Web Links Astronomy
Web Links Astronomy
Shown below are websites related to Astronomy. There is a separate listing of Physics websites that may also be of interest.
Measurement and Calculation
Unit Conversions Tutorial - Interactive dimensional analysis (factor label method)
Secret Worlds - Images zooming in by factor of ten; good "order of magnitude" demonstration
Scale of Universe - Interactive animation with powers of ten
Powers of Ten - The original movie from 1977!
World Factbook - Maps and data from CIA
Google Earth - Globe and map simulation w/ latitude and longitude grid
Charting the Sky
Stellarium - realistic simulation of the sky, a freeware program to install on your computer
Stellarium Web - simplified simulation of the sky, runs in browser
NIST: A Walk Through Time - calendars, time zones, daylight saving, clocks, etc.
Time Calculator - determines sidereal time and Julian Day
Sidereal Clock - live readout: sidereal time and Julian Day
USNO Time Service - time calculators, clocks, etc. from US Naval Observatory
NOAA Solar Calculator or here - sunrise, sunset, apparent noon, solar altazimuth position, etc.
Calendar Calculator - day of week, number of days between dates, convert to different calendars
Moon Phase Calendar - current phase, table of lunations and other phases
Celestial Sphere Model - interactive html5 applets relating appearance the stars to coordinates and time
SkyMaps.com - monthly sky chart (free) and on-line astronomy store
88 IAU Constellations - convenient Wikipedia index with hyperlinks
The Constellations - an index with history, mythology, chart, observation tips, etc.
Constellations & Stars - listings of constellations, bright stars, Messier objects, etc.
Sky & Telescope - the essential magazine for amateur astronomy
JPL Ephemeris Generator - calculates ephemeris (position, time, phase, etc.) for selected celestial objects
EclipseWise and MrEclipse - everything eclipses from the master, Fred Espenak
NASA Eclipse Home - tables, figures, maps, animations, etc. for Solar and Lunar eclipses
Shadow and Substance - animations, etc. for Solar and Lunar eclipses
In-The-Sky - online planetarium, charts, etc
Cosmological Models - History of Astronomy
Ancient Planetary Models - animations of Ptolemy's systems of deferents, epicycles, equants, etc.
Modeling the Cosmos - astronomical models through the ages
Ptolemy and Astronomy - History, diagrams, web resources
Ptolemy's System - simulations of Ptolemy's deferents, epicycles, equants, etc.
Ptolemy's Mercury & Venus - animation of deferents and epicycles
Ptolemy's Mars & Jupiter - animation of deferents and epicycles
Copernicus vs. Ptolemy - side-by-side comparison: views of Mars in competing models
Planetary Motion - Interactive applet for simulating orbits and illustrating Kepler's Laws
Solar System Live - "live" diagram of planets' orbits correct to date
Solar System Visualizer - interactive animations of planetary systems - solar system, moons, exoplanets, etc.
Solar System Scope - 3D interactive simulation of solar system bodies
Gravity Force Lab - interactive simulation of universal gravitation
Central Force Rn - "experiment" with universal gravitation and simulate effect on orbit
Gravity and Orbits - interactive PhET simulation of gravity and orbits
Electromagnetic Radiation and Spectroscopy
Waves on a String - Interactive HTML5 simulation
Wave Interference - PhET HTML5 simulation
Bending Light - PhET HTML5 simulation: reflection, refraction, dispersion, etc.
Electromagnetic Radiation - Wave animation of electric and magnetic fields
Radio Waves - Interactive Java animation
LIGO Scientific Collaboration - Gravity Wave Resources & Info (listen here)
Color Vision - PhET HTML5 interactive exploring perception of color
Molecules & Light - PhET HTML5 interactive illustrating spectroscopic properties
Radiating Charge - PhET Flash Interactive creation of electromagnetic waves
Polarization - Interactive animation of polarizing filters
BlackBody Spectrum - PhET HTML5 Interactive blackbody curves and resulting appearance
Bohr Model - Animation illustrating energy levels and photons
Doppler Effect - visualizing sound waves with moving source and/or observer
Various Animations - Doppler, Blackbody Radiation, and more . . .
Telescopes and Observatories
Geometric Optics - Interactive simulation of images formed by a lens
Hubble Space Telescope - Telescope orbiting Earth
SOHO - Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
JWST - Webb Space Telescope
Webb vs. Hubble - "Split screen" comparison of images
The Sun
Spacecraft data: SOHO, SOHO: latest, SOHO: gallery, SDO, SDO: gallery, Solar Orbiter, Parker Solar Probe
Helioviewer - Views of the Sun at various wavelengths from various sources
Space Weather - Conditions of the Sun affecting the Earth
Solar Physics on the Web - Info and hyperlinks
TRACE - Home page of Transition Region and Coronal Explorer spacecraft
Solar Cycle Progression - Interactive graphs of sunspot and radio flux data
Sunspot Plotter - Java applet to graph sunspot data
Magnetic Field of Bar Magnet - Interactive mapping
Magnets & Electromagnets - Simulation of Magnetic Fields
The Sun's Power - Text and animation explaining energy output
Solar Neutrinos - Links to other sites
Various Animations - Fusion, Blackbody Radiation
The Stars
88 IAU Constellations - convenient Wikipedia index with hyperlinks
Lists of Stars - hyperlinks to various Wikipedia pages - nearest, brightest, most luminous, etc.
In-The-Sky Star Data - Information, charts, etc. organized by constellation
The Internet Stellar Database - Collection of data for some stars
100,000 Stars - Interactive 3D view of Sun's cosmic "neighborhood"
Various Animations - Parallax, Proper Motion, H-R Diagram, Eclipsing Binaries
Eclipsing Binary Simulator - Interactive applet from University of Nebraska
AAVSO - Variable Stars Data, Info, etc.
Luminosity Simulation - Explore Luminosity vs Temperature vs Diameter from University of Nebraska
Spectral Types - Java applet illustrating connection with temperature
Spectroscopic Binaries - Animations showning shifts in spectra
Interactive HR Diagram - HTML5 simulation: relations of temperature, color, radius, luminosity, etc.
Pulsar Signals - Audio clips of radio "sounds" from Jodrell Bank
Pulsar Signals - Audio clips of radio "sounds" from Cornell
Planets
Nine Planets - General information and links for planets, moons, asteroids, comets, KBO's
Solar Views - Collection of images of solar system objects
NASA - Home page with links to missions, multimedia, etc.
JPL - Home page of Jet Propulsion Laboratory with links to missions, multimedia, etc.
JPL - Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Dynamics
Messenger - Spacecraft orbiting Mercury
Mars Science Laboratory - the rover Curiosity on Mars
Mars Exploration Rovers - Spirit and Opportunity roaming Mars
DAWN - Spacecraft exploring asteroids Vesta and Ceres
Deep Impact - Spacecraft exploring comets
Mars Global Surveyor - Spacecraft orbiting Mars
Mars Odyssey - Spacecraft orbiting Mars
Galileo - Archive of data from spacecraft that orbited Jupiter
Cassini - Spacecraft orbiting Saturn
Comets and Asteroids
Minor Planet Center - Extensive data concerning asteroids, comets, and KBO's
Kuiper Belt Objects - Info on minor planets beyond Neptune
Deep Impact - Spacecraft visiting comet Tempel 1 and delivering "impactor"!
NEAR - Spacecraft visited and landed on asteroid 433 Eros
Extrasolar Planets
California & Carnegie Planet Search - Lots of info on exoplanets
Planet Quest - Exoplanet Multimedia from NASA & JPL
Planet Hunting - Explanation and animation from How Stuff Works
Transit of 209458 - Info on exoplanet transit of a star
Doppler Velocity Curves - Graphs of exoplanet induced doppler shifts
The Extrasolar Planet Encyclopedia - Just what it sounds like!
Miscellaneous
Astronomy Animations - from Valdosta St. University
Project CLEA - Contemporary Lab Exercises in Astronomy, Free Educational Software
Astronomy Picture of the Day - various images relevant to astronomy
Clear Sky Clock - Clear skies, cloudiness, haze, darkness, and light for Knoxville by the hour
Powers of Ten - Images zooming in by factor of ten; good "order of magnitude" demonstration
SEDS - Students for the Exploration of Space - lots of astronomy links and info
Space Science - Variety of topics from NASA