Astronomy has always been an interest of mine. Many retired people think it makes a great hobby, whether you just want to read, or to grab a telescope and see what you can see. To get you thinking below are some web sites to start your exploration.
Astronomy Magazine https://astronomy.com/
This happens to be my favorite astronomy magazine. I’m a regular reader and subscriber. Well, they also have a great website. Besides featuring the magazine, they have sections for news, observing, videos, blogs, and a photo gallery that I always like.
The site has all kinds of interesting info and is a good way to keep up to date on what is happening in the Astronomy world. For example, right now I’m looking at an article on space related Citizen Science projects where you can get involved right from home.
Astronomy Picture of the Day https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
As the name suggests this site displays a different picture every day. Todays happens to be a movie of a NASA spacecraft touching the Bennu asteroid. It is simply amazing. The site also tells you what is coming tomorrow and maintains an archive of previously featured pictured.
There is always something interesting on the NASA website. This is the site we all turn to when there is a big event happening in space exploration.
The Planetary Society https://www.planetary.org/
The Planetary Society was founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan and others. Their mission is “Empowering the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration.” The current CEO is Bill Nye (“The Science Guy”.) There are all kinds of articles, membership, and suggested ways to take action to promote space exploration.
Sky and Telescope https://skyandtelescope.org/
I’ve been an astronomy enthusiast since I was a kid. It seems that Sky and Telescope (the magazine) has been around forever. The site includes news, observing guides, reviews and just about anything related to astronomy.
Space.com https://www.space.com/
Space.com seems to be a more commercial take on space and space exploration. I’ve been on their mailing list for years and their emails always introduce interesting articles. Lots of good articles even if you have to put up with a little more advertising.
Worldwide Telescope http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/home/
This site includes a web client that allows you to view images from all over the universe. Definitely worth some exploring!
AstroBetter https://www.astrobetter.com/
This is a blog for professional astronomers. As such it seems pretty technical. However, if you want to see what the pros are thinking about and the tools they use you’ll find this site fascinating!
Bad Astronomy https://www.syfy.com/tags/bad-astronomy/
This is an astronomy related blog by someone by the name of Phil Platt. It looks like the blog has moved around, starting at Discover, then moving to Slate, and now at syfy.com. It looks like there is a post almost every day and they all look interesting.
Universe Today https://www.universetoday.com/
This is another space and astronomy news blog. It looks like there are new posts almost every day. The articles look quite interesting. For example, the article I’m looking at right now is about how researchers are using clues found on Mercury to discover how earth got its water.
Of course, a simple search on Google will find many more sites to explore. Give it a try and learn something fascinating!
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