Content copyright . James Smith. All rights reserved.
DR. SMITH'S BACK YARD ASTRONOMY
SOME USEFUL LINKS
There are a zillion links to astronomy related sites. I have selected just a few to present here that you may find useful as well as informative.
The “Astronomy Picture of the Day” (APOD) site is an excellent source of information as well as a spectacular visual site. Here I am providing a link that will give you a full range of access covering “Today’s Picture, APOD Archive, Search, and Calendar of images”. There is some repetition of images but, for the most part, images are usually new for the day. Also, when there “is something going on” (e.g., solar eclipse, comet visitation, or planetary event), APOD will have images of it the same or next day.
ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THR DAY
The following link is to our local West Valley Astronomers Club. Whether you are a year-around or “seasonal” resident, membership in this small, congenial club is very worthwhile. If you are not already a member, you should consider joining. The club meets six times a year from September to May. Fall Meetings: Last Tuesday in Sept. Oct. & Nov. Spring Meetings: First Tuesday in Feb. March & April. Meetings are held at the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church of Surprise at 17540 N Avenue Of the Arts, Surprise, AZ [cross streets: Bell Road & Avenue Of the Arts—114th Ave.]. Meetings begin at 7:00 PM. Guest speakers from local universities or AZ observatories present stimulating programs about their professional work or other astronomical topics. Visitors are especially welcome at these meetings. See the Star Party page for information on the club's monthly star parties.
A good planisphere is an essential tool for star-gazers and David Chandler's planisphere is an excellent, durable and easily readable one and it comes in both northern and southern hemisphere versions (see link below). The “Nine Planets” (actually eight if you toss Pluto out) website has a huge amount of information on our Solar System neighbors. There are also many links to other similarly informative sites.
SKY & TELESCOPE
To enjoy the wonders of our evening sky, it is essential to know the bright stars in the sky and the constellations in which they occur. This is especially true whether you are observing with the naked-eye, binoculars, or telescope. The following websites offers a cornucopia of information and interactive tools to help find these “star stick figures” and the treasures hidden in them.
CONSTELLATIONS AND THEIR STARS
DIBON-SMITH'S CONSTELLATIONS
The “Hubble Space Telescope” website has always been a great source for information and stunning images of all manner of deep space wonders; it gathers photons in the “visible light” middle portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. There are many “nooks and crannies” to rummage around in here. I am including a couple of “other space telescope” websites. Unfortunately, the Hubble Telescope is being retired and will not be repaired in the future. It is not certain at the moment when it will be taken off line.
The Chandra X-Ray scope sees things (collects photons) in the high energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum (Gamma and X-radiation). The Spitzer Space Telescope gathers photons in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum; it sees “hot” things through the dust and gas.
CHANDRA SPACE TELESCOPE
JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE (JWST)
NINE PLANETS
Last but not least is the “Messier Catalogue” compiled by Charles Messier, a French astronomer in the 18th century. As you will learn, he was a “comet chaser” and his catalogue was intended to help “weed out” the non-comet distracting objects in the sky. It includes 110 of some of the most interesting objects in the evening sky, many of which are either naked-eye or easy binocular objects. This site is a wonderful source of information and there are many links to other informative sites.
I will periodically add links of interest.