Solar System (Planetary)

Objects with the Earth's solar system, including the Sun, planets, comets, and asteroids.

Resources in this category:

Asteroids
http://whyfiles.org/074asteroid/

The site answers questions about asteroids like: What can they do? Will they obliterate Earth? How are asteroids found? Did asteroids deliver life? What are they made of? What about comets?

The Astrobiology Web
http://www.astrobiology.com/

"Astrobiology seeks to understand the origin of the building blocks of life, how these biogenic compounds combine to create life, how life affects - and is affected by the environment from which it arose, and finally, whether and how life expands beyond its planet of origin." Site contains news and features related to astronomy, biology, and their intersection.

Comet C/1996 B2 Hyakutake
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/hyakutake/

Up-to-date information about Comet Hyakutake, including news, images, and scientific information.

Comet Hale-Bopp
http://www.eso.org/outreach/info-events/hale-bopp/

Comet Hale-Bopp will appear in April, 1997 and will be even more visible than Comet Hyakutake. It was discovered in July, 1995. Information concerning the comet includes photos, a summary of its data, press releases and an evolving general overview of what is known about the comet.

Comet Observation Home Page
http://www.cometobservation.com/

From this page you can download over 350 images of comets. You can also find out which comets are currently visible, read about recent comet news, look up terms related to cometary astronomy, and find out about comet light curves (what makes different comets vary in brightness).

Complete Sun and Moon Date For One Day
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html

Provides sunrise and sunset times computed on latitude and longitude of a particular location.

Earth
http://www.alexandria.ucsb.edu/other-sites/Earth.html

Links to reference resources related to the planet Earth and the oceans and continents. Includes links dealing with climates and meteorology, agriculture, the environment, and more. Also includes several kinds of maps.

Earth and Moon Viewer
http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html

"A great resource for clickable satellite maps of the Earth and the Moon. You can select views of Earth from the Moon or from the Sun, locate specific craters on the Moon by name, zoom in and out, and select different types of displays including topographic maps, weather maps and cloud maps."

Earth View Eclipse Network
http://www.earthview.com/

"A comprehensive source of educational information about the history, science, and observation of all types of eclipses, especially total solar eclipses." Includes an eclipse tutorial, observation tips, a timetable, bibliography, glossary. Searchable.

Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere
http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/Intro.html

"Brief tour of magnetosphere, a space region dominated by the Earth's magnetic field. Includes a quick overview of the relevant physical sciences - magnetism, ions and electrons, plasmas etc. - and also includes tidbits of history, accessible by a "history button" at the ends of many sections."

ExploreLearning
http://www.explorelearning.com/

ExploreLearning offers a catalog of modular, interactive simulations in math and science, called "gizmos," which provided animated demonstrations of a wealth of physics and mathematics topics.

Exploring The Planets
http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/ceps/etp/etp.htm

This online exhibit from the National Air & Space Museum "highlights the history and achievements of planetary explorations, both Earth-based and by spacecraft." Exhibit includes text and photographs from NASM's collection. JavaScript and non-JavaScript versions available.

Genesis Mission - Search for Origins
http://www.genesismission.org/

"This site contains consistently updated mission and science information pertaining pertaining to NASA's Genesis mission. Billed as a 'search for origins,' the mission will collect solar wind particles in an attempt to determine conditions at the time of our solar system's formation. Launch is in January 2001, and mission milestones can be checked to ascertain the status of the mission at any time." The site contains information for teachers and students, including interactive modules to learn about the scientific aspects of the mission.

Giotto Information
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/giotto.html

Describes the Giotto mission, the probe that photographed Halley's comet.

The International Meteor Organization
http://www.imo.net/

"The International Meteor Organization (IMO) was founded in 1988 and has more than 250 members now. IMO was created in response to an ever growing need for international cooperation of meteor amateur work. The collection of meteor observations by several methods from all around the world ensures the comprehensive study of meteor showers and their relation to comets and interplanetary dust." Site contains "information about meteor observing techniques, analyses and recent results from world-wide data, a list of meteor showers, glossary, meteor-related projects, addresses and more."

Lunar and Planetary Institute
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/

A Universities Space Research Association (USRA) web site, with information focusing on the moon and the planets. Includes information on current hot topics and K-12 educational materials. Library pages have several planetary science-related Internet resource lists, and the Exploring the Moon pages have a wealth of information on missions to the moon.

Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/research/lunar_orbiter/

"The Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon by Bowker and Hughes (NASA SP-206) is considered the definitive reference manual to the global photographic coverage of the Moon. The images contained within the atlas are excellent for studying lunar morphology because they were obtained at low to moderate Sun angles. This digital archive consists of the complete set of 675 plates contained in Bowker and Hughes. Images in the archive have been enhanced to display the best photo quality possible. For accuracy and usability surface feature information has been improved and updated, and multiple search capabilities added to the database."

NASA's Visible Earth
http://www.visibleearth.nasa.gov/

"The goal of Visible Earth is to provide a consistently updated central catalog/collection point to the superset of Earth science-related visualizations and images."

National Geophysical Data Center
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/

"The National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) is the national repository for geophysical data, providing a wide range of science data services and information. NGDC provides long-term stewardship for and access to geophysical data, compiles new, well-documented databases from many sources, and offers value-added data services to researchers and the general public. NGDC acquires and exchanges global data through the World Data Center system and other international programs. To find all data, information, and products available from NGDC, you can follow one of the data discipline links at left (glaciology, marine geology & geophysics, paleoclimatology, solar-terrestrial physics, and solid earth geophysics)." The site is searchable.

The Nine Planets: A Multimedia Tour of the Solar System
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/nineplan...

A multimedia tour of the solar system. Contains photos, information and data for not only the planets, but their moons and other astronomical bodies, such as comets and asteroids. Also has a glossary of planetary related terms and proper names.

Planet Quest: the Search for Another Earth
http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/

NASA's site to discuss the search for other planets that could sustain life. This site provides news of recent discoveries, science explanations, and information about the technology and equipment involved to discover extrasolar planets. There are also photos, information on upcoming missions and sets of activities for educators.

Planetary Image Finders
http://ic.arc.nasa.gov/ic/projects/bayes-group/Atlas/index.h...

"Provides a list of various sites which contain high resolution images of the planets of the solar system. Many are unprocessed photographs and transmissions from various probes. Some sites (Mars, for example) provide a complete mapping of the planet's surface."

Project Galileo: Bringing Jupiter to Earth
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/

Provides up-to-date informationon the Galileo spacecraft. Galileo Amazing Facts of the day provide facts about the spacecraft and its mission. Links are provided to Galileo's Mission, Images, Frequently Asked Questions, Statistics, and Eduational Resources. Information on Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, is also provided.

Sky and Telescope's Comet Page
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/comets/

Information about some of the comets currently of interest to amateur astronomers.

Space Environment Center
http://www.sec.noaa.gov/

"The Space Environment Center provides real-time monitoring and forecasting of solar and geophysical events, conducts research in solar-terrestrial physics, and develops techniques for forecasting solar and geophysical disturbances. SEC provides a wide variety of near-real-time and recent Space Weather data online through its Web and FTP sites."

Sunbeams
http://westudent.tripod.com/page1.html

Explores many aspects of the sun, including an introduction to the mythology, science, art, history, and health questions surrounding the celestial body. There are also interactive games and puzzles as well as links to further research sources.

U.S. Naval Observatory
http://www.usno.navy.mil/

The role of the USNO is "to determine the positions and motions of celestial objects, to provide astronomical data, to measure the Earth's rotation and to maintain the Master Clock for the United States." This site provides information about the motions of celestial objects, a calendar of phenomenon such as eclipses, information about the orientation of the earth in space, and the official time for the United States. A web-based version of MICA, the Multiyear Interactive Computer Almanac, allows you to obtain many kinds of astronomical data, including celestial coordinates, sidereal time, lunar and planetary configurations and aspects, and rise/set times.

United States Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/

"The Astronomical Applications Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory computes, from fundamental astronomical reference data, the position, brightness, and other observable characteristics of celestial bodies, as well as the circumstances of astronomical phenomena. This information is of critical importance to navigation, military operations planning, scientific research, surveying, accident reconstruction, architecture, and everyday activities. Our products are regarded as benchmark standards throughout the world." It includes "background information on common astronomical phenomena, calendars and time, and related topics" as well as "Sun and Moon rise and set times, Moon phases, eclipses, seasons, positions of solar system objects, and other data."

Views of the Solar System
http://www.solarviews.com/

"Views of the Solar System has been created as an educational tour of the solar system. It contains images and information about the Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets and meteoroids found within the solar system. It contains over 220 pages of information, over 950 high-resolution images and animations, and over 880 megabytes of data. This tour uses hypertext to allow space travel by simply clicking on a desired planet. This causes information and images about the planet to appear on screen. While on a planet page, hyperlinks travel to pages about the moons and other relevant available resources. Unusual terms are linked to and defined in the Glossary page. Statistical information of the planets and satellites can be browsed through sorted lists. The History of Space Exploration contains information about rocket history, early astronauts, space missions, spacecraft and detailed chronology tables of space exploration. The Table of Contents page has links to all of the various pages within Views Of The Solar System." The site is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, or German.

Welcome to the Planets
http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/

Photographs and physical data for all the planets, plus asteroids and comets. Also has a section on the planetary explorers such as Voyager II.

Whole Mars Catalog
http://www.marstoday.com/

This site provides extensive links to information about Mars including basic planetary facts, images, news, NASA updates, exploratory missions, online publications and bibliographies.

Windows to the Universe
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/

Visit here to learn about the Earth and space sciences. "This includes not only scientific content, but also information about the artistic, historical, and cultural connections between science and our lives." In addition to articles, there are images, movies, animations, and data sets. Many of the words within the articles are hyperlinked to related texts.

Yahoo! News Full Coverage: Meteors and Asteroids
http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&in=science&cat=meteo...

Features current news stories related to the meteors and asteroids. Also links to news sources, opinions & editorials, magazine articles, video sources, and related Web sites.

Your Weight on Other Worlds
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/index.html

"Ever wonder what you might weigh on Mars or The Moon? Here's your chance to find out." This site allows you to enter your weight and it will calcuate how much you would weight on any of the planet, Jupiter's moons, the Sun, a white dwarf, or a neutron star."