Astronomy



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Planetaria and Observatories, United States

..............A list of over 400 Planetaria and Observatories located in the United States.
..............Current listing only includes planetaria and observatories which have posted
..............webpages on the World Wide Web (which often include educational information
..............and/or links to such information).

..............All states are represented except North Dakota and Vermont.

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Planetaria, Portable and PC-based (**NEW**)

..............1) STARLAB Portable Planetarium

..................Provided by Learning Technologies, Inc in Somerville, MA.
..................The STARLAB system is a portable teaching environment that can be
..................brought right into the classroom. It consists of an inflatable
..................dome, a projector, projection cylinders, and optional accessories.
..................Easy to store and transport, the system packs down into traveling
..................cases and a duffel bag.

..............2) CyberSky Planetarium

..................Provided by Stephen Michael Schimpf of Torrance, CA.
..................An exciting, entertaining, and educational astronomy program that
..................transforms your personal computer into your personal planetarium.
..................CyberSky provides an excellent way to learn about astronomy and to
..................explore the wonders of the sky visible in the distant past, the
..................present, and the far-off future.

..............3) Your Sky - PC Planetarium

..................Provided by John Walker, of Fourmilab and located in Switzerland.
..................This PC-based planetarium allows you to produce a sky map showing
..................the entire sky as viewed from a given location at a specified time
..................and date; also, "horizon views," showing the stars above the horizon
..................as seen from a certain observing site at a given date and time. Also
..................provides a "virtual telescope" to allow tracking of an asteroid or
..................comet.

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Planetarian, Journal of the International Planetarium Society
..............What are the topics and issues that are currently being discussed, or written
..............about, in the international planetarium community? Find out in this quarterly
..............journal, the "Planetarian."

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Planets I, General Information (**NEW**)
..............Includes lots of information on the planets in our Solar System, and serves as a
..............quick reference for anyone needing planetary statistics (especially students!).
..............Some material excerpted from the next two library references ("The Nine Planets"
..............and "Welcome to the Planets") and provided in a format that allows for rapid
..............acquisition of planetary data!

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Planets II, The Nine Planets,
.............By Bill Arnett. A beautifully illustrated overview of the history, mythology
.............and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons in our solar
.............system. Each page has text and images, some have sounds and movies, most provide
.............references to additional related information. An extensive glossary
.............is also provided.

.............According to this website, Bill Arnett is a software engineer. Even though
.............the material on this site has no bibliographical index, it has been
............. recognized by a number of groups and organizations as an outstanding collection
.............of astronomical information. (bill@znet.com)

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Planets III, Welcome to the Planets,
.............This site is maintained by the California Institute of Technology. The material
.............was originally distributed on The Planetary Data System Educational CD-ROM
.............Version 1.5 in 1995. Contains a glossary of astronomical terms as well as detailed
.............information on the planets in our solar system. Information on the following "space
.............explorers" is also available:

......................Mariner 10, Viking 1 & 2, Voyager 1 & 2, Magellan, Galileo,
......................Hubble and the Space Shuttle.

.............The original CD-ROM can be ordered from the:
............. National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC).

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Astronomy,Science-based software for

..............1) Astro-Mania
.................. A fast-paced learning tool for studies in astronomy, including planets,
..................asteroids, meteors, comets, stars and galaxies. For grades 6-8,
..................high school and college planning

..............2) Home Planet,
..................Published by John Walker. A high-powered program whose features
..................will educate both the novice sky-buff or serious astronomer.
..................For grades K-5, 6-8, high school and college planning.

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Astronomy, Teaching I,
..............The American Astronomical Society's Teacher Enhancement Program.
..............For teachers of grades K-12. Participants play leadership roles
..............in their local areas to promote the teaching of astronomy through
..............hands-on activities.

..............Resources include:

....................(1) Earth Moon and Stars, written by Cary Sneider. Covers ancient models
.........................of the universe, gravity, phases of the moon, constellations and telling time
.........................by the stars. Appropriate for grades 5-9.

....................(2) Moons of Jupiter, written by Sutter, Sneider, Gould, Willard, and DeVore.
.........................Recreating Galileo's historic telescopic observations of Jupiter's
.........................moons. Students observe and record orbits of the moons over time
.........................and learn how these observations signaled the birth of modern astronomy.
.........................Appropriate for grades 4-9.

.............Order any of these resources from The Museum Store.

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Astronomy Teaching II,
.............This program is called "Project Astro". It promotes Astronomer-Teacher
.............partnerships by pairing professional and amateur astronomers with
.............classroom teachers in grades 4-9. A key product of the "Astro Project"
.............is a loose-leaf notebook called, "The Universe at Your Fingertips".

.............This notebook includes classroom activities, a comprehensive resource lists,
.............background material on astronomical topics and teaching ideas from experienced
.............astronomy educators.

.............Use AAS's price list and then order your Astro Project materials.

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Astronomy, Careers I,
.............The American Astronomical Society's (AAS's) Career Brochure, "A New
.............Universe to Explore". Includes general information regarding high school
.............and college requirements, as well as employment outlook and types of jobs
.............available.

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Stars, telling time by the Stars: using a star clock,
.............Provided by GEMS Great Explorations in Math and Science (Lawrence Hall of Science,
.............Berkeley, CA).

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National Space Science Data Center ,
.............This site provides access to a wide variety of astrophysics, space physics,
.............solar physics, lunar and planetary data from NASA and space flight missions.


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(this page last updated 06/28/01)

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