the Internet Public Library

Solar System (Planetary) Reference

Objects with the Earth's solar system, including the Sun, planets, comets, and asteroids.

Resources in this category are:

Asteroids

http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/074asteroid/

The site answers questions about asteroids like: What can they do? Will they obliterate Earth? How are asteroids found? Did asteroids deliver life? What are they made of? What about comets?

Author: The Why Files

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: comets; collisions; disasters

Astronomical Data Center Astronomical Catalogs and Data Tables

http://adc.gsfc.nasa.gov/

"The Astronomical Data Center ADC is an element of the Space Sciences Directorate at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, located in Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.A., near Washington, D.C. We are part of the Astrophysics Data Facility of the Space Science Data Operations Office." Reference tool for educators, amateurs and professional regarding astronomy and space. The Astronomical Data Center provides images, sounds and archival information that help answer questions regarding space."The Astronomical Data Center specializes in archiving and distributing collections of data that have been published by professional astronomers. Most of these data sets are in the form of computer-readable tables of numbers, rather than images. These are often known as astronomical catalogs. Tables published in the professional journals are simply called journal tables."

Author: James Gass and Gail Schneider (help@adc.gsfc.nasa.gov)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Spaceflight & Exploration

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: space reference; milky way; astronomers; education

Comet C/1996 B2 Hyakutake

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/hyakutake/

Up-to-date information about Comet Hyakutake, including news, images, and scientific information.

Author: Ron Baalke (baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Comet; News

Comet Hale-Bopp

http://www.eso.org/comet-hale-bopp/comet-hale-bopp.html

Comet Hale-Bopp will appear in April, 1997 and will be even more visible than Comet Hyakutake. It was discovered in July, 1995. Information concerning the comet includes photos, a summary of its data, press releases and an evolving general overview of what is known about the comet.

Author: Richard M. West (west@eso.org)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Comet; Hale-Bopp

Comet Observation Home Page

http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/

From this page you can download over 350 images of comets. You can also find out which comets are currently visible, read about recent comet news, look up terms related to cometary astronomy, and find out about comet light curves (what makes different comets vary in brightness).

Author: Charles S. Morris (csm@encke.jpl.nasa.gov)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Comets

Earth and Moon Viewer

http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html

"A great resource for clickable satellite maps of the Earth and the Moon. You can select views of Earth from the Moon or from the Sun, locate specific craters on the Moon by name, zoom in and out, and select different types of displays including topographic maps, weather maps and cloud maps."

Author: John Walker

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Reference--Geography--Maps & Atlases

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Stargazing

Earth View Eclipse Network

http://www.earthview.com/

"A comprehensive source of educational information about the history, science, and observation of all types of eclipses, especially total solar eclipses." Includes an eclipse tutorial, observation tips, a timetable, bibliography, glossary. Searchable.

Author: Earth View, Inc. (webmaster@earthview.com)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Stargazing

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Eclipses; Sun; Solar; Moon; Lunar

Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere

http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/Intro.html

"Brief tour of magnetosphere, a space region dominated by the Earth's magnetic field. Includes a quick overview of the relevant physical sciences - magnetism, ions and electrons, plasmas etc. - and also includes tidbits of history, accessible by a "history button" at the ends of many sections."

Author: Goddard Space Flight Center (u5dps@lepvax.gsfc.nasa.gov)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Astrophysics

Eyewitness Handbooks: Stars & Planets

http://www.dk.com/uk/shared/product_m_spread.asp?isbn=075131062X&pid=2

"Prepared in association with the Royal Greenwich Observatory, the superbly clear star charts can be used almost anywhere in the world to locate and identify constellations, individual stars, and deep-sky objects. Interesting and prominent features of the night sky are examined in a monthly guide, which is complemented by fascinating accounts of all 88 constellations and the objects they contain, including notable stars, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. Each of the planets in the Solar System is illustrated and described in detail, while the often complex process of locating planets in the night sky is made as simple as possible with unique charts and diagrams." In 'page image' format.

Author: Ridpath, Ian

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Stargazing

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

The Face of Venus Home Page

http://www.eps.mcgill.ca/~bud/craters/FaceOfVenus.html

Learn about the surface of the planet Venus through hypertext documents and the interactive databases of craters and coronae.

Author: Glen Newton, Paul Budkewitsch, and Eric Dewhirst

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Venus; Craters; Coronae

Genesis Mission - Search for Origins

http://www.genesismission.org/

"This site contains consistently updated mission and science information pertaining pertaining to NASA's Genesis mission. Billed as a 'search for origins,' the mission will collect solar wind particles in an attempt to determine conditions at the time of our solar system's formation. Launch is in January 2001, and mission milestones can be checked to ascertain the status of the mission at any time." The site contains information for teachers and students, including interactive modules to learn about the scientific aspects of the mission.

Author: (genesisepo@mcrel.org)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Education--K-12

Keywords: Sun

Giotto Information

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/giotto.html

Describes the Giotto mission, the probe that photographed Halley's comet.

Author: J.H. King (king@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Comet; Haley's; Spaceflight

Hubble Heritage Project

http://heritage.stsci.edu/

"The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a research tool dedicated to scientific studies of nature. Enroute to illuminating the forces shaping our cosmos, HST has accumulated a cosmic zoo. The Hubble Heritage Project sees this instrument also as a tool for extending human vision, one that is capable of building a bridge between the endeavors of scientists and the public. By emphasizing compelling HST images distilled from scientific data, we hope to pique curiosity about our astrophysical understanding of the universe we all inhabit." Look at images and learn the history of the universe.

Author: Keith Noll (heritage@stsci.edu )

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Spaceflight & Exploration

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Hubble space telescope; astronomy; space

The International Meteor Organization (IMO)

http://www.imo.net/

"The International Meteor Organization (IMO) was founded in 1988 and has more than 250 members now. IMO was created in response to an ever growing need for international cooperation of meteor amateur work. The collection of meteor observations by several methods from all around the world ensures the comprehensive study of meteor showers and their relation to comets and interplanetary dust." Site contains "information about meteor observing techniques, analyses and recent results from world-wide data, a list of meteor showers, glossary, meteor-related projects, addresses and more."

Author: The International Meteor Organization (webmaster@imo.net)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Stargazing

Keywords: Meteors

Lunar and Planetary Institute

http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/lpi.html

A Universities Space Research Association (USRA) web site, with information focusing on the moon and the planets. Includes information on current hot topics and K-12 educational materials. Library pages have several planetary science-related Internet resource lists, and the Exploring the Moon pages have a wealth of information on missions to the moon.

Author: Lunar and Planetary Institute, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (tellier@lpi.jsc.nasa.gov (Stephen Tellier))

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: NASA; Moon; Planets; Lunar; Education; K-12

Mars Team Online

http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars/

In 1996 NASA launched two missions to Mars. The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft took off in November and reached the orbit of Mars on September 11, 1997 to begin an orbital mission that will provide detailed mapping and weather information. The Mars Pathfinder spacecraft blasted away in December and landed on the Red Planet on July 4, 1997. The micro-rover Sojourner has wandered its way around the Martian terrain, returning a wealth of new science data."

"By participating in the Mars Team Online project, you and your students can join the Mars team in their exploration of the Red Planet! The project is targeted at the middle school grade levels, but will have appeal above and below that range. "

Author: Karen Traicoff (ktraicoff@mail.arc.nasa.gov)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Education--K-12

Keywords: Mars; space travel

Moon-Watch.Com - The Site For Moon Enthusiasts

http://www.moon-watch.com/

"The online resource for Moon enthusiasts and amateur stargazers. Here you can download photographs of the Moon (including high-quality NASA images), check the latest Moon-related news from sources such as NASA's Lunar Prospector mission, and read fascinating facts, history, and trivia about the Moon."

Author: (moon@space-watch.com)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Moon

National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC)

http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/

"The National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) is the national repository for geophysical data, providing a wide range of science data services and information. NGDC provides long-term stewardship for and access to geophysical data, compiles new, well-documented databases from many sources, and offers value-added data services to researchers and the general public. NGDC acquires and exchanges global data through the World Data Center system and other international programs. To find all data, information, and products available from NGDC, you can follow one of the data discipline links at left (glaciology, marine geology & geophysics, paleoclimatology, solar-terrestrial physics, and solid earth geophysics)." The site is searchable.

Author: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (info@ngdc.noaa.gov)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Geology/Geophysics

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Sciences & Technology--Meteorology/Climatology

Keywords: Glaciology; Marine; Paleoclimatology; Solar; Terrestrial; Physics

The Nine Planets: A Multimedia Tour of the Solar System

http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/nineplanets.html

A multimedia tour of the solar system. Contains photos, information and data for not only the planets, but their moons and other astronomical bodies, such as comets and asteroids. Also has a glossary of planetary related terms and proper names.

Author: William A. Arnett (billa@znet.com)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Moons; Asteroids; Comets; Glossary

Planetary Image Finders

http://ic.arc.nasa.gov/ic/projects/bayes-group/Atlas/index.html

"Provides a list of various sites which contain high resolution images of the planets of the solar system. Many are unprocessed photographs and transmissions from various probes. Some sites (Mars, for example) provide a complete mapping of the planet's surface."

Author: Bob Kanefsky (Kanef@Ptolemy.ARC.NASA.gov)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Images; Resources

Project Galileo: Bringing Jupiter to Earth

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/

Provides up-to-date informationon the Galileo spacecraft. Galileo Amazing Facts of the day provide facts about the spacecraft and its mission. Links are provided to Galileo's Mission, Images, Frequently Asked Questions, Statistics, and Eduational Resources. Information on Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, is also provided.

Author: (gllbug@jplpio.jpl.nasa.gov)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Galileo; NASA; JPL; Spaceflight; Jupiter; FAQ

SKY Online's Comet Page

http://www.skypub.com/comets/comets.html

Information about some of the comets currently of interest to amateur astronomers.

Author: Sky Publishing Corporation (comets@skypub.com)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Comets

Space Gate

http://www.transatlantech.com/TPS/Space_Gate/default.html

"Your gateway to space resources on the Internet." This includes information about previous space missions, international governments, the latest news, educational links, and links for kids.

Author: Michael Haggerty (michaelh@mars.planetary.org)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Sunrise/Sunset/Twilight and Moonrise/Moonset/Phase

http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/srss.html

Provides sunrise and sunset times computed on latitude and longitude of a particular location.

Author: U.S. Naval Observatory

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Moon; Sun; Moonrise; Sunrise; Moonset; Sunset; Phase

U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO)

http://www.usno.navy.mil/

The role of the USNO is "to determine the positions and motions of celestial objects, to provide astronomical data, to measure the Earth's rotation and to maintain the Master Clock for the United States." This site provides information about the motions of celestial objects, a calendar of phenomenon such as eclipses, information about the orientation of the earth in space, and the official time for the United States. A web-based version of MICA, the Multiyear Interactive Computer Almanac, allows you to obtain many kinds of astronomical data, including celestial coordinates, sidereal time, lunar and planetary configurations and aspects, and rise/set times.

Author: U.S. Navy (webmaster@www.usno.navy.mil )

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Stargazing

United States Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department (USNO AA)

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/

"The Astronomical Applications Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory computes, from fundamental astronomical reference data, the position, brightness, and other observable characteristics of celestial bodies, as well as the circumstances of astronomical phenomena. This information is of critical importance to navigation, military operations planning, scientific research, surveying, accident reconstruction, architecture, and everyday activities. Our products are regarded as benchmark standards throughout the world." It includes "background information on common astronomical phenomena, calendars and time, and related topics" as well as "Sun and Moon rise and set times, Moon phases, eclipses, seasons, positions of solar system objects, and other data."

Author: USNO Astronomical Applications Department (help@aa.usno.navy.mil)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Reference--Calculation & Conversion Tools

Reference--Calendars

Views of the Solar System

http://spaceart.com/solar/

"Views of the Solar System has been created as an educational tour of the solar system. It contains images and information about the Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets and meteoroids found within the solar system. It contains over 220 pages of information, over 950 high-resolution images and animations, and over 880 megabytes of data. This tour uses hypertext to allow space travel by simply clicking on a desired planet. This causes information and images about the planet to appear on screen. While on a planet page, hyperlinks travel to pages about the moons and other relevant available resources. Unusual terms are linked to and defined in the Glossary page. Statistical information of the planets and satellites can be browsed through sorted lists. The History of Space Exploration contains information about rocket history, early astronauts, space missions, spacecraft and detailed chronology tables of space exploration. The Table of Contents page has links to all of the various pages within Views Of The Solar System." The site is available in English, Spanish, or Portugese.

Author: Calvin J. Hamilton (vss@home.com)

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Asteroids; Planetary Images; Space Images; History; Biographies

Welcome to the Planets

http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/

Photographs and physical data for all the planets, plus asteroids and comets. Also has a section on the planetary explorers such as Voyager II.

Author: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Exploration; Photographs

Whole Mars Catalog

http://www2.astrobiology.com/astro/mars/index.html

This site provides extensive links to information about Mars including basic planetary facts, images, news, NASA updates, exploratory missions, online publications and bibliographies.

Author: Reston Communications (astro@reston.com )

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: exploration; Martian moons; bibliographies; policy

Windows to the Universe

http://windows.engin.umich.edu/

You can learn about the Earth and space sciences. "This includes not only scientific content, but also information about the artistic, historical, and cultural connections between science and our lives." In addition to articles, there are images, movies, animations, and data sets. Many of the words within the articles are hyperlinked to related texts.

Author: University of Michigan

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Your Weight on Other Worlds

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/index.html

"Ever wonder what you might weigh on Mars or The Moon? Here's your chance to find out." This site allows you to enter your weight and it will calcuate how much you would weight on any of the planet, Jupiter's moons, the Sun, a white dwarf, or a neutron star."

Author: Exploratorium Museum

Subjects:

Sciences & Technology--Astronomy--Solar System (Planetary)

Keywords: Planets; Gravity

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