Education & Reference Organizations Information Telescopes & Equipment Telescope Help Clubs & Societies Astronomy Images Light Pollution Weather

Astronomy Links

Rappahannock Astronomy Club provides links to other information that may be interesting or useful to astronomers. The publisher of each site is responsible for its content.

Some links offer products for sale. Rappahannock Astronomy Club has not tested, evaluated, or reviewed any of these products and does not endorse specific products. Buyers must use their judgement in selecting products for purchase through any of these links.

Please send your suggestions for sites that this page should link to, or your feedback after using any of these sites. Feedback should be directed to Web Editor Michael Masters

Education and Reference
Amazing Space - Educational site by the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach which promotes the science and majestic beauty of the universe for use in the classroom.
NASA's Solar System Exploration Page - NASA's site for our solar system.  (Low bandwith page here)
NASA Space Science Education Resource Directory - Site with NASA space science products for use in classrooms, science museums, planetariums, and other settings.
NASA's Kids Site - Educational and informational site for kids.
NASA's StarChild - A learning center for young astronomers with information related to the solar system and space exploration.
NASA's Human Space Flight Site - Contains information of past and present manned space flights.
NASA's Space Science Mission Page and NASA's JPL Mission Page - Contains information of past and present unmanned space missions.
Windows to the Universe - A user-friendly learning site covering the Earth and Space sciences.

Organizations

Antique Telescope Society - Society for those interested in the preservation and use of antique telescopes, binoculars instruments, etc.
Astronomical League - One of the world's largest amateur astronomical organizations dedicated to promoting Astronomy
Astronomical Society of the Pacific - Founded in 1889 in California, ASP has grown into the largest general astronomy society in the world.  ASP is a recognized leader in the field of astronomy education.
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) - An organization which encourages amateur and professional astronomers to participate in the measurement of variable star activity.
The Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) - An organization dedicated to the study of the Sun, the Moon, major planets, minor planets, meteors, and comets.
International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) - Collects timing data on all types of occultations.
North American Meteor Network - Dedicated to coverage of sporadic and meteor shower activity.

Information
Sky & Telescope Magazine Online - Here you can find information on occultations, Jupiter's moons and great red spot, and other interesting astronomical events.
Astronomy Magazine Online - Similar to Sky & Telescope, this site has news and weekly photos.
QuickCam and Unconventional Imaging Astronomy Group (QCUIGA) - Site with information on using webcams and other electronic imaging devices for astronomical imaging.
Bright Supernova - An up to date reference for observable supernovae.  This site provides the location and some images of current supernovae.
Comet Observation Home page - Everything you need to observe comets.
Black Holes Encyclopedia - Based on the work of McDonald Observatory and University of Texas at Austin; hosted via the StarDate.org web site and magazine.
Farmers' Almanac Home page - Current celestial events, and lots of other information as well.
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory - Information on various ongoing research projects, as well as archives of old projects.
Space Calendar - JPL's Space Calendar covers space related activities and anniversaries.
Space Telescope Science Institute - All about the Hubble Space Telescope.
Visual Satellite Observer's Home page - Go here to find out when and where to look for visible satellites.
Heavens-Above - Provides all of the information you need to observe Earth orbiting satellites.

Telescopes & Equipment
Astronomy Mall
Astromart - An online source for used equipment.
Company Seven - Located in Laurel, Maryland, they carry better amateur and institutional astronomical telescopes, nature watching and surveillance instruments, ultra-telephoto lenses, binoculars, and accessories.
Hands on Optics - Mail order with a store located in Damascus, MD. They offer the complete lines of Celestron, Meade, GTO, LOMO, JMI, Antares, Burgess, Siruis, Software Bisque, Thousand Oaks Optical, Daystar Filters, APM, AstroSystems, Virgo Instruments, StarDust cases and many more.
Hardin Optical - An online source for telescope and accessories.
Meade Instruments Corporation - Meade is a leading producer of Telescopes and accessories for astronomers.
Orion Telescopes and Binoculars - Huge selection of telescopes and accessories.
Edmund Optics - Enormous selection of lenses, scientific instruments, test charts and other optical products.
Pegasus Optics - Maker of high quality primary mirrors.
Scope Reviews - Telescope review web site
All Best Binoculars - Binocular review web site
Starry Night Lights - Ordinance compliant, night sky friendly outdoor lights.

Telescope Help
Meade Advanced Products User Group - For Meade owners: LX200, LX50, and StarFinder telescopes and Pictor CCD cameras.
Choosing Your Telescope's Magnification
FAQ about Collimating a Newtonian telescope
Treatise on Newtonian Collimation
Polar Align your Telescope, Here's How
Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope Site for Beginners
Weasner's Mighty ETX Site - Site for the Meade ETX telescopes.  Also contains some info on the Meade DS telescopes.
Buying Your First Telescope - Good tips for the beginner.
Orion Telescope's Star Party Series - A series of 14 videos by Orion Telescopes on various aspects of amateur astronomy. New!
How to Buy a Telescope - A series of 14 videos about buying a telescope, on eHow, by Jesse Sturgeon. New!
Attending the GMARS Messier Marathon Star Party - A home video about attending a Messier Marathon at Goat Mountain. New!

Clubs & Societies

Virginia & Maryland

 Maryland & Tennessee

Astronomy Images

Astronomy Picture of the Day - A different image every day, with an explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Hubble Space Telescope Pictures - STScI's publicly available HST images.
Digitized Sky Survey - This site "comprises a set of all-sky photographic surveys in E, V, J, R, and N bands conducted with the Palomar and UK Schmidt telescopes"
Sloan Digital Sky Survey - This site aims to "map in detail one-quarter of the entire sky, determining the positions and absolute brightness of more than 100 million celestial objects."
Welcome to the Planets - Contains many of the best images obtained from NASA's planetary exploration programs.

Light Pollution
International Dark Sky Association (IDA) - IDA's goals are to be effective in stopping the adverse environmental impact on dark skies by building awareness of the problem of light pollution and of the solutions, and to educate everyone about the value and effectiveness of quality nighttime lighting.
Virginia Outdoor Lighting Taskforce (VOLT) - VOLT is the only organization specifically dedicated to improving outdoor lighting right here in Virginia.
See also products in Telescopes and Related Products.

Weather
The Weather Channel
Intellicast
Geostationary Satellite Server

                           
For more information or to request a public outreach event, contact RAC's President via email. Telephone contact info is on the AboutRAC page.
Site Index
 Questions or comments about this web site may be directed by email to RAC's Web Editor. Telephone contact info is on the AboutRAC page.