07/02/06

This page contains links to non-commercial sites on the World Wide Web which have content related to Francisquito Observatory's focus and mission, as well as astronomy in general.

• Near Earth Objects, Near Earth Asteroids

  • The Minor Planet Center (MPC), Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) - A no-frills, technically-oriented site covering all activities of the MPC.  For those wondering what they would need to do to undertake their own minor planet astrometry program, check out the MPC's Guide to Minor Body Astrometry.

  • NASA's NEO Program site - An excellent source of information on NEOs for astronomers and non-astronomers alike.  Check out this link to an interesting multimedia presentation on space rocks, produced by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

  • NASA's Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards Site - Information on NEO impact studies at NASA's Ames Research Center.

  • The Spaceguard Foundation - An international association of scientists whose research focuses on NEOs.

  • The Near Earth Objects Dynamic Site (NEODyS)  - A European-based web site with general and technical information relating to NEOs.  The site is also a repository for all NEO positional observations, dating back over 100 years; includes actual observational data and basic statistics on data quality for all Francisquito Observatory NEO observations.

  • Tumbling Stone E-zine - An informative (and fun - see the cartoon section) source of information and stories regarding NEOs, published cooperatively by the Spaceguard Foundation, NEODyS, and the Astronomic Observatory of Mallorca (Spain).

  • Major News About Minor Objects E-zine - An interesting and up-to-date source of news regarding asteroids and comets; has occasional references to work done by Francisquito.

• Astronomy in General

  • NASA's Exploring the Universe site - An excellent source of information on solar system science and exploration, Milky Way Galaxy and extra-galactic studies, cosmology; has numerous multimedia features.

  • Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn - A joint NASA/ESA mission to explore Saturn and its moons, including sending the Huygens probe to the surface of Titan; the spacecraft entered orbit around Saturn on July 1, 2004 and will make 52 close encounters of many of Saturn's moons.

  • Astronomy for Kids - An astronomy site for "Kids and Supervised Adults"; a fun and fairly comprehensive source of information on basic astronomy, probably best suited for elementary school-aged children.  This is a private (hobby) site put together as a labor of love.

  • The Nine Planets - Another hobby site, but in a league of its own, with just about everything you'd want to know about objects in our Solar System; has some multimedia features and many links to images of Solar System bodies.  Even has a few, appropriate soundbytes from Gustav Holst's orchestral composition - "The Planets".  This site has won so many web awards that even with a broadband connection you'll need a few minutes to view their "virtual trophy case".

  • Bad Astronomy - An excellent site, dedicated primarily to debunking myths, mis-information, urban legends new and old related to astronomy.  Also has quite a bit of factual information, with links to other good sites.  To illustrate how myths such as the "Face on Mars" get started, the site's author (an astronomer and staff member at Sonoma State University) reports on a frightening apparition of Vladimir Lenin on his shower curtain, one chilly November morning in 2003.