 |
 International
Space Station (ISS) ~ The International Space Station orbits the
Earth over fifteen times each day. It is not hard to spot with the
naked eye, but you do need to know where to look. This site’s huge
database helps us all catch a glimpse from wherever we’re situated.
It’s definitely a worthwhile exercise! |
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| IOTA ~
Standing for the International Occultation Timing Association, this is
an astronomy site that emphasises the further study of these important
celestial events. Occultations are similar to eclipses, but can involve
almost any celestial body, usually obscured by the Moon. They are significant
events for astrologers too of course. |
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| JPL Small-Body Database Browser ~ The Dawn mission to Ceres and Vesta is delayed until September 2007, but then that’s what NASA get for planning to launch with Mercury retrograde. Until then, you can see awesome animations of the orbits of these bodies by searching on 1 for Ceres or 4 for Vesta and then selecting Orbit Diagram. You’ll need Java… |
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| Keith’s
Moon Page ~ Keith Cooley’s site has detailed explanations of everything you could possibly want to know about
the Moon and then some. If you’ve ever wondered how much the Moon
weighs, how heavy you would be on the Moon, or how long it would take
to drive there by car ( !!! ), then this would be the place for you… |
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| Kuiper Belt ~ Continuing with the extremes of the solar
system, David Jewitt is Professor of Physics and Astronomy
at the University of Hawaii. He is on the cutting edge
of Kuiper Belt research and his site is aimed firmly at his astronomical
mates. But if you’re feeling strong, you never know, you could learn
something blinding. |
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| List
of Centaurs & Scattered-Disk Objects ~ Remember the days when
there was only Chiron? As of March 2005 there are now 150 known centaurs
and scattered-disk objects, with more constantly being discovered.
Here you will find the latest astronomical data. Be prepared for lengthy
concentration on a site like this. |
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| MESSENGER ~ MESSENGER is an acronym for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment GEochemistry and Ranging. As I write Mercury is retrograde and NASA are presenting their findings from the first rendezvous of a proposed four this mission will make with the planet in question, leading up to orbit insertion in March 2011. |
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| NASA Headline Stories ~ Space technology improves all the time, with new discoveries best communicated via the worldwide Web, much more swiftly
than was possible before and at a depth to suit you. For example, take
a look here at some of the latest headline developments from NASA. There
is bound to be something to capture your attention. |
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| Near-Earth
Asteroid 3753 Cruithne ~ Erroneously highlighted
as the Earth’s second Moon, asteroid Cruithne actually shares the Earth’s
orbit around the Sun. This site is maintained by Paul Wiegert and has
the latest facts concerning this astronomical oddity, written by a man
at the forefront of Cruithne’s observation. |
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| New
Horizons ~ With the excitement and speculation surrounding the true nature of
the Pluto/Charon binary, it is easy to forget that a space mission to
take a closer look is already on the way. This is the official website
of NASA’s New Horizons mission, which lifted off in January 2006 to rendezvous
with both these bodies in July 2015. |
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| New
Planet ~ Michael E. Brown is Professor of Planetary Astronomy at
the California Institute of Technology. He also jointly discovered object
2003 UB313, already known to many astrologers as Xena, although apparently
the use of this name is both premature and erroneous. You can find out
all the latest at Professor Brown’s website… |
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| Planetary
Fact Sheets ~ A no frills website this one, maintained by Dr. David
Williams of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. It has a comprehensive
astronomical fact sheet for each of the main players in our solar system,
along with major satellites, the asteroids and notable comets, plus there’s
some great detail on Chiron too. |
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| Pluto and Charon ~
From the definitive Nine Planets site of Bill Arnett, a man sicker than most at Pluto’s recent demotion from planet to dwarf … erm, planet. Pluto and Charon are of comparable size, are very close together and orbit one another round a mysterious central point. Can we really understand Pluto, without thinking also of its binary twin? |
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| Pluto Petition ~ Apparently, only 4% of those astronomers entitled, voted
to reclassify Pluto as a minor planet. To continue this important debate,
Dr. Tony Phillips has started an online petition, although it is doubtful
whether the surfing public will prove any better informed. Got half a mind
to vote for Pluto? Don’t worry, that’s all you’ll need! |
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| Sedna
( 2003 VB12 ) ~ As our telescopes and research facilities improve,
increasing numbers of celestial bodies are now being located in the
outer reaches of the solar system. As of March 2004, the largest of
these is called Sedna. A complete astronomical introduction to this
latest discovery can be found here… |
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| Solar
System Jigsaw ~ The BBC have devoted a lot of energy to the development
of the Science and Nature section of their website. Part of their Space
subsection has received a recommendation before, but this Flash based
interactive jigsaw will really test your knowledge of celestial dynamics
and the frontiers of space exploration. |
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| Solar
System Simulator ~ For
those who can let their imagination wander to the furthest reaches of
the multiverse, this site from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a
dream come true. You can select a view of any planet from almost any
other location in the solar system. There are some great space landscapes
too. |
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