Guest Post by Melanie Slaugh
You no longer need to travel to observatories to see what is being seen through those huge telescopes. Through the internet, we have access to glimpses of the stars that we could never see with the naked eye. Check out these websites for the latest in information and images regarding the universe we live in.
SOHO – The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is a joint cooperative effort between NASA and ESA to study all aspects of the sun. You’ll see up to date pictures of the sun and also be able to watch video of the sun on this site.
Astrouw.edu.pl/asas – This site monitors the sky for comets and the discovery of new stars. You can find their documentation and photography of each of those discoveries on the site.
Hubble Images – If you’re interested in seeing the best of the best, Hubble telescope images, you’ll find them at archive.seds.org/hst Images are divided into three catagories: Solar System; Galactic and Extra Galactic. There is also a link to the most current images.
Indian Astronomical Observatory: The website for this telescope located high in the Himalayan Mountains provides some remarkable space photos. There are several pictures of Super Novas and many other amazing amazing images from space.
Space Weather Prediction Center – If you’re interested in solar winds, solar radiation storms and radio blackouts created by space weather, you’ll find everything you need to know at http://www.swpc.noaa.gov. The site also gives information that will allow you to tell when to expect the Northern Lights to visible in your area.
Mauna Loa Solar Observatory – This is another observatory that monitors solar activity. In addition to the current solar photos and solar flair movies, it has a large catalog of solar eclipse photos as well.
STEREO – Instead of solar observation from earth, this site provides you images from two satellites in orbit. You will also find 3-D images of the sun and the first ever images of the entire sun.
Stardate.org – If you want some help getting started with your nighttime star gazing, this site will tell you what to be watching for in the sky on any given night in the next week. It also has calendar dates for the next expected meteor showers, solar and lunar eclipses.
NASA.gov – The NASA site has amazing videos and plenty of historical information regarding space exploration. Definitely one of the best sites to visit for up to date information on what is happening in outer space.
Spitzer.Caltech.edu – It doesn’t get much better than this. The photos and information available on the Spitzer Space Telescope sight are phenomenal. Comets, galaxies, nebula, etc., an amazing array of extra-terrestrial beauty.
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