Featured Sites
Astronomical Image Library
Well, there aren't any pictures *here*, per se. What is here is a search engine for astronomy pictures. Want pictures of Saturn? Just type in "Saturn" and press Enter, and you get a page full of links to Saturn images. Pretty neat.
JPL Planetary Photojournal
Great resource for solar system photos and resources.... Look up photos by planet to find photos and links to that planet and its moons from various telescopes/spacecraft.
Hubble Space Telescope Image Site
Check out this archive of public HST images; includes "Greatest Hits" such as Supernova 1987a Rings, planetary nebulae, and those funky star-forming columns in M16. Also includes the relevant press releases and background information on what it is you're seeing.
Mars Global Surveyor
A satellite to map the entire surface of Mars in painstaking detail, the pictures (see the latest shots) it has produced so far are amazing. To give you an idea, the pixel sizes on some of these pictures can get down to 1.5 meters, meaning that if Stanford were transplanted to Mars, the Global Surveyor would not only be able to see clearly all the individual buildings and streets, but would be able to note the location of cars on campus. And this is the resolution to which the entire planetary surface will be mapped.... Another great place to look at the accumulated data so far is a global map where you can click and zoom into various Martian features....
NASA Observatorium
Not only do they have an impressive image gallery (as you might expect), complete with commentary, but also information on exploration programs, lives of the stars, astronomical online games, educational resources, Earth science, aeronautics, . . . well, you get the idea.
Images from the Night Sky
Fairly impressive photographs by the site's author, with commentary. Definitely worth a look. If you really like it, you can even purchase prints of the images.
Welcome to the Planets
NASA site with interesting photographs and captions of the planets and other objects flying around our solar system.
NASA Homepage
Hey! It's NASA. Find out what's going on in the wide world of America's space program on a day-to-day basis. Check out their multimedia gallery, the most Frequently Asked Questions, and links to other space research centers. I could go on, but these guys are *the* standard. Just go visit and enjoy.... If you get lost in the sprawl, a good place to go is the NASA search engine.
New Stargazers Home Page
So you want to take up astronomy as an hobby? Check out this page for tips and resources for getting started.
Occupational Outlook Handbook -- Physicists & Astronomers
So what does a physicist or an astronomer DO? Here's a quick, broad summary as well as what the job market is like (and let me tell you, it's not pretty.... *gulp*)
SETI Institute
The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. Want to know what scientists are really doing to look for alien life? Just curious about what SETI actually is, anyway? This site has pages for Project Phoenix, the successor to the ill-fated NASA SETI program axed by Congress in 1993, as well as the famous (or infamous) Drake Equation, other SETI searches, and even the Institute's take on Hollywood's portrayal of SETI in such movies as Independence Day and Contact.
Spinoffs and Commercial Technology
So what is NASA good for, anyway? If you are interested in more than space exploration and the quest for knowledge, you can navigate NASA's site on spinoff and commercial technology--contributions to industry and everyday life that develop from technology used by NASA in space exploration. Alternatively, read a concise justification of NASA's existence.
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Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazard
Worried about a big rock falling out of the sky and smacking the Earth hard enough to change the global climate, or just hard enough to wipe out your hometown? In case that latest disaster movie has you concerned or just curious, here are the facts.
Ancient Life on Mars???
Mars Science: Life
Information pertaining to the much-publicized discovery of possible life on Mars, and the continuing search. Remember, though, that as the NASA folks put it, "Everyone should understand that we are not talking about 'little green men.' These are extremely small, single-cell structures that somewhat resemble bacteria on Earth." And furthermore, these critters probably lived about three billion years ago. Still a fascinating topic, though, and it's worth checking out the facts.
Other Solar Systems
Curious about the discovery of planets around other stars? Here's a good place to go to learn more.
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The Constellation Web Page
An excellent page which explains the stories behind the constellations and talks about the most prominent stars that make up each constellation, as well as other stars and features of interest within each. You can go directly to the list of constellations here.
SkyView Star Charts
It's a virtual observatory! Look around different parts of the sky at different wavelengths and see for yourself what's out there. This is one I need to get back to and look at more closely, because it looks cool but I haven't had the time to really see what these guys can do....
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Other Astronomical Objects and Phenomena
Amateur Astronomy Links
Links to star charts, observation logs, satellites, amateur astronomy clubs, observatories, astronomy software, weather, telescope making, star parties, and much more.
AstroWeb
A huge version, (thankfully) searchable, of what I'm working on here. That doesn't mean you shouldn't come back here too! Think of this page as your cozy, friendly guide to the astronomy web :).
History of Astronomy
A whole lotta links relating to general astronomical history, observatories, libraries, meetings, societies, as well as the history of science in general. Whew!
Sky and Telescope Astronomy Directory
"Welcome to Sky & Telescope's Astronomical Directory, your guide to astronomy-related organizations and institutions. Here you'll find up-to-date information about more than 2,000 museums, planetariums, observatories, astronomy clubs, and societies throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe." Definitely worth a look if you want to find out more about those local organizations.
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If you have any suggestions on other cool places, notes that one of these links is no good, any other suggestions, questions, comments, criticisms, a desire to send me large sums of money, or just want to join up with my quest for world domination, drop me a line:
