Links

Here is a comprehensive set of links to some of the most useful sites and astronomy resources that we know of.  If you know of any others then please send you suggestions to the webmaster. 

If you find any broken links please let the webmaster know.  Use the following index to help find what you are looking for:

 Local UK Amateur Societies

Basingstoke ASCastle Point ASCroydon ASCody AS
Guildford ASNewbury AASReading ASSouth Downs

What’s in the Sky Over Farnham Tonight?

  • Nightsky: The night sky page of the Jodrell Bank Observatory web site.  It lists some of the things that you can look out for in the night sky this month including the phases of the moon, planets and some of the prominent constellations.
  • Satellite sightings: Nasa’s J-Pass web site  showing upcoming satellite passes (other than Space Station or Shuttle) for the Farnham area.
  • ISS:   ISS passes over Farnham

Local Weather: Dare I Ask – Will it be Clear Tonight?

Sky Maps

  • Wikisky
  • World Wide Telescope:  Much more than a sky map in fact – this is MicroSoft’s virtual telescope that brings together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes.

Variable Star Resources

Astronomy Databases, Surveys and Tools

  • 2MASS: The Two Micron (near infrared) All Sky Survey at IPAC
  • Aladin: Aladin Sky Atlas. Aladin is an interactive software sky atlas allowing the user to visualize digitized astronomical images, superimpose entries from astronomical catalogues or databases. This is a very powerful tool that can be downloaded ontoi your desktop.
  • ADS: The SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) is a Digital Library portal for researchers in Astronomy and Physics, operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) under a NASA grant. The ADS maintains three bibliographic databases containing more than 7.6 million records: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Physics, and arXiv e-prints.
  • DSS: The Digitized Sky Survey comprises a set of all-sky photographic surveys in E, V, J, R, and N bands conducted with the Palomar and UK Schmidt telescopes
  • GSC: The Guide Star Catalog I (GSC I) is an all-sky optical catalog of positions and magnitudes of approximately 19 million stars and other objects in the 6th to 15th magnitude range. GSC I catalog is used for the control and target acquistion of the Hubble Space Telesope
  • LEDAS :LEDAS provides an on-line astronomical database service and access to archive data from high energy astrophysics missions. In particular, LEDAS provides the primary means of access for the UK astronomical community to the ROSAT Public Data Archive, the ASCA Public Data Archive, the Ginga Products Archive and now to the Chandra Science Archive.
  • NEDS:The NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
  • Simbad::The SIMBAD astronomical database provides basic data, cross-identifications, bibliography and measurements for astronomical objects outside the solar system. SIMBAD can be queried by object name, coordinates and various criteria. Lists of objects and scripts can be submitted.
  • Sloan DSS::The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is one of the most ambitious and influential surveys in the history of astronomy
  • Vizier::The VizieR Catalogue Service is an astronomical catalog service provided by Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg.

Astronomy Podcasts

  • Jodcast: A twice-monthly podcast covering all aspects of astronomy from The University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Observatory (UK). It includes the latest news, what you can see in the current night sky, interviews with astronomers and many other interesting articles.
  • Universe Today: Latest astronomy news and great interviews by Fraiser Cain

Secondhand Telescopes, CCDs and Accessories

Equipment Reviews

Observatories Around the World

  • Aricebo Radio Telescope: This huge “dish” is 305 m (1000 feet) in diameter, 167 feet deep, and covers an area of about twenty acres.
  • Anglo-Australian Telescope: The AAO operates the Anglo-Australian and UK Schmidt telescopes on behalf of the astronomical communities of Australia and the UK. To this end the Observatory is funded by the Australian and British Governments. Its function is to provide world-class observing facilities for British and Australian optical astronomers.
  • Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes : The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) operates the 4.2 metre William Herschel Telescope (WHT), the 2.5 metre Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) and the 1.0 metre Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope (JKT). The ING is located at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma, Spain.
  • Faulkes Telescope Project: The Faulkes Telescope Project provides free access to robotic telescopes and a fully supported education programme to encourage teachers and students to engage in research-based science education.
  • Jodrell Bank: Facilities Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics is involved in the operation, construction and use of a number of facilities including the famous Lovell telecope, ALMA, eMerlin and VLBI
  • Keck Observatory: The twin Keck Telescopes, arethe world’s largest optical and infrared telescopes. Each stands eight stories tall and weighs 300 tons, yet operates with nanometer precision. At the heart of each Keck Telescope is a revolutionary primary mirror. ten meters in diameterand composed of 36 hexagonal segments that work in concert as a single piece of reflective glass.
  • Kitt Peak: Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), supports the most diverse collection of astronomical observatories on Earth for nighttime optical and infrared astronomy and daytime study of the Sun.
  • Paranal Observatory: La Sillia Paranal Observatory: ESO operates the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) with four 8.2-m telescopes (the Unit Telescopes or short UTs).
  • Overwhelmingly Large Telescope: Something for the back garden perhaps? With a diameter of 100 meter, OWL would combine unrivalled light gathering power with the ability to resolve details down to a milli-arc second.

Building an Observatory

  • Thinking about building an observatory? You should first visit Bill Arnett’s web site where there is one of the most comprehensive list of links to amateur observatories we have seen. You will find hundreds of ideas amongst the many referenced site.

Light Pollution

UK National Astronomy Links

Astronomy Software

The following represents just some of the best and most useful software that’s out there on the Internet and which is in common use by our members.

  • DarkAdapted:A gamma control application program which modifies your screen gamma settings so that you can preserve your dark adaptation while using your computer to acquire CCD images.
  • Cartes Du Ceil: Powerful, full-function freeware planetarium software.
  •  :Ascom drivers to allow Cartes de Ciel (and many other programmes) to directly control your GoTo mount as well as focussers and domes can be downloaded from here.
  • CCDCalc: CCDCalc is a very useful tool for calculating the field of view for different telescope/camera combinations.
  • EQMOD:The EQMOD project consists of a suite of open source applications that can provide an alternative to the hand controller on supported German Equatorial Mounts.
  • The Gimp: The Gimp is a very nice image editing programme which has many of the same features as Photoshop.
  • iMerge: A brilliant image-stacking and mosaic-making program and all in a 36Kb download (best things come in little packages)
  • IRIS: Astronomical image processing software.
  • K3CCDTools: Astronomical mage acquisition and processing software.
  • Neat Image: A filter designed to reduce visible noise and grain in photographic images produced by digital cameras and scanners – useful for tidying up CCD images.
  • Registax: Astronomical mage processing softiware.
  • Stellarium: A free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D.

Other Useful Astronomy Resources

  • Amateur Astronomical Observatories:  This web site has one of the most comprehensive list of links to amateur observatories I have seen.  If you are thinking of building an observatory you will find plenty of ideas here.
  • Cassini/Huygens Mission:  Latest mission news.  ”Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for ?”   Robert Browning.
  • Consolidated Lunar Atlas: New Lunar Atlas. Lots of thumbs, but the full size pictures are superb and well worth the downloading time.
  • Eclipse Info: Searching for somewhere to take your better half on Holiday? Then look no further, here is the definitive web site on both Solar and Lunar Eclipse details.
  • The Hubble Telescope: Some great images for the armchair astronomer
  • The Best of the Hubble Space Telescope: Another amazing Hubble resource
  • The Planetary Society: A space-interest group dedicated to inspiring the public with the adventure and mystery of space exploration
  • Science Archive Facility: Includes the ESO Sky Survey
  • Spaceguard UK: the national focus in the UK for studies into the threat posed to the Earth by collisions with asteroids and comets
  • Stars: Stars and Constellations. This is a site written by James B. Kaler. Professor of Astronomy, University of Illinois. Author of The Ever Changing Sky and other astro books.

Member’s Web Sites

  • Astroimaging: A web site documenting an astro-imaging expedition to Mt Teide (Tenerife) by John Moore and Donal McDonnell. Some stunning images.
  • John Moore: Planetary and deep sky imaging with an Artemis and modified ToUCam.   The Artemis is a new range of CCD Cameras designed by Steve Chambers and Jon Grove.  John designed the PCB layouts and was fortunate to be involved in testing the beta models.   We thoroughly recommend a look at John’s stunning images of Saturn and Jupiter.
  • Theo Pittas: SAC7b images by Theo and his daughter Louise.  Theo has built a lovely roll-off roof observatory in his back garden to house his 10″ LX200.
  • Danny Thomas: In his web site, Danny has documented details of the equipment and techniques he is using to explore astrophotograhy – contains details of some interesting projects..
  • Peter Campbell-Burns: Peter, our Membership Secretary and Web Site Editor started planetary and deep sky imaging with a webcam, and more recently has been trying his hand at deep sky and wide field imaging with an MX7c.

Local Information for Farnham and the Surrounding Area