Here are some cool astronomy and science related Web sites. Some have been discovered by students as extra-credit projects. You too can contribute to this site by digging up some links!Astronomy News Sites -- Get the latest information about astronomy at these sites!
- Astronomy Now
- Astronomy Magazine
- Sky and Telescope Magazine
- Space Daily
- Space.com
- Earth & Sky Radio Show
Astronomy Picture of the DayAs advertised by the title, this is a site that every day offers a new image: starts, planets, nebulae, galaxies, even the occasional historical picture. The pictures are accompanied by descriptive text and links to more information. Definitely a site for the "Bookmark" file!
Friends of the Austin Planetarium
Austin is the largest city in the USA that doesn't have a planetarium! Outrageous! This group is trying to fix that. Check them out and see how you can help!
Windows to the UniverseWindows to the Universe is a beautiful and useful site funded by NASA and maintained by the University of Michigan. It contains information on a wide variety of topics; in addition to the usual sections on the Earth, the planets, space travel and the stars, there is information about mythology and other cultural aspects of astronomy, as well as biographical information about great astronomers throughout history.
This site, maintained by space scientist Dr. Sten Odenwald, is a treasure-trove of information about a variety of astronomy topics. Between the "Ask the Astronomer" and "Ask the Space Scientist" features, Dr. Odenwald answers over Five Thousand questions about various topics in astronomy!
The Nine PlanetsThis is the site on the Web for information about the solar system, presented in an entertaining and easy-to-read manner. Bill Arnett is constantly updating his site with the latest information. Not only can you find the "hard facts" about the planets and their moons, and beautiful photographs, but also background on who discovered each of them, and how they were named.
Artist and author Calvin J. Hamilton has created a multi-media tour of the solar system on this site. There is a lot of information here, more than most textbooks!
NASA HomepageThis is where it all begins. This site is the gateway to a number of smaller, more specialized sites maintained by NASA. Be warned, though: there is enough material here to keep you occupied for weeks!
Also check out: NASA Kids!
Space Science News
The Constellations and Their StarsThis site contains a listing of the official star groupings, known as constellations, as well as information about their brightest stars. The site also contains a bibliography of star myths from many cultures, compiled by an elementary school teacher. You can also find out more about constellations and such at The Salopian Web and The Constellations Web Page.
The Title says it all! Also check out:
- StarChild -- For Elementary School kids!
- Imagine the Universe -- For older kids
- Zoom Astronomy -- For all ages!
Since the Hubble Space Telescope is funded by tax dollars, astronomers only have exclusive rights to pictures taken by Hubble a brief time before they are released to the public. The Hubble Heritage Project surveys these "public domain" images and chooses the best for display.
Hubble Space Telescope Public PicturesThis is the place to find that beautiful Hubble image you saw on television years ago, and many more besides. Images are arranged by year or by subject. There are even "Greatest Hits" sections, and places where viewers can cast their votes. Every picture is accompanied by easy-to-understand background text.
This is the place to go to find out the latest progress in finding signs of intelligent life on other planets. You can help the search yourself! Check out the SETI@Home site
Don't be deceived by the name of this site; it's really very good! Phil Plait likes to set the score straight on science misconceptions, and television and the movies unfortunately give him a lot to work with.
Lists of (Lists of) Links
- Below are some sites with more astronomy links than you will likely ever need. Some are annotated, like this list; others merely invite you to explore! Visit these sites to truly see the immense extent of astronomy on the Internet.
- WebStars: Astrophysics in Cyberspace
(Many annotated links!)- The Galaxy Page
- Yahoo! Astronomy
- Imagine the Universe Resources
- AstroWeb
By James
E. Heath