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General Resources |
| Astronomy Course for Students Online (http://darkskyinstitute.org/astronomy.html) |
| Adaptable to most age and interest levels. Each of the units in the course has its own separate page. |
| Astronomy Picture of the Day (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html) |
| This site offers much more than pretty pictures. Each is accompanied by a detailed explanation from NASA astronomers. The explanations themselves are hyperlinked to other pictures, explanations, and data. |
| Astronomy Unbound: A Virtual Astronomy Text: (http://www.herts.ac.uk/astro_ub/) |
| Introductory exploration for advanced high school or undergraduate college students. From the University of Hertfordshire, U.K. |
| International Dark-Sky Association (http://www.darksky.org/~ida/index.html) |
| An organization dedicated to reducing nighttime light pollution, while simultaneously saving money and energy, and making surroundings more attractive at night. This site includes its fact sheets and a newsletter. |
| Sky and Telescope News (http://skyandtelescope.com/news/) |
| Late-breaking news from the publisher of Sky and Telescope. |
| Space.com (http://www.space.com/) |
| Wide range of links. |
| Space Daily (http://www.spacedaily.com/) |
| Includes image index, links to articles, news and research. |
| SpaceRef (http://www.spaceref.com/) |
| Aimed at professionals and informed users with a strong interest in astronomy and astronautics. |
| Star Date (http://stardate.org/) |
| Transcripts, in English and Spanish, of the National Public Radio series, plus Stargazing Tip of the Day and a plan for your backyard stargazing for the coming week. Sponsored by the Univ. of Texas' McDonald Observatory. |
| Universe Today (http://www.universetoday.com/) |
| Newsletter with regular updates of a wide variety of of space venues on the Web. |
| Your Sky (http://www.fourmilab.to/yoursky/) |
| Newsletter with regular updates of a wide variety of of space venues on the Web. |
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Observatories & Institutions (So. Calif. Emphasis) |
| Big Bear Solar Observatory (http://www.bbso.njit.edu/) |
| Located on the north shore of Big Bear Lake, Calif., and operated by the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The main interest is the physics of the Sun. Observations of solar phenomena are made every day with dedicated telescopes and instruments, and the observatory also hosts two different helioseismology experiments. |
| Griffith Observatory (http://www.griffithobs.org/) |
| Sponsored by the Los Angeles Dept. of Recreation and Parks' landmark observatory, located on the South Slope of Mt. Hollywood. The observatory is closed for renovation until 2005. |
| Mt. Wilson Observatory, Pasadena, CA (http://www.mtwilson.edu/) |
| Learn about the Telescopes in Education program, including how classes can reserve the Snow Solar Telescope, or a 24-inch telescope for all-night observing/imaging sessions. Requests for observing time on the refurbished 100-inch Hooker Telescope can now be accommodated at the cost of operations, $1800 per night. Georgia St. Univ. is building a new optical stellar interferometer, the CHARA Array, which will allow astronomers to see astronomical objects approximately 100 times more sharply than using traditional telescopes. |
| Space Science Institute (http://www.spacescience.org/1.html) |
| Explores complex subjects that go far beyond where to find objects in space. Learn about space plasma, auroras and the nature of atmospheres. |
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Solar System |
| Comet Observation Home Page (http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/) |
| Follow all the visible comets. Maintained by JPL expert Charles S. Morris. |
| Exploring Planets in the Classroom: (http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/class_acts/index.html) |
| More than 25 hands-on science activities with classroom-ready pages for both teachers and students. |
| Lunar and Planetary Institute (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/) |
| A NASA-funded institute in Houston, Texas, devoted to studying the solar system and sharing the excitement of space exploration with the public. |
| Lunar Phases Web Tool (http://www.calvin.edu/~lmolnar/moon/) |
| Java-based tutorial that demonstrates lunar phases clearly and logically. Provided by Lawrence A. Molnar of the Physics Astronomy Dept. at the Univ. of Iowa. Sections on time of day, time of month, and apparent direction of the moon. |
| Mars (http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/space/mars_index.html) |
| Mars profile from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Includes timelines of Mars exploration, Mars-related research conducted in the Canadian Arctic, and more. |
| NASA's Eclipse Home Page (http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html) |
| Authoritative site concerning solar and lunar eclipses, maintained by Fred Espenak. |
| NASA Planetary Data System Home Page (http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/) |
| The Planetary Data System (PDS) archives and distributes digital data from past and present NASA planetary missions, astronomical observations, and laboratory measurements. The PDS is sponsored by NASA's Office of Space Science to ensure the long-term usability of data, to stimulate research, to facilitate data access, and to support correlative analysis. |
| NASA Planetary Photojournal (http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html) |
| Designed to provide easy access to the publicly released images from various Solar System exploration programs. The system database is populated with approximately 760 images; more are continuously being added. |
| NASA Sun Earth Media Viewer: Live Solar Images (http://ds9.ssl.berkeley.edu/viewer/flash/flash.html) |
| 12 different views of the Sun, updated daily, from both earth and space-based telescopes, as well as illustrations of important natural phenomena. From NASA and UC Berkeley. |
| Nine Planets (http://www.nineplanets.org/) |
| Overview of the history, mythology and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons of the solar system. |
| U.S. Naval Observatory's Astronomical Applications Department (http://aa.usno.navy.mil/) |
| Several years' worth of information on the phases of the Moon, the times of sunrise and sunset, and the date of Easter. Details are offered in either precalculated tables or customizable forms. |
| The Virtual Sun (http://www.astro.uva.nl/demo/sun/kaft.htm) |
| Utilizes photographs, diagrams and movies. Includes subjects such as solar flares, solar wind, and sunspots. |
| Welcome to the Planets (http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/) |
| A collection of many of the best images from NASA's planetary exploration program. |
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Space Travel |
| Aerospaceweb.org (http://www.aerospaceweb.org/) |
| Aerospace engineers established this site to "provide information regarding a wide range of aerospace-related fields, including aircraft design, spacecraft design, aerodynamics, and aerospace history." |
| Aerotech News and Review (http://www.aerotechnews.com/) |
| Online version of the weekly newsletter for the aerospace and defense industry. Headlines, industry briefs, and job fairs. |
| Air and Space Smithsonian Magazine (http://airspacemag.com/) |
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| Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics (http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/index.html) |
| Introduction to the fundamentals of aerodynamics and propulsion. |
| Cassini: Mission to the Ringed Planet (http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/index.shtml) |
| The Cassini spacecraft was launched on Oct. 15, 1997 on an expedition to Saturn. Its mission is to enter into orbit in July 2004 and explore Saturn for four years. Its Huygens probe will study the atmosphere and surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. |
| Chandra X-Ray Observatory (http://chandra.harvard.edu/) |
| The world's most powerful X-ray telescope, the third of NASA's orbiting Great Observatories. Its Huygens probe will study the atmosphere and surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. |
| Heavens Above (http://www.heavens-above.com) |
| Predictions for thousands of locations for observing the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, and flares from Iridium communications satellites. |
| Mars Exploration Rover Mission (http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/) |
| NASA's JPL site for the Spirit and Opportunity missions, the two rovers which landed on opposite sides Mars in 2003 to research the history of water on the planet. |
| Mission and Spacecraft Library (http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/browse/intro.html) |
| From the Jet Propulsion Library, with basic information about all 5000+ orbital spacecraft launches and launch attempts since the beginning of the Space Age. |
| NASA Human Space Flight (http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/index.html) |
| Participate in shuttle missions, and more. |
| Satellite Tracking Pass Predictions (http://www.bester.com/satpasses.html) |
| Find out when you can see the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station, and other satellites. |
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Stars and Deep Space Objects |
| Deep Sky Database (http://www.virtualcolony.com/sac/) |
| The Saguaro Astronomy Club's database of over 10,000 objects, allowing amateur astronomers to compile detailed and customized observing lists. |
| Hubble: A View to the Edge of Space (http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/hubble/) |
| From the Exporitorium Museum in San Francisco. |
| Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe: (http://hubble.stsci.edu/discoveries/hstexhibit/) |
| Companion to traveling Space Telescope Science Institute and Smithsonian exhibition. Utilizes the RealPlayer and QuickTime plugins. |
| Planet Quest (http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/) |
| The science of planet discovery, possible habitable planets. Sponsored by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
| SEDS Messier Database (http://www.seds.org/messier/) |
| During the years from 1758 to 1782 Charles Messier, a French astronomer, compiled a list of approximately 100 diffuse objects that were difficult to distinguish from comets through the telescopes of the day. Fortunately for us, the Messier Catalog became well known for a much higher purpose, as a collection of the most beautiful objects in the sky including nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies. |
| Starchart Map Server (http://www.polaris.net/services/starchart/) |
| Select a page-size view of a specific constellation or zoom in on any area of the sky.Charts my be generated in PNG BW, PNG Color, PostScript, Adobe PDF, or ASCII (recommended for Lynx users) format. |
| Stephen Hawking's Universe (http://www.thirteen.org/hawking/html/home.html) |
| Companion site to PBS series. Essays discuss the great cosmological questions of the origins of the universe. Brief explanations for complex cosmological phenomena and short biographies of seventeen giants of cosmology. |
| Virtual Trips to Black Holes and Neutron Stars: (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn_bht.html) |
| Scientifically accurate computer movies, taking the viewer on a fantasy trip into a black hole and a neutron star. |
| Web Nebulae (http://www.seds.org/billa/twn/) |
| Spectacular photos of nebulae usually available only through a telescope. |
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