Stargazing

Amateur astronomy.

Resources in this category:

Constellations and their Stars
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/

There is an introduction to constellations here as well as an FAQ. You can also find lists of constellations and stars along with descriptive information. The interactive star charts require a Java applet to view.

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.

Great World Wide Star Count
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/starcount/

Provides resources for amateur stargazing. Collection of the data submitted by citizens scientists from counties all over the world.

The Heretic's Guide to Choosing and Buying Your First Telescope
http://findascope.com/

An objective look at selecting a telescope for amateur astronomy. Includes a look at several kinds of scopes, a glossary, and a frequently asked questions section.

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."

MyStarsLive.com
http://www.mystarslive.com/

MyStarsLive is a great site for amateur star-gazers; simply select your contry/state, nearest city, the time you wish to view, and which horizon you want to see and the site automatically generates a starmap for your area. The site also includes a list of upcoming events such as eclipses, meteor showers, and asteroid orbits.

Purchasing Amateur Telescopes FAQ
http://www.tass-survey.org/richmond/answers/telescope.html

Information on telescopes and other equipment for the beginning amateur astronomer, including a glossary of common terms.

SatPasses
http://www.bester.com/satpasses.html

System allows locating any known satellite passing over North American cities for visual observation or radio communication.

Skylights
http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/skylights.html

Articles, images, history, myths concerning stars and their constellations. Photographs of 48 stars, 108 constellations, with links to the Wilson Observatory and other Space sites.

Skywatcher's Diary
http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/Diary.html

A daily list of things to look for in the night sky, with a focus on the Midwestern United States. Updated monthly. Archives for the last several years are also available.

Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord/

An objective, straightforward discussion of important concepts related to buying a telescope for amateur astronomy.

Tour the Constellations
http://members.ncats.net/astro/text/tour/

You can take three different tours of the constellations: the complete tour takes you alphabetically through all the constellations and "is guaranteed to fill your head with factoids and mythology," the specialized tour allows you to choose which constellations to visit, and the crazy tour takes you backwards through the constellations. Information about each constellation includes its popular name, location, and main attractions.

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."

Your Sky
http://www.fourmilab.to/yoursky/

Your Sky is an interactive planetarium. This tool enables you to produce customized sky maps of the stars and constellations. Features a virtual telescope and links to other related stargazing software.