Friday, July 25, 2008
Heavens Above http://heavens-above.com/
Very helpful, no matter your location, for dynamically tracking satellites
(such as the International Space Station and the numerous Iridium units) as well
as the shuttle, when it's out and about. Shows a "top-down" view of
the object over the globe of the Earth. First learned of this while I was monitoring
STS-121.
Visual Deep Sky Observing http://visualdeepsky.co.uk
This is a great little site wherein F. Jordan, based in England, has documented
many of his observations and included some of his astrophotographs. I particularly
like the "Binocular Messier Survey 2005" which illustrates (with dark
skies) what can be accomplished at relatively low power. Offline...
SEDS http://seds.org
The Students for the Exploration and Development of Space is a tremendous resource.
They have a handy graphical list of all the Messier objects, notes on Mars apparitions,
and so on. Great for beginners and intermediate astronomers. I'm finding more
and more useful and helpful information here.
Cloudy Nights Telescope Review http://cloudynights.com
As the name suggests, if you're cooped up inside, feeling anxious, your brain
is all geared up, hop into Cloudy Nights for product reviews, news items, various
articles. They too have some great how-to articles. You need an account (free)
if you want to search the forums...
SolStation.com http://SolStation.com
Online star maps in 3D! Incredible stuff. Good for SF writers or budding astronomers.
You can also view orbit animations of multiple star and planetary satellite systems.
Requires a Java-capable browser. They also have an extensive listing of nearby
stars.
Solar System Live http://www.fourmilab.ch/solar/solar.html
Need to find a planet quickly? Need to debunk Mars hoax emails? This is the quick
way to plot the locations of the inner and outer planets. Very programmable, can
be animated. Low bandwidth: you just need GIF image support. It's like having
your very own orrery! John Walker's site also includes Your Sky, a web-based programmable
planetarium, and the wonderful Sky screen saver!
Skymaps http://skymaps.com
Don't have a planisphere? No problem. You can crank out your own personal, daily
(correction, nightly) sky map. The map itself shows the constellations, a number
of deep sky objects, and the Milky Way. Maps for either the northern or southern
hemisphere. Includes many notable events for the month. I particularly like the
breakdown by eye, binoculars, and telescope!
Bad Astronomy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy
Phil Plait (a very cool dude) maintains an excellent web site that debunks and
demystifies astronomical notions. A good place to go to verify hoaxes. He comments
on poor explanations and utilisations in TV shows and movies. Don't piss him off!
Update: new web URL.
Theiling Online http://www.theiling.de/henrik.html
Need to practice your Greek alphabet? This is the place! Update: revised URL.
Budget Astronomy http://budgetastronomer.ca
A good resource if you're handy, enjoy building your own gear, and don't mind
saving a few dollars. It's by Ed Hitchcock, a member of the RASC! Update: new
web site address.
Astronomy Buy & Sell http://astrobuysell.com
Canada-wide astronomy buy and sell site. Individual may post free ads. It was
created by Paul Markov, a member of the RASC.
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