
Astronomy
Educators: Sign up for our education newsletter.
History of Astronomy
Astronomy is one of the oldest, most popular branches of science. Unlike practitioners of medicine ... read more »
Astronomy Pictures
Images from outer space are among the most popular scientific artifacts today, capturing the ... read more »
Buying Telescopes, Binoculars and Cameras
Buying telescopes, binoculars, cameras and other accessories is a big investment, ... read more »
Finding Constellations, Planets and Objects in the Night Sky
Wouldn't it be great if you could actually find something other than the Big Dipper? The Web is ... read more »
Astronomy Clubs and Associations
The mantra of believers in extraterrestrial life rings true about astronomy buffs the world over: ... read more »
Astronomy News
Developments in astronomy happen at the speed of light. While scientists scramble to make sense of ... read more »
Volunteering in Astronomy
In 1995, the comet Hale-Bopp was concurrently discovered by two men: Alan Hale, a Ph.D.-holding ... read more »
Astronomy Gifts
For years, friends and family of astronomy buffs were limited to museum emporia and shopping mall novelty stores for celestial gift ideas. Thanks to the Internet, a variety of astronomy gifts are just a click away.
Insights for Astronomy Gifts
- Astronomers at all levels tend to be very picky about their stargazing equipment. Make sure you do some research before buying them any sky-watching tools.
- Mega marketplaces like eBay and Amazon are good places to find astronomy books, DVDs and other media. Keep in mind whether your astronomy buff has a preference for "theoretical" (astrophysics) or "observational" (stargazing) astronomy. For the latter, a sky atlas might be a better choice than a NOVA documentary.
- Most observatories and museums have gift shops on their Web sites, but the merchandise is nearly always overpriced. As a general rule, only browse here to get ideas, but make your purchase elsewhere.