While doing my research for this week’s column on my 10 favorite stargazing Web sites, I have to admit that my head was spinning.
There are so many Web sites for astronomy and stargazing. When I Googled “stargazing” there were almost 2 million Web sites available, and when I browsed “astronomy” there were more than 43 million sites.
The choices are astronomical for astronomy!
It was tough choosing just 10 Web sites. By no means are they in any order of preference or importance. I love them all, as well many others that are not listed.
I hope that they are enjoyable and helpful to you in your pursuit of the universe from your backyard.
1. Heavens.com www.heavens-above.com
I love this site. Just register your location anywhere on Earth and get information as to where and when to look for things such as the International Space Station and Iridium flares. You can also get local star maps for any time and place as well as the positions of planets in the sky and in space. The star maps you get aren’t the best, but they’ll do the trick.
2. Astronomy Picture of the Day antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
This is a great site. Every day you get a great astronomical picture from the Hubble Telescope, the Keck telescope and other sources.
It includes a thorough explanation of the picture and links to help learn more about it. You can also check the archive with its search engine.
3. Space.com www.space.com
What a great way to stay informed of breaking astronomy news, which comes in at a pace that can be hard to keep up with. There are also images and tons of videos, all free!
4. Astronomy.com www.astronomy.com
This is the official Web site for Astronomy magazine. There are news stories, podcasts, blogs, starmaps, you name it! In my opinion, Astronomy magazine is the best magazine for people just getting into stargazing. If you’re a subscriber you can get even more out of their site.
5. Sky and Telescope.com www.skyandtelescope.com
This site is similar to Astronomy.com but is somewhat more advanced. There’s a lot of astronomical meat on this table!
6. The Astronomy Cafe www.astronomycafe.net
My daughter told me about this site. Sten Odenwald, a NASA astronomer, started the site in 1995. There are many appetizers and links but the main entree is the “Ask the Astronomer” section where Odenwald answers more than 2,000 commonly asked questions about our universe.
7. Hubble Telescope Pictures hubblesite.org
Everything you would ever want to learn and see regarding one of the best astronomical tools out there. You’ll see all the lastest news about Hubble, how it works, general astronomy articles and all of those wonderful pictures.
8. Slooh www.slooh.com
This Web site will allow you to download the Slooh telescope software. It’s not free but it’s well worth it. I have it and love it. It allows you to literally control powerful robotic telescopes around the world, create a photo, enjoy live guided space shows every night, and learn how to do more with your own telescope. You can purchase 100 minutes of telescope time for just under $15, or you can have unlimited time for a year for just under $50. You can remotely operate telescopes in the Canary Islands, Australia and Chile.
9. Microsoft World Wide Telescope www.worldwidetelescope.org
This site will explain and help you download this very exciting free stargazing/astronomy software. It’s a combination star map package and image gallery from the Hubble and many other telescopes. There are guided tours, video tutorials and so much more. Honestly, I’m just getting into this software myself and I love it. There a lot to it and it’s all free. It takes the right elements in your computer to download it, but most newer desktops and laptops have what it takes to run WWT.
10. Lynch and the Stars www.lynchandthestars.com
Believe me, this Web site is not nearly in the same league as the other ones I’ve listed, but it is my own.
I include a monthly star map and article. I also feature a different constellation each month and tell you about upcoming celestial conjunctions involving the moon, planets and stars.
Again there are many more sites to choose from, but these are this stargazer’s favorites. I also want to mention my favorite stargazing maps software. It’s called Starry Nite Enthusiast and you can get it for just under $80. Just check out www.starrynightstore.com/17236.html You can print out any kind of star map you ever dreamed of.
Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and author of “Washington Starwatch,” available at bookstores and on his Web site, www.lynchandthestars.com.
The Everett Astronomical Society welcomes new members and puts on public star parties. Its Web site is members.tripod.com/everett_astronomy/
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