|
Space, Physics, and Astronomy Resources
General Sites and Portals
-
Brian's Space
Hotlist: A useful and wide-ranging collection of science links,
with particular emphasis on space research and technology. (Brian Roberts)
-
Students for the
Exploration and Development of Space: An organizational site with
a rich collection of original materials and links.
-
Royal Observatory,
Greenwich: Home page of the observatory that sits on the prime
meridian (that's why we speak of "Greenwich Mean Time"--GMT).
Includes a host of interesting features, including the very useful "Astronomy
Fact Files."
-
The Electronic Universe:
Collection of resources covering physics and space science, as well as
environmental and earth sciences. (U. of Oregon)
-
VPL Links
Page: A well-selected page of links from NASA's Virtual Planetary
Laboratory. Emphasizes space and planetary science, but includes
biology, earth science, etc.
-
Astronomy Cafe:
Self-described as "The web site for the astronomically
disadvantaged." A fascinating site to explore, aimed at general
audiences. Covers a wide range of topics in astronomy, cosmology,
etc. (Dr. Sten Odenwald)
-
Rockbottom
Observatory: Resource and outreach page for the Skylight
Astronomical Society. Includes ephemeris tables, sky charts, and
an array of other resources. The Virtual
Mars page is well worth a look.
-
Astronomy
Bizarre: Related Links: Well-selected links from an
astronomy course at Iowa State U. (Steve Kawaler)
-
Physics.org:
Excellent resource site for physics. Searchable database
of physics web sites; queries yield a list of sites with
descriptions. Responses may be tailored to the age level
and physics background of the user. List of Common
Questions is helpful.
-
Online
Educational Resources for Physics Teachers: Useful
page of categorized links. Covers some engineering and
astronomy and quite a bit of math, as well as all aspects of
physics. (Zito Giuseppe)
-
Net
Advance of Physics: Portal for "review articles and
tutorials in an encyclopædic format." Includes
links to a huge variety of online resources for physics,
including journal articles, pre-prints, textbooks, tutorials,
etc. Browsable in three organizational formats; no
onsite search engine.
|
The New Solar System, with Rosette Nebula
NASA
(Planetary Photojournal)
|
Reference Sites
-
Annotated
Physics Encyclopedia: Reference site by Igor Ivanov.
Covers all aspects of physics. (Net
Advance of Physics)
-
Handbook of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics:
Complete text of the 2nd edition of this important work.
Includes an extensive selection of supplementary web links.
(Cambridge U. Press)
-
Centre de Données astronomiques de
Strasbourg: Offers access to databases, abstracts,
full-text journal articles and more.
-
Encyclopedia
of Astronomy and Astrophysics: Full use of the
encyclopedia requires a subscription, but there are enough free
features to make it worth a look even without one.
-
The Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy, and Spaceflight:
Useful reference work, with especially strong coverage of
astrobiology. Includes 2,000+ entries. (David Darling)
-
Encyclopedia
Astronautica: A reference site from SpaceDaily.com.
Includes extensive coverage of space exploration programs, hardware,
history, etc.
-
Romance
to Reality: Intriguing site which chronicles successful,
abortive, and sometimes speculative plans for Moon and Mars
expeditions, from 1950 to present. (David S. F. Portree)
-
Lexicon:
"A broad glossary of technical and organizational terminology, abbreviations, and other industry jargon, for the lingo-impaired."
Provided by NASA.
-
SkyView
Virtual Observatory: NASA (Goddard Space Flight Center)
site which generates "images of any part of the sky at wavelengths in all regimes from Radio to Gamma-Ray."
-
3-D
Starmaps: A useful site for plotting stellar locations (or
just for looking around). Includes sample star maps, software
for creating new star maps, and links to related sites. (Winchell
Chung)
|
|
|
News Sites and Magazines
- Space.com: News from space
exploration and technology. Slick and glossy design, with
accessible and interesting content, updated regularly. Heavy on
advertising.
- SpaceDaily.com:
Extensive coverage of space science and technology. Also
includes links to sister publications: TerraDaily
(environment news), MarsDaily
(Mars coverage), and SpaceWar
(military news), as well as the Encyclopedia
Astronautica (space travel reference site).
- Universe Today:
Space and astronomy news. Includes headlines and summaries, with
links to the original press releases or articles.
- SpaceRef.com: Space and
space exploration news. Includes extensive links to other sites.
- PhysicsWeb: The online
presence of Physics World magazine. Includes news stories
and feature articles concerning research in physics, materials
science, etc., as well as general professional concerns.
(Institute of Physics)
- Astronomy Magazine:
Web site for the popular magazine. Access to full content requires a subscription,
but free version includes worthwhile material.
|
Space Research, Technology and Exploration
-
NASA:
The home page for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
with links to an enormous range of space-related resources.
-
NASA:
News and Features: The best place to start for quick
access to information on NASA, its missions, research, etc.
-
NASA:
Multimedia Highlights: A good place to start searching
for images, video, etc.
-
Wilkinson
Microwave Anisotrophy Probe: Information on cosmology
(the birth of the universe, its age, etc.)
Hubblesite:
Home page for the Hubble Space Telescope. Includes access to a
rich, searchable collection of images, as well as news and other
features. -
Warp
Drive When?: Presentation for general audiences on the
development of futuristic propulsion systems and spacecraft, by
Marc Mills, former project manager for NASA's Breakthrough
Propulsion Systems Project.
-
NASA: Jet
Propulsion Laboratory: A part of NASA, but worth a link of
its own because of its wealth of resources.
-
JPL News:
Extensive set of links to current earth and science research and
space exploration activities.
-
JPL
Missions: Information on everything from sea-level and
weather research to the "Stardust" mission to bring back
samples of cometary material.
-
Planetary
Photojournal: Home page for a stunning array of
carefully selected images (some of which you will recognize from
these course pages). For links to more image pages, see the images
section on the General
Science and Technology Resources page.
-
Mars
Exploration: The home page for NASA's Mars
missions. For links to more Mars resources, see the below.
European
Space Agency Portal: The public-access home page for the
European Space Agency's activities and resources. Includes
information on current and planned missions, as well as other valuable
resources.
-
ESA Science:
Information on ESA research, as well as basic information on a
wide variety of space-related topics (the possibility of life
elsewhere in the solar system, the atmospheric peculiarities of
Saturn's moon, Titan, etc.).
-
ESA
Multimedia Gallery: A searchable archive of images,
including a good many artists' renderings of future ESA missions.
Lunar
Institute of Technology: Okay, so I just couldn't resist
putting this link here, right after NASA and the ESA. The site
is a lot of fun (although it lost some material due to server
problems), and has links to some serious material, to some speculative
material, and to some stuff that is downright quirky. Try your
hand at decoding an alien message from their version of the SETI
project on the Contact
Project page.
|
|
|
Societies and Organizations
-
Lunar and
Planetary Institute: A "focus for academic participation in studies of the current state, evolution, and formation of the solar system."
Includes academic materials (primarily K-12), images, and other
resources.
|
-
Universities Space
Research Association: Intended to provide "a mechanism through which universities can cooperate effectively with one another, with the government, and with other organizations to further space science and technology, and to promote education in these areas."
Includes links to USRA's various centers and to educational
resources, image sites, etc.
-
The
Planetary Society: "Founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman to encourage the exploration of our solar system and the search for extraterrestrial life."
Non-governmental organization. Includes a variety of news,
features, etc.
-
National Space Society:
"independent, international, educational, grassroots nonprofit
501(c)3 organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring
civilization...founded in 1974 by Wernher von Braun."
Includes advocacy activities, , links, etc.
|
Earth - India and Australia
NASA
(Planetary Photojournal) |
-
American
Astronautical Society: Intended "to inform the space community, including the public, about those facts and theories which will further advance the astronautical sciences and space technology, guide the nation's astronautical programs toward
achievements in space exploration and utilization, and inspire organizations and persons to further this cause."
Founded in 1954. Includes organizational information and
links.
|
-
Students for
the Exploration and Development of Space: An " independent, student-based organization which promotes the exploration and development of space."
Note: This page is also listed under "General Sites"
because of its rich array of resources.
-
The Mars
Society: Intended to " further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet."
Includes information on Mars Society research projects, activities,
etc.
-
International
Institute of Space Law: Concerned with the developing body of
law that applies to outer space. Includes organization
information and links
to other space law sites.
-
Space
Frontier Foundation: A "media and policy
organization," whose emphasis seems to be on the privatization
of space activity, and whose "central goal is the large-scale permanent settlement of space."
-
Living Universe
Foundation: Organization for establishing ecologically
sustainable "communities," first on land, then at sea, and
finally in space. Ultimate goal is interstellar
colonization. Quirky, and takes itself very seriously.
|
Alan Bean Samples The Ocean of Storms
NASA (GRIN) |
The Solar System
-
Planetary
Sciences at the NSSDC: NASA's portal for access to
information on the planets and moons of our solar system.
Extraordinarily rich array of links to planetary data, images,
history, online books, etc.--definitely the premier resource of its
kind on the web. Includes Planetary
Fact Sheets for quick access to physical parameters and
statistical data.
-
The
Nine Planets: An "overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons in our solar system. Each page has text and images, some have sounds and movies, most provide references to additional related information."
Useful and informative; a good introduction. Part of the Students
for the Exploration and Development of Space web site.
-
Planetary
Photojournal: Well-designed portal for NASA's archive of
photographs. Provides quick access to photos of the planets and
moons of this solar system, as well as to a wide range of other
photographs.
-
Exploring
the Planets: Well-designed site for basic information on
the planets and other objects of the solar system, from the National
Air and Space Museum. Includes images, physical information,
comparative data, etc. Intended for general audience.
-
Virtual
Solar System: Well-designed "tour" of the solar
system, from National Geographic. Includes both 3-D and 2-D
versions. Intended for general audience.
-
Space Environment
Center: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
site devoted to space weather. Covers geomagnetic storms and
other solar effects, space weather alerts, etc. For the
non-professional, the Education
section may be the best place to start.
-
IAU:
Minor Planets Center: Technical information on asteroids,
Near Earth Objects, and other "minor planets."
Includes ephemerides for known objects, means for reporting new
sightings by amateur astronomers, etc.
-
Mars
-
The
Case for Mars: "International Conference for the
Exploration and Colonization of Mars." Includes links
to a wealth of resources on Mars and Mars exploration--planetary
data, terraforming, current and speculative Mars missions, etc.
-
NSSDC:
Mars: The Mars page from NASA's National Space Science
Data Center. Includes past, present, and future Mars
missions, online books, and a host of other resources.
-
Mars
Pathfinder: Home page for the 1996-97 NASA Mars
mission. Includes over 16,000 images from the mission.
-
Virtual
Mars: Interactive image of Mars from the Rockbottom
Observatory. Allows viewer to choose point of
observation, see names of features, etc.
-
Romance
to Reality: Intriguing site which chronicles successful,
abortive, and sometimes speculative plans for Moon and Mars
expeditions. Includes "more than 300 detailed annotations (that is, summaries and descriptions) of classic, seminal, and illustrative moon and Mars exploration and settlement studies dating from 1950 to present."
(David S. F. Portree)
-
MarsNews.com:
Extensive news coverage of Mars-related activities.
-
MarsDaily.com:
Extensive news coverage of Mars-related activities.
-
The Mars
Society: Intended to " further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet."
Includes information on Mars Society research projects, activities,
etc.
-
Marsbugs:
The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter: Intended to
provide "a channel of information for scientists, educators and other persons interested in life sciences as they relate to planetary science and space
exploration." Published monthly. Available for
download in text or PDF files.
|
|
Cold, dry, earthlike planet
Modified image from NASA
(Planetary Photojournal)
|
Extrasolar Planets
-
The
Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia: Excellent resource site
on planets of other stars. Includes updated list of new
planets, bibliography, material on search nethodologies, news,
links, etc. There is also a U.S. mirror
site.
-
Other
Planetary Systems: Good introduction to the search for
planets of other stars. Covers only the early stages of the
recent spate of planet-finding, however--the site was last updated
near the beginning of 2001.
-
Extrasolar
Planets: Attractively-designed site giving basic
information on many of the known extrasolar planets. Includes
speculative images of what the planets might look like, brief
textual discussions of possible conditions on the planets,
information on the habitable zones of the star systems, etc. (Christoph Kulmann)
-
Other
Worlds, Distant Suns: Useful guide to extrasolar planets
and their stars. Includes star maps for locating many of the
stars, VRML representations, a Practical
Astronautics glossary of astronomical terms, etc.
-
Astronomy
Plus...: The astronomy page of the Electronic
Universe at the U. of Oregon. Includes very useful
(although sometimes technical) information on extrasolar planets,
search methodologies, planetary formation, etc.
-
NASA sites
-
Origins
Program: Program devoted to the study of the origins
and evolution of the universe, and the search for
life-sustaining planets. Includes extensive explanatory
material, images, links to news and press releases, etc.
-
Extrasolar
Planets: NASA's PlanetQuest page. Brings
together material on a number of NASA projects involved in the
search for new planets. Covers a range of material,
including a New
Worlds Atlas which allows flexible searches for newly
discovered planets.
-
Virtual
Planet Laboratory: NASA project to develop virtual
models of planets in order to improve methods of detecting life
on newly discovered worlds. Page is not fully developed
yet, but is already interesting.
-
California and
Carnegie Planet Search: Web site for a major planet-search
group. Includes a table of confirmed planets, explanations of
search techniques, news, links, etc., as well as technical data on
newly discovered planets.
-
Planetary
Systems and Their Changing Theories: A history of theories
of planetary formation, from ancient times to 1999. (Artymowicz,
Lubow, and Kley)
-
Extrasolar
Planets: Presents "a brief history on the work that has been done on planetary bodies outside of our solar system during the past decade or so, beginning with the controversy surrounding the search for companions around Barnard's Star."
Last updated April 5, 2001. (George H. Bell, Arizona State U.)
-
Known
Planetary Systems: Table of extrasolar planets, with some
details about each. Seems to be updated regularly.
-
Artists' Renderings
-
Extrasolar
Visions: Well-designed site with a rich array of
speculative images of known extrasolar planets. Includes
data on the stars and planets, speculation on the character and
features of the planets, star maps for locating individual
stars, etc. Images by John Whatmough.
-
Extrasolar
I: Well-designed site with 30+ speculative images of
known extrasolar planets. Also includes brief comments on
the planets. Images by Lynette Cook.
-
Extrasolar
Planets: Well-designed site giving basic information
on many of the known extrasolar planets. Includes a
selection of speculative images of what the planets might look
like, brief textual discussions of possible conditions on
the planets, information on the habitable zones of the star
systems, etc. Images by Christoph Kulmann.
-
AstroArt:
Extrasolar Planets: Part of David Hardy's AstroArt
site. Attractive site, with a wide variety of images.
Includes renderings of half a dozen known extrasolar planets,
and a few invented ones. Images by David Hardy.
|
Hot super-Jovian planet with 2 satellites
Montage of modified images from NASA
(NIX) |
Heavily cratered rocky planet
Modified image from NASA
(Planetary Photojournal) |
Extraterrestrial Life, Astrobiology, and
Astrochemistry
|
Cosmology and Relativity
-
Relativity
on the World Wide Web: Extensive and well-selected set
of links to resources on relativity. Includes links to fairly simple as well as
to very technical resources. Probably the best
place to start looking for additional resources. (John Baez, U. of
California/Riverside)
-
Science
for the Millennium: Pavilion of Science and Industry:
Online exhibitions in a variety of areas, from the National Center for
Supercomputing Applications. Attractively designed and useful
site. Not all exhibits are completed yet. (U. of
Illinois/Urbana-Champaign)
-
Berkeley
Cosmology Group: Web site for an affiliation of researchers
and research groups in Berkeley who are concerned with the origin and
development of the universe. Includes a particularly useful Education,
Outreach, and FAQs page, which gives a very accessible overview of
the various areas of the BCG's research. The resources vary in
date, but are still quite valuable.
-
UK
Dark Matter Collaboration: Useful starting point for
resources on "dark matter" research.
-
NCSA-Potsdam-Washington
U. International Numerical Relativity Group: Site for a
research group using "supercomputers to study black holes, gravitational waves, and other phenomena predicted by Einstein's Theory of General Relativity."
There are a number of broken links within the site, but it includes a
useful and accessible Exhibitions
section that explains various aspects of their work, as well as
sections containing more technical material.
|
Instructional Sites and
Textbooks
|
Page background image credit: Hubble ST image
of the Eagle Nebula, NASA (GRIN)
|
