30 January 2012

Resources for Urban Astronomers

Over the past years in this blog, I have focused on information and news that can be used by city dwellers, guiding them to find interesting happenings in the night sky that are generally visible in light-polluted skies. I also have focused on San Francisco and West Coast US-based events such as eclipses. In addition to my own posts, I recommend a number of other astronomy sites with helpful information along the same lines, for the casual and amateur astronomer who wants to enjoy the night sky and learn something new about the universe.

Lately, I have been particularly fond of the Astronomy Picture of the Day, always bringing a fantastic new image to light, and the website Spaceweather.com, with interesting news focused on our Sun and the local region of our Solar System with updates on Near Earth Objects. As we approach a solar maximum over the next 18 months, I find Spaceweather.com full of exciting updates about aurorae and sunspots. Sky & Telescope Magazine has been a mainstay for me for years, and the website always includes the latest things to see in the night sky. I often reference images from the Sky & Telescope feature "This Week's Sky at a Glance." And I am enjoying the very interesting posts on the EarthSky blog, such as this great article on "10 Things You May Not Know About Stars."

I hope that you can find a lot of interesting reading and enjoy new perspectives on astronomy. And check in regularly for another post from me (about once a week) with my own musings on the joys of the night sky. I wish you clear skies and happy viewing!

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