Stars and Galaxies

Links verified 4/26/2021

1. 47.2 Light-Years Radius - Nearby Star Map - java applet that lets you rotate the nearby stars around Sol
2. Amazing Space - a set of web-based activities primarily designed for classroom use, but made available for all to enjoy. Shockwave is required.
3. The Animated Virtual Planetarium - simulations designed to be used in the classroom, or in the lab by students, as demonstrations of various aspects of planetary motions  
4. The Astronomy Picture of the Day: great photos and an explanation each day. Their search feature returns thumbnail images of matches and their archive extends back to June 16, 1995.
   1. Excellent examples from the APOD archive : Orion's Horsehead Nebula || Andromeda Island Universe || Cone Nebula Close-Up || Saturn At Night || The Newly Expanded International Space Station || The Cat's Eye Nebula || Watch the Sky Rotate || 2001: A Total Lunar Eclipse || A Mercury Transit Sequence || What our Moon looks like during a complete lunar cycle || The View from Everest || Three views of Saturn from HST || Earth at Night || Moonrise Over Seattle || November's Lunar Eclipse (excellent animation) || Satellites that Surround Earth - Zoom in from geosynchronus satellites to the International Space Station || Sunrise by Season - three pictures showing the sunrise at the equinox and each solstice || NASA TV - use this link to access NASA TV || Identify the constellations - roll your mouse over the picture to see constellations named </ol type=a>
   2. Atlas of the Universe - what our universe looks like - nine main maps on this page, each is approximately ten times the scale of the previous
   3. Canadian Astronomy Data Center - links to a large number of image archives
   4. Classroom-Ready Astronomy Lesson Plans - scroll one-third of the way down the page to Sky Paths
   5. Common Names for Deep Sky Objects - This list only covers non-stellar deep sky objects (nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies)
   6. Constellation Quiz - see how well you know the night sky
   7. The Cosmic Distance Scale - This feature will give an impression of how immense our Universe is by employing a method used many times in "Power of 10" films - that is, starting with an image of the Earth and then zooming out to the furthest visible reaches of our Universe.
   8. Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) Images of IC Objects
   9. Galaxies
      1. Galaxy Index - photo index which leads to pages with more complete information 
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   10. How many stars are there in the Universe? - an interesting article on how to make an estimate of the number of stars
   11. Hubble Heritage Project - index to images from the Hubble Space Telescope
   12. Hubble Space Telescope's greatest hits - some of the best images from 1990-1995, plus links to other Hubble images.
   13. Interactive Sky Maps
       1. The Interactive NGC Catalog Online 
       2. Your Sky - the interactive planetarium of the Web - You can produce maps in the forms described below for any time and date, viewpoint, and observing location.
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   14. The Messier Catalog - links to images of the objects and information about the man and his catalog.
   15. Mysteries of Deep Space - from PBS Online
   16. NOVA - an archive of past NOVA shows on the subject of space
   17. Photo Gallery of the National Space Science Data Center
   18. Plans for Building a Dobsonian Telescope - "If there were a million amateur astronomers with telescopes, and they were willing to let a few thousand people each look through their telescopes, there would be a chance for the people in the world who wanted to see to see." John Dobson
   19. Plans for Building a Dobsonian Telescope - a 52 page document from San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers association  
   20. Sky & Telescope magazine - near the bottom of the page is a list of twelve interactive observing tools [free registration is required to use the tools]
   21. Space Telescope Science Institute - astronomy resources, data archives and HST
   22. StarChild - A Learning Center for Young Astronomers from NASA
   23. Stargazing Guide - a handbook for night sky tour guides - four tours available; summer, autumn, winter and spring
   24. Star Journey - based on National Geographic's popular map, "The Heavens"  
   25. Stephen Hawking's Universe - from PBS 
   26. Telescope Reviews - reviews of over 100 telescopes, eyepiece reviews, a beginner's advice column, feature articles, and lots more
   27. Understanding the Universe - an exploration with the American Museum of Natural History at DiscoverySchool.com 
   28. Windows to the Universe - the site is written in three reading levels approximating elementary, middle school and high school reading levels - levels may be chosen by using the upper button bar of each page of the main site