LibGuides: Astronomy: Online Resources

Just for Fun

Asteroids [Reloaded]
Play an HTML5 version of the classic video game Asteroids with your choice of new or retro graphics.
SciGames
"Over the years the Space Science Institute has created a number of online exhibits on space science. We've decided to collect some of the games and activities from these sites on to this portal. You can run them by themselves, or open them in the context of the full exhibit."
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Space Science Institute. (2021). About Us. Sci Games. Retrieved August 26, 2021, from http://www.scigames.org/about.php

Online Resources

American Astronomical Society
"The mission of the American Astronomical Society is to enhance and share humanity’s scientific understanding of the universe as a diverse and inclusive astronomical community."
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American Astronomical Society. (2021, July 16). AAS Mission and Vision Statement. AAS.org. Retrieved September 08, 2021, from https://aas.org/about/mission-and-vision-statement
Hubble Space Telescope
NASA
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA - Astronomy picture of the day
NASA - Laboratories and Facilities
Guide to all the various labs run by NASA.
NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
For more information go to Database contents
The Palomar Observatory Sky Survey
Sky & Telescope - Interactive Sky Chart
"What is the Interactive Sky Chart?
Powered by Heavens Above, our interactive viewer charts the night sky as seen by eye. The map includes the Moon, stars brighter than magnitude 5, the five bright planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), and deep-sky objects that can be seen without the use of optical aid."
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Interactive Sky Chart. (2020). Sky&Telescope. Retrieved July 09, 2020, from https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/interactive-sky-chart/
Skymaps - The Evening Sky Map
PDF printable sky maps, updated monthly.

Crash Course Astronomy
The entire series - 47 videos

Open Educational Resources (OER) are free online materials that anyone can access anytime.

Introduction to Astronomy
MIT OCW (Open Course Ware) astronomy course.
The Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project
"The Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project provides online laboratories targeting the undergraduate introductory astronomy audience. Each lab consists of background materials and one or more simulators that students use as they work through a student guide. Pretests and posttests can be used to gauge student learning."
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (n.d.). The Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project. Astronomy Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from http://astro.unl.edu/naap/
An OER Mashup: Astronomy Redesign - a complete OER astronomy course
"As part of my OER Fellowship with the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) in 2013, I chose to redesign my very popular online AST 1002 Descriptive Astronomy class using a mashup of existing open education resource (OER) materials. Throughout the year-long fellowship, I met virtually with seven other fellows from around the globe and shared ideas about integrating technology and OER into our classrooms. While my main goal was to increase course accessibility by reducing cost (e.g., replacing a $170 textbook with a free OER textbook), I wanted to further and develop an engaging environment for my students. I implemented this course redesign in the fall 2013 and am very happy with the results. Student comments and feedback have been overwhelmingly positive and highly supportive. Many of these ideas and tools could be replicated in other disciplines."
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Christensen, E. (2016, January 28). An OER Mashup: Astronomy Redesign. OER Commons. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.oercommons.org/authoring/3930-an-oer-mashup-astronomy-redesign/view