Southeast Ohio Astronomical Society
Selected Links
This page is being revised starting July 2008
For Beginners -The Basics: Reading and Forums
Observing the Night Sky / Stars, Constellations, and Mythology
Some National or International Astronomy Organizations, Agencies, and Programs
Some Land-Based Astronomical Observatories
Some Orbiting Satellites including 4 now circling Mars and the two Mars Rovers
Amateur Astronomy Clubs and Star Parties
Mostly NASA and JPL
Our Solar System
Telescopes, Binoculars, Accessories, and Software
Short Bios of Astronomers / Awards
Other Sites
Links to Links
Monty Python Links Us to Our Galaxy
Basic Reading Material
Almost all amateur astronomers subscribe to or have access to the following three periodicals:
Sky & Telescope - Monthly Magazine
Astronomy - Monthly Magazine
If you are a member of a local astronomy club, you may be entitled to discount prices on Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazines. Discounts are also available from national organizations such as the American Association of Amateur Astronomers
Night Sky (Backyard Astronomy for everyone) - from the folks who Publish Sky and Telescope - Six Times a Year (more for kids and parents)
In addition, a good up-to-date beginning astronomy book is very useful. One such book is
NIGHTWATCH (reprinted with revisions, 2003 - read the reviews) - A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe by Terence Dickinson - this book is periodically updated and has been fine-tuned through many years.
In addition to the above publications, the following are useful to amateur astronomers (there are many others):
"Stars" by Zim, Baker, and Chartrand
"Stars and Planets" by Pasachoff (One of the Peterson Field Guides)
"Field Guide to the Night Sky" by Chartrand and Tirion (National Audubon Society series)
"Turn Left at Orion" by Consolmagno and Davis
"The Backyard Astronomer's Guide" by Dickinson and Dyer
"Starlight Nights" by Peltier (an autobiography that has motivated many to a love of the night sky)
"The Cambridge Star Atlas - 2000" by Wil Tirion
Beginning Astronomy Textbooks. These are likely to give details not covered by the above. There are many. Because astronomy is changing so rapidly, new editions come out frequently and you can often obtain a previous edition at half the price or less. Two textbooks are given here:
"Astronomy" by Hartmann and Impey
"Foundations of Astronomy" by Seeds
The following publishing company specializes in astronomy: Willmann-Bell
Another publishing company that has a large assortment of astronomy books is Firefly Books
AMATEUR ASTRONOMY FORUMS
There are many astronomy forums on the Internet. Four are given here - the first, from YAHOO, is just a sample of YAHOO forums.
YAHOO forum on Astronomical Binoculars
Al Degutis Allows You to Search Astronomy Archives of YAHOO
Google Forum for Amateur Astronomers
Astronomy Magazine forum
Cloudy Nights - has Forums, Reviews, Articles
Astromart Forums and More
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Observing the Night Sky
Observing - from Sky and Telescope Magazine
The Starry Sky - from Astronomy Magazine
Jim Kaler's Extensive Website - on Stars and Constellations
SkyMAPS Sky Maps Each Month
The Webb Society - UK - Specialising in the observation of double stars and 'deep sky' objects
Having trouble sorting out all those Trapezium stars in Orion's big nebula? Then click here.
Names of the Stars - from Alan MacRobert of Sky and Telescope
Clear Sky Clock - It tells you if it's worthwhile to lug your telescope out to look at the night sky for the next two nights
The Messier Catalog from SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space)
Heavens Above! lots of good info but you should register. Specializing in Satellites such as the International Space Station.
StarDate Online - Stargazing, Constellations, and other info - from U. Texas McDonald Observatory
The Constellations and their Stars - Dolan
Constellations - from answers dot com
About the constellations - Dibbon Smith
Myths, Legends, and History of the 88 Constellations - Ian Ridpath - see especially Chapter 3
History of the Constellations - from University of Oklahoma
Some short stories on mythology of constellations - Cathy Bell
Filling the Sky - constellation history - Jim Fuchs
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Some Astronomy Organizations
Astronomy Organizations - from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Astronomy Organizations - from Yahoo
International Dark Sky Association
Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
U.S. Naval Observatory
Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers
Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers
SETI - Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Astronomical League
American Association of Amateur Astronomers
Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the home of outreach program called Project Astro
European Space Agency
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
The Planetary Society
International Astronomical Union
American Astronomical Society
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey
Minor Planet Center
The American Meteor Society
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Department of Space Studies - Boulder, CO - of the Southwest Research Institute
AURA (Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.) - mainly for NSF-supported astronomical research but has good info on outreach programs.
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) Baltimore, MD - Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
NASA -The Hubble Space Telescope
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory - University of Arizona
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Some Land Based Astronomical Observatories
For observatories, some have visitor centers and give tours. Some are not open to the public. Thanks to light pollution many of older famous observatories cannot observe the night sky very well but are available for public outreach.
Ohio Observatories
Ohio University is part owner of the MDM Observatory on Kitt Peak, AZ
A World List of Observatories from Yahoo
The World's Largest Optical Telescopes from Bill Arnett at nineplanets.com
Kitt Peak National Observatory - Arizona
National Optical Astronomy Observatory sites and telescopes at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile; Gemini Science Center in Chile and Hawaii; Kitt Peak, AZ
National Solar Observatory Sunspot, NM and other locations
National Radio Astronomy Observatory Sites and telescopes at Charlottesville, VA; Socorro, NM; Tucson, AZ, Santiago, Chile; and Green Bank, WV.
Apache Point Observatory - Sunspot, NM - Sloan Digital Sky Survey
Arecibo Observatory - Puerto Rico (National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center)
Lick Observatory - California
Mount Wilson Observatory - close to Pasadena, California
Palomar Observatory - California
University of Arizona Steward Observatory
Allegheny Observatory - Pittsburgh
Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO - part of Steward Observatory) - Home of (1) Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (2) Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope (3) The Large Binocular Telescope (almost complete as of November, 2005) - Tours are available to MGIO. Check at Discovery Park, Safford, AZ
The Griffith Observatory - Los Angeles
Lowell Observatory - Flagstaff, AZ. This is where Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930 and where Robert Burnham, Jr toiled for many years to produce the three volume "bible" for amateur astronomers.
Mauna Kea Observatories - Hawaii
University of Texas McDonald Observatory - The annual Texas Star Party is held near here
Optical Observatories associated with Caltech - Pasadena, California
Dominion Astrophysical Observatory - Victoria, British Columbia
U. Virginia Leander McCormick Observatory - Charlottesville, Virginia
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Selected Orbiting Satellites and What They Do or Will Do
Note: bios in this section are for the most part linked to the Web Site of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific For satellite descriptions, also see January, 2006 issue of Sky and Telescope for descriptions of Spitzer, Chandra, Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and Swift
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) - the most famous of them all - from NASA
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) - from The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) - from hubble.org
Because of the importanace of HST, we give here a short bio of Dr. Edwin Powell Hubble
James Webb Space Telescope - (JWST) the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope - Launch date 2011
Because of the importanace of the James Webb Space Telescope, we give here a short bio of James Webb. - from NASA
Spitzer Space Telescope fantastic images in the infrared
Because of the importanace of the Spitzer Space Telescope, we give here a short bio of Dr. Lyman Spitzer,Jr.
Chandra X-ray Observatory giving detailed views of the high energy cosmos
Because of the importanace of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we give here a short bio of Dr. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Swift Gamma Ray Burst Explorer looking at the largest explosions in the universe since the Big Bang
Galaxy Evolution Explorer - GALEX - looking at star birth
SOHO - Exploring the Sun - as Astronomy Magazine online puts it (December, 2005) : "To paraphrase Timex's slogan, SOHO has taken a beating but keeps on ticking."
Constellation X
DAWN - to learn about the early solar system by orbiting two asteroids
DEEP IMPACT - your first look inside a comet
Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan - looking at Saturn, its rings, and moons - a triumph for NASA and ESA
New Horizons - on to Pluto (about 2006 to 2015)
SATELLITES NOW ORBITING MARS AND THE MARS ROVERS
European Mars Express - European Space Agency - looking beneath the Martian surface
Mars Global Surveyor
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Mars Odyssey
Like the Duracell Bunny these things keep going and going: NASA'S Spirit and Opportunity rove around Mars
More on these rovers from Cornell's Steve Squyres Mars Exploration Rovers
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Amateur Astronomy Clubs and Star Parties
ASTRONOMY CLUBS
The following is a sampling of astronomy clubs mainly in the U.S.
Clubs and Organizations from Sky and Telescope
Astronomy Club Websites - from NASA's Night Sky Network
Astronomy Club Websites ("The Astronomy White Pages")
Still another list of Astronomy Clubs - Worldwide
Columbus Astronomical Society
Cincinnati Observatory Center
Saguaro Astronomy Club - Phoenix area
Huachuca Astronomy Club - Sierra Vista, Arizona.
Peoria Astronomical Society - Illinois
Prairie Astronomy Club - Lincoln, Nebraska - associated with unique Hyde Memorial Observatory
Austin Astronomical Society - Texas
Rose City Astronomers - Portland, Oregon
STAR PARTIES
Star Parties listed by Sky and Telescope
Canadian Star Parties
go-astronomy dot com Star Party List
Chart Markers And More - List of Star Parties - 2005 and later
Texas Star Party - considered by many to be the best overall for its activities and seeing the night sky
Riverside Telescope Makers Conference (RTMC) - California
Oregon Star Party - on the east side of the Cascades, of course
Nebraska Star Party - located in the Nebraska Sand Hills - "NSP has established itself as the premier summer dark-skies star party"
Table Mountain Star Party - state of Washington near Ellensburg
Black Forest Star Party - at Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania
Mason Dixon Star Party York County, Pennsylvania
Okie -Tex Star Party - in the most western part of the panhandle of Oklahoma
Stellafane Star Party - Vermont
Winter Star Party - Florida Keys
White Sands Star Party - close to Alamogordo, NM
Hidden Hollow Star Party - at the Warren Rupp Observatory in Northern Ohio
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Mostly NASA and JPL
NASA Home page
Listing of NASA Science Missions
On to the Moon and Mars!
Dust from a Comet and Interstellar Space - NASA's STARDUST
NASA - rebuttal to Apollo Hoax
NASA / JPL Space Calendar - giving links to many major astronomical events
HST NASA's Hubble Space Telescope
GRIN - GREAT IMAGES OF NASA - These pictures / files are large and allow you to download them and make high quality prints
NASA Photo Gallery
NASA Science Headline News
NASA'S National Space Science Data Center
NASA'S Apollo missions to the Moon
NASA'S Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive
NASA sends Cassini to Saturn
NASA tells you about all that space junk out there. Or as they prefer to call it Orbital Debris
Night Sky Network. Don't miss this link to JPL / NASA. Click here Then click on Club Directory and select a state or name.
Like the Duracell Bunny these things keep going and going: NASA'S Spirit and Opportunity rove around Mars
More on these rovers from Cornell's Steve Squyres Mars Exploration Rovers
NASA tells you about The Electromagnetic Spectrum
NASA: Testing Einstein
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Our Solar System
Bill Arnett 's Nine Planets
Calvin Hamilton's Views of the Solar System
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Solar System Website
Solar System as seen by NASA
BBC views the solar system
Fred Espenak's Eclipse Home Page
Origin of the Moon - Melosh
Chuck Wood's Moon - Compendium of Lunar Science and History
Lunar Meteorites - Meteorites that come from our Moon
Origin of Comets: The Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud
Origin of and definition of Asteroids
Difference Between Comets, Meteors and Asteroid
Asteroid Occultation - For individuals interested in asteroids passing in front of, and diminishing the light of, a star - (similar in concept to lunar and solar eclipses)
Near Earth Objects from NASA
The Rings Node of the Planetary Data System is devoted to archiving, cataloging and distributing scientific data sets relevant to planetary ring systems.
"Chasing the Moons of Jupiter" as seen through a telescope from Sky and Telescope. Scroll down the page and click on the words "Jupiter's Moons" contained in the caption of the third figure.
Retrograde motion demonstrated by movement of Mars. Scroll down a bit to see the action (when there, click on "refresh" in your browser to see the whole demo).
The Sunspot Cycle
Yes, Pluto really is a planet - from the observatory where Pluto was discovered
Earth Impact Database
One man's description of the Siberian Tunguska Asteroid event in 1908
What are the Northern Lights? from Norway
Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature - from U.S. Geological Survey
Find your latitude and longitude - go to "In the United States"
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Selected Links to Telescopes, Binoculars, Accessories and Software
Telescopes and Binoculars - If not sold directly, a list of dealers is generally given
The Binocular Site - Go here first if you are interested in buying binoculars
The Telescope Review Web Site - Ed Ting
The Astronomy Yellow Pages
How Telescopes Work
Meade
Orion
Celestron
TeleVue
Questar
Vixen
Coronado - looking at the Sun
Takahashi
Astro-Physics
Stellarvue
Obsession Dobsonians
Canon Binoculars and Cameras
Fujinon - Binoculars
Oberwerk - binoculars
ACCESSORIES
Lumicon - filters and other accessories
Kendrick - Dew prevention Heaters and other accessories
Apogee Instruments - cameras
JMI - Carrying Cases and other items
SkyPointer - Green Laser Pointer
SBIG - take pictures of planets and DSOs
SOFTWARE
THESKY
Starry Nights
MEGASTAR Star Atlas
Cartes du Ciel Sky Charts
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Short Bios of Astronomers - and awards
Bruce Medalists from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific - Starting in 1898.
Famous Astronomers and Astrophysicists
Robert Burnham Jr. - of special interest to amateur astronomers
Gary Kronk's Whos Who in Comet History
Astronomer Biographies - from space.about.com
History of Astronomy - Persons
Notable Scientists - Physical Scientists - from info please
Yahoo Bios of Astronomers
Annual Awards from Astronomical Society of the Pacific (includes Bruce Medalists)
Grants and Prizes from the American Astronomical Society
International Astronomical Union Cosmology Prize
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Other Sites
Scale of the Universe - from Florida State University
The Great 1920 Debate on the Scale of Our Universe -
Shapley versus Curtis
A link to manufacturers of telescopes and binoculars
What's the weather like in Space?
Example of what an amateur astronomer can do with the right equipment and knowledge
Getting a star named after a loved one - but see bottom part of MacRobert's article - Names of the Stars - before you plunk down your money
Photo gallery - space.com
Jack Newton's Arizona Sky Village - for the amateur who wants to live astronomy virtually full time
The Star Hustler - Jack Horkheimer
Holidays and the Solstices and Equinoxes
Phil Plait's BAD ASTRONOMY
Lets Talk Stars with David Levy
All you wanted to know about Leap Year
All you wanted to know about the Leap Second
Star of Bethlehem - annotated Links from Griffith Observatory
Known Planetary Systems
Absolute Astronomy
Chandra from Harvard - lots of good stuff at this site
Pine Mountain Observatory - close to Bend. Oregon has one of the best astronomical outreach programs in the country
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Links to Links
Many or most astronomy websites have their own links. In addition to those given here, the following are links to webpage links of astronomy websites. There are thousands more on the Internet. These are intended to show samples of website link pages that are available.
AstroWeb: Astronomy/Astrophysics on the Internet Maintained by the AstroWeb Consortium, a collaboration involving 9 individuals at 7 institutions.
Physics and Astronomy on line
Links from MIT
AstronomyLinks Presented by OPT
Favorite Astronomy Links - from Sonoma State University, California
Astronomical Links
Astronomy Companies Links
Web Site Awards (Star Awards) from Griffith Observatory
Links from Baton Rouge Astronomical Society - Louisiana
Links to Planetary Nebula Sites and Outstanding Astronomical Sites from Doug Snyder, Palominas, AZ
Astronomical World Wide Web Resources Links - from The Space Telescope Science Institute
Links from the Huachuca Astronomy Club - Sierra Vista, Arizona
Links from the Saguaro Astronomy Club - Phoenix
Links fromThe Alamogordo Astronomical Club - Alamogordo, New Mexico
SEDS Caltech Astronomy Club Links
Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston Links
Boston University Astronomy Department Links
Glouster Area Astronomy Club Links - Massachusetts
Champaign Urbana Astronomical Society Links - Illinois
Decatur Area Astronomy Club Links - Illinois
The Chagrin Valley Astronomical Society Links - Ohio
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Galaxy Song
by
Monty Python
by
Monty Python
Click here to hear the following mp3 song
Monty Python (The Meaning Of Life )
Whenever life gets you down, Mrs. Brown,
And things seem hard or tough,
And people are stupid, obnoxious or daft,
And you feel that you've had quite eno-o-o-o-o-ough,
Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And revolving at nine hundred miles an hour,
That's orbiting at nineteen miles a second, so it's reckoned,
A sun that is the source of all our power.
The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see
Are moving at a million miles a day
In an outer spiral arm, at forty thousand miles an hour,
Of the galaxy we call the 'Milky Way'.
Our galaxy itself contains a hundred billion stars.
It's a hundred thousand light years side to side.
It bulges in the middle, sixteen thousand light years thick,
But out by us, it's just three thousand light years wide.
We're thirty thousand light years from galactic central point.
We go 'round every two hundred million years,
And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions
In this amazing and expanding universe.
The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding
In all of the directions it can whizz
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light, you know,
Twelve million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your birth,
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth.
(Many thanks for the above to Tom O'Grady who has a knack for putting things into perspective)
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These links have been compiled by Paul J. Grim of SEOAS. For comments or to let us know about broken links contact
PJGRIM at COLUMBUS dot RR dot COM
PJGRIM at COLUMBUS dot RR dot COM
December 18, 2005