Humankind has been curious about outer space for thousands of years. Over the centuries we’ve learned a lot about the planets, stars, comets, and other heavenly bodies. Like many kinds of knowledge, we’ve managed to transfer that information from books to electronic format. The Internet has given us access to a number of wonderful on-line resources about space and astronomy. I’ve discovered a few of these sites during my own exploration of the Web, and here they are:
SPACE.COM (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy)
This website holds a great assortment of text articles, images, and multimedia presentations about space and astronomy. The site’s sections include the following: Destinations, News, Spaceflight, Science, Technology, Entertainment, SpaceViews, NightSky, Community. For example, the Spaceflight section talks about planned spaceflights, including International Space Station and Space Shuttle missions, and possible new means of space travel. The Entertainment section provides stories of how popular entertainment and space science overlap. Great site.
KIDSASTRONOMY.COM (http://www.kidsastronomy.com)
Aimed at younger and pre-teen children, this site has some great features like a diagram of our solar system which provides information about the planets and other objects when you click on the picture. This site includes the sections Deep Space, Space Exploration, and Observation. It also features an on-line class to learn more about astronomy.
ASTRONOMY.COM (http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx)
This site is for Astronomy Magazine and it has content that is restricted to paid subscribers. However, it does feature some free articles plus a good Intro to Astronomy section. You can also receive a free weekly newsletter by E-Mail, check out their blog, participate in contests, and participate in Astronomy.com’s forums without being a subscriber.
AMAZING SPACE (http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/eds/astronomy-basics.php)
This site is good for short or brief facts about space and astronomy. You can learn a lot about a number of space and astronomy topics, including: black holes; comets; galaxies; gravity; the Hubble Space Telescope; the solar system; stars and stellar evolution. It includes resources for educators and developers and as such it’s another great resource for kids.
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Agency) (http://www.nasa.gov/)
As you might guess, this site is a treasure trove full of information about the US space program, including detailed information about current and upcoming NASA missions. NASA usually provides live footage of certain portions of Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions, as well as ways to track the orbit of the International Space Station. They stream both live audio and live video at different times during missions. The NASA site also has a lot of general interest information about space and astronomy.
There are lots of other sources of information about space and astronomy that are just a search engine away!
