Astronomy

HubbleSite has an online gallery with pictures from the Hubble Telescope. It's a large, well-organized archive of the most breathtaking images available of outer space, with an emphasis on deep space objects (for example, nebulae, quasars and galaxies).

The Hubble Heritage Project brings together a beautiful, hand-chosen array of images from Hubble's massive collection. It has a smaller selection than HubbleSite, but the images are slightly better quality and include highly informative captions by experts.

Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) is exactly what the name implies. Run by professional astronomers since 1995 and endorsed by NASA, the site posts a dazzling new picture every day with a brief explanation. If you want to browse the archive, your best bet is to follow the Calendar link and go month by month.

NASA Image eXchange (NIX) is a search engine that pulls images from NASA's affiliated Web sites. Browse subject categories or search for keywords.

The Heretic's Guide to Choosing and Buying Your First Telescope is a must-read for all beginners. There's lots of solid advice on what to look for and what to avoid.

Cloudy Nights offers a collection of reviews about sky-gazing equipment. It attracts a large community of sky watchers who really know their stuff. Be aware that the content on the right menu is all advertising.

Catching the Light addresses every facet of photographing the skies you'd ever want to know, especially regarding digital cameras. Site author Jerry Lodriguss' astrophotography software is also very good.

Telescopes.com is the leading name in online telescope and binocular sales, featuring a huge selection, great customer service, a functional site and no sales tax. Check in often, as pricing fluctuates.

Google Earth 5 includes Google Sky, an application that allows you to explore the cosmos the same way Google Earth lets you travel the globe. Go to the outer reaches of deep space or simply view the night sky as it appears from your back yard. It's user-friendly and free to download.

Sky & Telescope Magazine is a comprehensive resource for observational astronomy. Though S&T is generally for the intermediate to advanced astronomer, much of the information under the Let's Go Stargazing and Stargazing Basics links is accessible for a general audience. 

HubbleSite has a short Flash video called "Tonight's Sky" that highlights monthly stargazing events with clean graphics and terms that are easy to understand. The constellation Pegasus, for example, is compared to a baseball diamond. The site is great for kids.

Galaxy Zoo enables Internet volunteers to help scientists classify a million galaxies. Just sign up, do a few practice galaxies in the tutorial and you're on your way. It's an easy, fun way to contribute to actual astronomy research and see parts of the universe nobody has ever seen before. 

The Planetary Society was cofounded by astro-heavyweight Carl Sagan, and offers members the chance to directly contribute (mostly financially) to space technology, exploration and government policy. If you're willing to part with your money to help build solar sails and petition Congress for NASA funding, this is the place to do it.

Google Lunar X Prize was announced by the X Prize Foundation in September 2007. The goal: be the first to put a robot on the surface of the moon that can roam 500 meters and broadcast video, images and data back to Earth. The grand prize: $30 million.

International Dark-Sky Association is dedicated to decreasing light pollution worldwide. More than 10,000 members support dark-sky legislation, public dialogue and coordinate "Lights Out" (turning off nonessential lighting) events. Members get a newsletter and voting privileges in electing board members. 

Café Press offers more than 7,000 astronomy designs that can be put on shirts, clocks, mouse pads and other items. Looking for a coffee mug with a corny astronomy joke on it? This is the place.

Starry Night Store has among the best planetarium software around and offers a wider variety of programs than other manufacturers. Each program is slightly different, so pick the one that's right for you. These make excellent gifts for people who have equally strong passions for astronomy and computers.

MWT Associates is a vendor of global astronomy tours. Travel packages typically include travel fare, lodging and informational lectures from professional astronomers and academics. Trips are expensive, but the brochures and attendant daydreaming are free.

International Star Registry lets you name your very own star—sort of. The names are not recognized by any scientific body, but you do get a spiffy certificate and map to find your star. Other registries exist, but these folks are the oldest and biggest. There is some disdain for these unscientific registries among hardcore astronomers, so the gift is probably best reserved for someone who will appreciate the sentiment.

Starry Night Lights is nominally a retailer of lighting that helps reduce light pollution and preserve the clarity of the night sky. Most of the products are not cheap, and the majority of the indoor lighting products don't have any apparent night sky-friendly function. It's best used as a place to get ideas for responsible outdoor lighting that you'll probably find cheaper at your local hardware or home furnishing store.