly bright
flares from Iridium satellites as well as a wealth of other spaceflight and astronomical
information. We not only provide the times of visibility, but also detailed star charts showing the
satellite's track through the heavens."
National Optical Astronomy Observatory
http://www.noao.edu/
"NOAO's purpose is to provide the best ground-based astronomical telescopes
to the nation's astronomers, to promote public understanding and support of
science, and to help advance all aspects of US astronomy."
Allegheny Observatory
http://www.pitt.edu/~aobsvtry/
The web site for the renowned observatory of the University of Pittsburgh, this
site includes a link to the website for the Parallax Project and a searchable,
digital archive of parallax data published by the observatory dating back to
1910.
NASA Homepage
http://www.nasa.gov
Broad coverage of NASA activities including aeronautics; human exploration and
development of space; earth science; space science; space shuttle launches,
and more.
The Planetary Society
http://planetary.org/
A non-profit society founded by Carl Sagan and dedicated to the study of space and the astronomical
sciences. Their site offers news, tutorials, images, special topical sections, and listing of
astronomy-related events.