Links

Radio Astronomy Links

- Current Radio Astronomy Facilities

The Very Large Array (VLA)	The VLA consists of 27 radio antennas (each 25m diameter) arranged in a Y-shape. This is a good site, containing lots of useful information on the VLA (i.e. History, operation and specifications), as well as useful sections for people wishing to learn more about radio telescopes, radio astronomy and the history of the field.
The Arecibo Radio Observatory	Opened in 1963, the 305m diameter reflector which is located in Puerto Rico and operated by Cornell University, celebrates its 40th anniversary. Not the greatest ever site, but worth a look if you'd like to know more about the observatory.
Jodrell Bank Observatory	Contains everything you could ever want to know about the Jodrell Bank facility, from the early history of Jodrell Bank when Bernard Lovell came to the University of Manchester to study cosmic rays, to present facilities and research programs.

- Miscellaneous Radio Astronomy Links

The Virtual Radio Interferometer (VRI)	Requires a java-equipped browser.

Optical Astronomy Links

HubbleSite	A great place to find information about the Hubble Space Telescope and all the latest amazing pictures it has taken.
The European Southern Observatory	Established in 1962 and located in Chile, the ESO owns the worlds largest optical telescope, the Very Large Telescope (VLT). It comprises of several large optical telescopes linked to form an interferometer (the VLTI), which produces an amazing resolution.

- The physics behind telescopes and optical astronomy

Celestron - Telescope Basics	Runs through the advantages and disadvantages of different types of telescopes. Includes some useful diagrams.

X-Ray Astronomy Links

Chandra X-Ray Observatory Center	A good site with loads of useful information on the science of x-ray astronomy and details of Chandra itself (which was launched onboard Columbia in July 1999). Also contains lots of great pictures taken with Chandra over the years.
Chandra Sky Map	Part of the main Chandra site, this page contains many images of different types of astronomical objects, as seen by Chandra. Simply click on each icon on the screen to view a picture and read some information about the object.
XMM UK Information Center	This site is no longer maintained. However, it is still up and running, with links still active.

Our Solar System

Mars Exploration	A NASA site detailing both the history and future of the exploration of Mars. Including brief overviews of the scientific knowledge gained from exploring Mars and the technology required for the missions.
Views of the Solar System	A fantastically detailed site containing a wealth of information about the bodies in our solar system (i.e. their composition, surface features, atmosphere and much more). There is also a stunning amount of information regarding past missions to each of the bodies. Well worth a look.
JPL Solar System Dynamics	A site from JPL which offers a wealth of information on the bodies in our solar sytem. A wide range of data is available on the Sun, the planets, asteroids and comets, as well as having a useful "glossary of terms" section.
the-solar-system.net	Web site displaying pictures taken of the solar system planets by various interplanetary missions and the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Exploration of Space

Space Stations and Satellites

MIR	Part of the RussianSpaceWeb site (linked below), this is a really nice site chronicling the 15-year life span of this remarkable space achievement. You can learn detailed information on each of the MIR modules with great annotated diagrams of each component, and read the highlights of MIR's life.
The International Space Station	The official NASA site of the International Space Station. Amongst many other things, find out about past, ongoing and future research projects onboard. Also available are some fantastic images of Earth, taken by ISS crew over the years.

British and ESA missions

Beagle 2	A pretty good sight giving lots of information on the ill-fated Beagle 2 mission. There is detailed information on the science Beagle 2 was intended for, and detailed information on the technology that went into Beagle 2.
The European Space Agency (ESA)	The home page of ESA. Find out about past and future missions, the science behind them, and the technology being employed.

The American Space Programme

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)	After 45-years of operation, NASA has produced this slick-looking site as their homepage.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)	Part of NASA, JPL has been at the forefront of unmanned space exploration since the very beginning of the space race, with much of the technology for early manned flights being developed by JPL.

The Russian Space Programme

RussianSpaceWeb.com	A fairly comprehensive news and history site regarding the former USSR and current Russian space projects. Naturally focuses on Russian space efforts, but also includes a chronology of events both in the USSR and America. Some sections clearly written from a Russian perspective, but overall, an interesting site.
Zarya	Another site concentrating mainly on the history of Soviet advancements in space flight.

Computer Programs

Cartes du Ciel	Software for displaying sky charts. Basic (free) download can be upgraded with numerous catalogues of various different objects (such as variable and multiple stars among others).
Virtual Moon Atlas	A superb piece of freeware which allows you to accurately predict the phase of the moon on a date of your choice. This handy program is extremely useful for students performing the experiment on lunar crater walls. Craters can be easily identified, with the program offering a wide range of useful information about each.
Image/J	A program used for the display, edit, enhancement and analysis of pictures saved as FITS, TIFF, PICT, PICS and MacPaint files.
ds9	Software used to display, enhance and analyse FITS files. Downloaded freely via the Chandra homepage.
fv	A powerful and general-purpose FITS file editor from NASA
ICE	"Interactive Computer Ephemeris". Used to calculate the positions, rise times, and set times of various solar system bodies. Useful for the Physical Ephemeris calculations of the moon.

Miscellaneous Sites

Solar Images at SDAL	Click to see the latest amazing images of the Sun (mainly as seen by the SOHO spacecraft).
Astronomy Picture of the Day	A superb site showing the best astronomy picture submitted each day, with interesting descriptions of what you are seeing. Some truly amazing pictures can be found in the archives of APOD. Well worth a look.
Stigs Sky Calendar	Requires a java-equipped browser.
Space.com	An excellent site with loads of interesting content. Looks nice too.

- Institutes and research centers

Cambridge Astronomy (Institute of Astronomy)	Not particularly useful for students.
UCSD Center for Astrophysics & Space Sciences	Similar in style to the Cambridge site above.

- Resource Lists

Telescopes	This link provides a list of the many telescopes and observatories around the world. Contained are links to each of their web sites.
University College London, Astronomy Resources	Mainly a list of various catalogues of astrophysical objects. Not much more.

Found a broken link? Know any good sites? Please let us know via email.