Astronomy Resources

Astronomy is not only the study of stars, planets, cosmology and outer space, but also navigation at sea and measurement of time. This page includes a diverse assortment of astronomy pages aimed at everyone from K-12 students and their teachers to college students with a technical background.

1. Astronomical Folklore
2. Astronomy Articles and Answered Questions
3. Astronomy K-12
4. Astronomy Mixed and Meta Sites
5. Beyond the Solar System
6. Cosmology
7. Sky Guides
8. Solar System
9. Time and Navigation

Astronomical Folklore

• Astronomy in Israel: From Og's Circle to the Wise Observatory One of several essays on the accomplishments of Jewish astronomers and physicists from ancient times until the present. Early astronomers were concerned with moon phases and months, while those who lived in Medieval times tracked the motions of the planets. This site received a graphic upgrade.
• Astronomy in Japan: Science, History, Culture Scroll down to find articles on Japanese New Year's customs and calendars, meteor watching in 19th Century Japan, and many other topics. Most of the history articles come first. No prior background in mathematics, physics, or astronomy is required.
• Early Greek Astronomy "A short survey of the Greeks' earliest attempts to explain why and how the sky changes." Actually the "short survey" is a fairly in depth article that explains how the Greeks developed the instruments and mathematical tools to calculate and communicate the positions of the sun, moon, stars, and planets. This site may not have been revised in several years.
• Great Debates in Astronomy "This series of debates among leaders in the astronomical community highlight major quests in astronomy and astrophysics in an open forum at the turn of the millennium." Most debates focus on points of astronomy and cosmology theory, and the subject matter can get quite sophisticated. Each debate comes with an explanation of its significance and links to related web sites. This site has not been updated recently. Please watch for dead links. The papers that relate to the 1998 debate are now unavailable to the general public.
• History of Astronomy Links lead to lists of even more links about famous astronomers, topics, publications, and more. Note: not all the publications are full text, and a site this large contains a few dead links. It has not been updated in several years.
• Math and Culture A series of lecture outlines on Renaissance astronomy in different cultures. The syllabus dates from 1997 but appears static and stable because it has no outside links. Lectures include discussion questions and require a strong grasp of college algebra and probably high school physics but do not seem to need calculus.
• Out of This World An online exhibition of celestial and astronomical atlases complete with illustrations, explanations, and hyperlinks within the exhibit. The atlases were created between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, and while they are not all that easy to decipher, the printed explanations do help. This web site is static but stable.

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Astronomy Articles and Answered Questions

• Astronomy Now -- Home Page The online version of the popular magazine, Astronomy Now, features articles and a guide to the night sky. The site is updated frequently and loads quickly.
• Mercury Magazine "Our goal is to give you the perspective you need to make sense of what's happening in astronomy. Written for the motivated non-specialist, Mercury features nontechnical articles on astronomy research, education, history, and public policy."

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Astronomy K-12

• Amazing Space This is two sites in one. Click on "online explorations" to play cute, graphically intense, interactive astronomy and space exploration games. Try the "educators and developers section" for readable explanations of astronomy basics. Some of the java based games do not load fully and some also require software to view .mpg movie files. This site has received a graphic upgrade.
• Astronomy for Kids An astronomy site not just for kids, but for any one who is not an astronomer. There are sections devoted to planets, sky links, puzzles, and even postcards. This site's appearance has been revised and improved.
• Introduction to Windows on the Universe "A fun and different web site about the Earth and space sciences." Topics covered include: astronomical folklore and myth, the solar system, famous astronomers, and much more. There are games to play and due to judicious arrangement of links, less need for software such as QuickTime or Flash.
• StarChild Very readable encyclopedia style articles complete with cross references and also multimedia movies in QuickTime or AVI. Activities that may require Java, links, and a glossary are all a part of this site. The background is dark, but you can switch to a printable version on most pages.
• Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Kids of all ages, and even adults, can enjoy articles on NASA missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond. There is also a section on how space exploration has effected life on Earth and links to both astronomy and astronautics resources
• The Space Place A kid friendly space site full of puzzles, quizzes, games, experiments and more. There is a text version of the links at the bottom and a "Teachers Only" link tucked discretely into a corner.

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Astronomy Mixed and Meta Sites

• Astroweb: Astronomy and Astrophysics on the Internet An extremely large meta page with links to astronomy news groups, articles, and personal pages in a long scrollable progression. The articles are often full text and range from popular to scholarly. They also cover just about every imaginable aspect of astronomy and astrophysics.

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Beyond the Solar System

• Astronomy Picture of the Day "Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer." Explanations contain hyper links and are a bit technical, but nothing a determined student can not handle.
• Astronomy Resources at STScI The center and right of this web site features the latest astronomy and space exploration stories in readable and inviting prose, while the left side of the page offers links to everything from star catalogs to software. This site offers something for both beginners and the technically sophisticated.
• Cambridge Cosmology In depth articles that explain the big bang theory and the birth of the universe. The first article is the least technically sophisticated. Others require a working knowledge of high school or college physics and mathematics as well as plenty of determination and interest. This site is static and stable.
• Hubblesite This site offers news, a gallery of images, an e-mail list, Hubble facts and figures, and even wallpaper for Windows' desktops. The FAQ is especially helpful, and the prose is at a level the general public can understand and enjoy.
• Stars and Constellations Features quick descriptions of stars, constellations, and messier objects, along with interactive sky charts, and a list of FAQ about stars in general. There are also links to other astronomical sites, a list of references, and an invitation to visit the Washburn Observatory. This site has not been updated in more than a year. Please watch for dead links.
• Universe: Cosmology 101 "Cosmology is the scientific study of the large scale properties of the universe as a whole. It endeavors to use the scientific method to understand the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the entire universe." Presents a series of articles on the Big Bang Theory, structure of the universe, age of the universe, and related topics. Articles require some high school science and a strong interest in astronomy/cosmology.

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Cosmology

• Astronomy Today -- Cosmology This site promises readable articles on everything from black holes to neutrinos to theoretical physics. Some of the links don't seem to exactly cover their speicified topics and some articles are a bit too fluffy to cover their subject. There are articles under "theoretical physics" that don't have links from the main page as well.

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Sky Guides

• Beginning Urban Skywatching An extensive and readable article on how to enjoy the night sky with naked eye and binoculars. "Stars of the show" include the moon, five planets, (The other four are too faint to see without a telescope.), and fifteen bright stars. This site was last revised more than a year ago.

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Solar System

• Astronomy 161 -- The Solar System Lecture outlines that read like articles cover basic astronomy, observation, time keeping, and of course the solar system.
• Astronomy Today -- Solar System Click on each of the nine planets, the sun, or the asteroid belt to see a long, readable article on that subject. Articles are written for the interested student or members of the general public.
• Clementine Data from the Clementine mission. Clementine is an unmanned space craft that flies around the moon. Data include photographs and articles, among which is a feature length piece about water on the moon. The site also offers detailed technical information about Clementine itself. This site has not been revised in more than a year.
• Planetary Sciences at NSSDC "The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) is NASA's deep archive and general distribution center for lunar and planetary data and images." This means everything from fact sheets and accounts of moon missions to images of not only the moon, but also many of the planets, including earth, are available at this site.
• The Nine Planets "The Nine Planets is an overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons in our solar system. Each page has text and images. Some have sounds and movies. Most provide references to additional related information. quot; There are Quick Time and/or AVI movies on this site as well as files requiring Real Audio.

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Time and Navigation

• A Walk Through Time Readable articles tell the story of time keeping from early calendars and primitive clocks, to atomic clocks, to the National Institute of Standards' own time keeping services. This site received its last update more than a year ago.
• Astronomical Time A long essay about a variety of aspects of keeping and measuring time by the sun, moon, and stars. This site covers universal time, Greenwich Mean Time, time zones, sidereal time, and much more. This static and stable site last received an update in 1996.
• Calendars From the Sky A site that describes how knowledge of the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, influenced our calendars. Covers the history of calendar making and the astronomy behind most calendars. This site is probably static but stable.
• Frequently Asked Questions About Calendars An extensive set of answered questions that cover: the Christian, Islamic, Chinese, Hebrew, Persian, and Mayan calendars. Topics also include the seven day week and Easter. This FAQ is available as text, html, or PDF which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• The Astrolabe "The astrolabe is a very ancient astronomical computer for solving problems relating to time and the position of the Sun and stars in the sky." This page explains the principles behind and use of this ancient but still important navigational instrument.
• Time and Dates Two web sites in one. Choose your link and learn why a day is twenty-four hours and the origins of week day names. On the other half of the site, learn about: time zones, Greenwich Mean Time, the Prime Meridian, the International Date Line, and more. This site is probably not receiving updates but is stable.
• USNO Astronomical Applications Department The Navy studies the stars because ships navigate by them. This site contains frequently asked questions about sky and space phenomena visible to the naked eye, and data about day length, sunrise, sunset, as well as other literature. They also sell software, but you do not have to buy.

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