Associations
International Dark Sky Association
Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
The Society was incorporated within the province of Ontario in 1890 and received its Royal Charter from King Edward VII in 1903. It is devoted to the advancement of astronomy and allied sciences. Members are from many countries and from all walks of life.
The American Association of Amateur Astronomers
The Royal Astronomical Society
Virginia Association of Astronomical Societies
VAAS was founded in 1975 as a result of a joint meeting between the Richmond and original Norfolk Astronomical Societies. Each year there is a conference to bring together the various astronomy clubs throughout the Commonwealth.
Astro Art
Black Cat Studios
An illustrator/author specializing in science, astronomy, science fiction and fantasy illustration.
Astro How-To
Cleaning the 24-Inch Telescope Mirror
Sommers-Bausch Observatory – University of Colorado
How to Become Involved in Astronomy
How to Tell Time Without a Watch: Learn to Make a Sundial
Ken’s Polar Alignment Notes
Quick reference to polar alignment methods.
Meade’s How to Choose a Telescope
Astronomical League
Astronomy Clubs
Groovy Adventures – Astronomy Clubs
Links to all kinds of travel adventures, including astronomy clubs, nationwide.
Northern Virginia Astronomy Club
Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society
Astronomy News
Astronomy Soup
This website is a portal into many different facets of Astronomy.
Astronomy Now
Another commercial astronomy news Website.
ESA Portal
News releases from the European Space Agency.
Mars Daily
This sister Website of Space Daily features news items about Mars.
Night Sky Info
Weekly news about the night sky and articles on selected astronomical topics.
Sky at a Glance
Sky and Telescope Magazine’s list of observing highlights for the current week. Current location of planets and how and when to observe them.
Sky and Telescope Observing
Highlights of what to observe in the sky this week.
Space.com
Commercial site with all kinds of space-related information.
Space Daily
This commercial Website features international space news.
Spaceflight Now
Sister Website of Astronomy Now. News plus a store that sells lots of space videos and other paraphernalia.
StarDate Online
A production of the U. of Texas McDonald Observatory
Astrophoto & CCD
Astrofotographia con Celestar 8
Chilean Pedro Aguirre V’s amateur astrophotography Website.
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.
CCD Images of Messier Objects
CCD images of many of the Messier objects, taken with a variety of different telescopes, along with brief facts about them.
Clay’s Kochab Clock: Precise Portable Polar Alignment
“Using ‘Clay’s Kochab Clock’ you can achieve near-perfect celestial alignment of any fork-mounted telescope in a matter of minutes instead of the ‘hours’ it takes when using the drift method”.
David Malin Images
Here is the master of Astro-photography. David is author of the book *A View of the Universe.”
Foto Search
Fotos Search Image Library offers over 1 million images in its extensive online archive, including Art, photography, clipart, illustrations, footage, and maps. It offers your users the opportunity to view world-class photography and art free of charge.
Hubble Heritage Gallery of Images
By emphasizing compelling HST images distilled from scientific data, we hope to pique curiosity about our astrophysical understanding of the universe we all inhabit.
Jerry Lodriguss’ Astrophotography
Lots of good info and tips, including latest film recommendations
Jerry Lodriguss’ Polar Alignment
Clear and thorough explanation of how and why to polar align
Ken’s Polar Alignment Notes
Quick reference to polar alignment methods.
Photography Glossary
From “What You Need to Know About Phototography”
Steve Reilly Astral-Imaging
CAS Member Steve Reilly’s Home Page
The NSSDC Photo Gallery
The NSSDC Photo Gallery is intended to fulfill two different purposes. The first of these is to provide access to some of the more popular NASA images. NSSDC fills hundreds of requests per year for thousands of photographs, but many of the same images are Atmospheric Phenomena.
Atmospheric Optics
Information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena.
Binocular Observing
How to Select the Right Binocular
Meade website
Buy / Sell / Trade
ASTROMART
Lots of links, and classified ads for all things astronomical.
ScopeStuff
Accessories and small parts for scopebuilding or replacement use
a s t r o n o m i c s . c o m
Online store for telescopes, binoculars, accessories – used and new.
Comets
Harvard’s Comet Ephemerides
This page lists links to orbital elements and ephemerides of (potentially) observable comets.
Yahoo Group for Comet Observations
This group is for the posting of comet observations only. Our purpose is to provide a timely source for visual and CCD observations. Observers are encouraged to post their observations here. The ICQ format is preferred, but any format is acceptable.
Dark Skies
International Dark-Sky Association
Starry Night Lights
Dealer in night sky friendly lighting for homes & businesses.
Virginia Outdoor Lighting Taskforce (VOLT)
VOLT is the only organization specifically dedicated to improving outdoor lighting in Virginia.
Education
A Collection of Some Common Names for Deep Sky Objects
Great cross-reference of object names to catalog id’s. On the SEDS website.
Astronomical Time Keeping
Time keeping and construction of calendars are among the oldest branches of astronomy. Up until very recently, no earth-bound method of time keeping could match the accuracy of time determinations derived from observations of the sun and the planets.
Dr. Richard Pogge’s home page
Dr. Pogge’s astronomy classes, Astro 161 & 162 are a good way to come up to speed on the basics of the science of astronomy. You can subscribe through iTunes easily. You can also click on “Astrronomy 161″ or “Previous Courses” and find the MP3 files there.
Eric Weisstein’s World of Astronomy
Eric Weisstein’s World of Science contains budding encyclopedias of astronomy, scientific biography, chemistry, and physics. This resource has been assembled over more than a decade by internet encyclopedist Eric W. Weisstein with assistance from the internet.
Imagine the Universe! Dictionary
Nice glossary of astronomical terms created by NASA.
NRAO – National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Scale of the Universe
Check this out!
Online Courses
Free online courses from the world’s leading universities. Yale, MIT, Stanford, Harvard, and many others are sharing lectures and videos with lifelong learners from all around.
SEDS – Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
A great “everything you want to know about astronomy” site. Tremendous content with an excellent search engine.
Science at NASA
Great site for the general public provided by NASA.
Space and Astronomy Lesson Plan Ideas
This is a great resource for educators making lesson plans for space & astronomy classes. There are 30 links here for you to choose from!
Space and Science: An Online Study Guide For Kids
This site offers a plethora of links to educational materials for kids of all ages.
University of Virginia Astronomy
Equipment History
Antique Astronomy Trade Literature from Smithsonian Institut
Browse the catalogs from 100 years ago. The Warner & Swasey, Cooke, John A. Brashear Company Ltd, Steinheil Söhne, James W. Queen & Company, Charles-Chevalier, and more.
Spectroscopy Catalogs
Adam Hilger Ltd, John A. Brashear Company Ltd, J. Duboscq, Ph. Pellin, J. Duboscq, Édouard Lutz, Cooke Optics Ltd., Société Genevoise, Wm. Gaertner & Co., Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company and more.
Equipment Reviews
Cloudy Nights Telescope Reviews
Dedicated to providing reviews of astronomical scopes and equipment as written by experienced observers in the amateur astronomy community. Telescope and binocular reviews, articles, and forums; also some good how-to information for beginners.
Excelsis Telescope Reviews
Real person reviews for hundreds of telescope makes and models.
The Telescope Review Web Site
Many thorough and technical reviews of every type of telescope. By Ed Ting.
Todd Gross’ Weather and Astronomy Site
Webpage of Boston meteorologist Todd Gross. Binocular and telescope reviews, plus weather-related links.
Extra-Solar Planets
California and Carnegie Planet Search
Articles from The U. of California and Carnegie Tech about planets in other solar systems.
General
Astronomy Soup
This website is a portal into many different facets of Astronomy and Astrophotography.
AstroWeb
A master list of Astronomy Web links plus a search engine for those linked websites.
Deep Sky History
French-Canadian Yann Pothier’s astro-history Website has thumbnail biographies of astronomers as well as other interesting historical facts, such as a list of the discoverers of many Messier objects, etc., some before the invention of the telescope.
Eric Weisstein’s World of Astronomy
Eric Weisstein’s World of Science contains budding encyclopedias of astronomy, scientific biography, chemistry, and physics. This resource has been assembled over more than a decade by internet encyclopedist Eric W. Weisstein with assistance from the internet.
Hubble Wallpaper
Totally cool wallpaper for your Windows desktop, courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA Search Engine
Search the NASA database by keyword or document title/subject.
StarDate online
StarDate is a podcast, radio show and magazine put out by McDonald Observatory.
The Astronomy Net
This all-in-one astronomy Website features astronomy articles, news, links, forums, a calendar of events, an image gallery, an astronomy literature and software shop, a list of clubs and associations, and a list of vendors with comments from customers.
Getting Started
Astronomy Book Recommendations
Cloudy Nights Telescope Reviews
Dedicated to providing reviews of astronomical scopes and equipment as written by experienced observers in the amateur astronomy community. Telescope and binocular reviews, articles, and forums; also some good how-to information for beginners.
Ed Ting’s Advice for New Astronomers
So You Wanna Buy a Telescope…Advice for Beginners. Ed Ting is the creator of the Telescope Review Web Site.
Heretic’s Guide
“The Heretic’s Guide to Choosing and Buying Your First Telescope.” Lots of good advice and direction.
How to Select the Right Binocular
Meade website
How to Become Involved in Astronomy
Meade’s How to Choose a Telescope
Sky and Telescope’s Beginner’s Books
Space and Science: An Online Study Guide For Kids
This site offers a plethora of links to educational materials for kids of all ages.
The Telescope Review Web Site
Many thorough and technical reviews of every type of telescope. By Ed Ting.
Tips, Guides and How-To’s Historical Texts
Systema Saturnium 1659 text
Christiaan Huygens. Systema Saturnium, sive de causis mirandorum Saturni phaenomenon, et comite ejus planeta novo [The System of Saturn, or On the matter of Saturn's remarkable appearance, and its satellite, the new planet]. Hagae-Comitis [The Hague]: Ex
TYCHONIS BRAHE, ASTROMOMIÆ INSTAURATÆ MECHANICA.
On-line version of 1602 text from Tyco Brahe.
History
Portraits of Astronomical FiguresVenus Transits 1631-2004
Chasing Venus” tells the story of astronomers’ pursuit of this phenomenon, through rare books and articles written on the subject over the last four centuries. The exhibit also marks the sixth observed transit of Venus, in June 2004.
Messier Objects
CCD Images of Messier Objects
CCD images of many of the Messier objects, taken with a variety of different telescopes, along with brief facts about them.
Messier Objects
A great index to the Messier Objects with current and historical information on each object.
Meteor Showers
The International Meteor Organization
Moon
Add Moon Phases to your Microsoft Outlook Calendar
This vCalendar moon events file contains moon phase events (New Moon, First Quarter Moon, Full Moon, and Last Quarter Moon). Many calendar applications can use the information in this file directly or through an import mechanism.
Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers
Fred Espenak’s Eclipse Home Page
The ultimate resource for online information about eclipses.
International Occultation Timing Association
Master index and information site for Lunar Occultations & Grazes
NGC Objects
The Whole NGC
Photos of the entire NGC catalog with pictures showing what you could expect to see through a medium size telescope.
Observing, General
Dark Sky Finder
This site is a “mash up” of Google Maps + a light pollution map!
An essential observing site selection tool!
Night Sky Info
Weekly news about the night sky and articles on selected astronomical topics.
Planets
Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers
JPL and NASA Planetary Photojournal
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Get the latest scope on planetary explorations.
NASA Earth Observatory
Information on current and planned Earth observing missions.
The Moons of Jupiter
Web site devoted to Jovian Satellite discoveries. Keeps a running count of known satellites for every planet!
Venus Transits 1631-2004
Chasing Venus” tells the story of astronomers’ pursuit of this phenomenon, through rare books and articles written on the subject over the last four centuries. The exhibit also marks the sixth observed transit of Venus, in June 2004.
What is a planet?
An orb by any other name: Debate over what constitutes a planet is far from settled.
Podcast
Dr. Richard Pogge’s home page
Dr. Pogge’s astronomy classes, Astro 161 & 162 are a good way to come up to speed on the basics of the science of astronomy. You can subscribe through iTunes easily. You can also click on “Astrronomy 161″ or “Previous Courses” and find the MP3 files there.
Jack Horkheimer: Stargazer
Download versions of the famous show that ends many TV stations regularly scheduled broadcast day. “And remember to keep looking up!”
StarDate online
StarDate is a podcast, radio show and magazine put out by McDonald Observatory.
The Jodrell Bank Podcast
A twice-monthly podcast covering all aspects of astronomy from The University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Observatory (UK). It includes the latest news, what you can see in the current night sky, interviews with astronomers and other things we liked.
Public Observing
University of Virginia Department of Astronomy
University of Virginia Public Nights
Radio Astronomy
Basics of Radio Astronomy from Nasa Goldstone – Apple Valley
European Amateur Radio Astronomy Club
Free Web-based Course in Radio Astronomy
NRAO web-based course in Radio Astronomy.
Max Plank Institute for Radio Astronomy
NATIONAL ASTRONOMY AND IONOSPHERE CENTER – Arecibo Observato
NRAO – National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Parkes Observatory – Australia
Radio Jove
Simple 20.1MHz Radio Astronomy project created by NASA for High School and College Students….but great fun and challenge for Amateur as well.
Radio Astronomy Tutorial from MIT Haystack
Online Tutorial on Radio Astronomy
Radio Sky
Good source for amateur astronomer looking to learn more about radio astronomy.
Radio Observations of Jupiter
3D models of Jupiter’s radio emissions.
Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers
The Jodrell Bank Podcast
A twice-monthly podcast covering all aspects of astronomy from The University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Observatory (UK). It includes the latest news, what you can see in the current night sky, interviews with astronomers and other things we liked.
The Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF)
The Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
Operated by Cambridge University
University of Florida Radio Observatory Online
Lots of information on Jupiter Radio emissions and related information to the Radio Jove project.
Skywatching
Heavens Above
Provides maps of satellite flybys!
Sky at a Glance
Sky and Telescope Magazine’s list of observing highlights for the current week. Current location of planets and how and when to observe them.
Skymaps.com
Free skymaps available each month, available in PDF format.
Skywatcher’s Page
“A collection of resources and links for people who watch and gaze at the night sky.”
Tonight’s Sky
This web page is part of Hubble site and features a video clip of interesting things to look at in the sky each night.
Software
Add Moon Phases to your Microsoft Outlook Calendar
This vCalendar moon events file contains moon phase events (New Moon, First Quarter Moon, Full Moon, and Last Quarter Moon). Many calendar applications can use the information in this file directly or through an import mechanism.
Astrophysical Virtual Observatory
David Paul Green’s Free Astronomy Software Site
Hubble Wallpaper
Totally cool wallpaper for your Windows desktop, courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Stellarium
Great free planetarium software.
Space Exploration
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Get the latest scope on planetary explorations.
Science at NASA
Great site for the general public provided by NASA.
Sun
Big Bear Solar Observatory
Located in Big Bear Lake, CA, BBSO’s main interest is the physics of the Sun. They observe solar phenomena every day with dedicated telescopes and instruments.
Fred Espenak’s Eclipse Home Page
The ultimate resource for online information about eclipses.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center – Solar Physics
The Solar Physics Group at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center was formed in the early 1970′s in conjunction with the Apollo Skylab Mission. These pages contain an overview of solar physics itself along with highlights of our own work, our current project.
SpaceWeather.com
Science news and information about the Sun-Earth environment.
The Institute for Solar Physics
In May 2002, the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (first image above, 1 MByte) started operation with its full aperture. During the first few months of operation we collected many solar images with unprecedented spatial resolution, estimated to approximately 9
Telescope Making
Stellafane Mirror Making Guide
Telescope Manufacturers
Antares Telescopes / Sky Instruments
Orion Telescopes and Binoculars
Vendors
Foto Search
Fotos Search Image Library offers over 1 million images in its extensive online archive, including Art, photography, clip art, illustrations, footage, and maps. It offers your users the opportunity to view world-class photography and art free of charge.
Can Stock Astronomy Stock Photography
The Orrery Store
Antique style solar system Orreries for sale.
ScopeStuff
Accessories and small parts for scope building or replacement use.
Starry Night Lights
Dealer in night sky friendly lighting for homes & businesses.
The Astronomy Net
This all-in-one astronomy Website features astronomy articles, news, links, forums, a calendar of events, an image gallery, an astronomy literature and software shop, a list of clubs and associations, and a list of vendors with comments from customers.