Saturday, February 10, 2007

re: the web and astronomy


The Web has changed everything, hasn't it? And it has certainly democratized access to the knowledge of all things astronomical. I've bookmarked hundreds of sites. And I regularly visit about a half dozen of them.
Rather than provide a list of links without explanation, let me discuss four of my favorites, beginning with Cloudy Nights. http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/index.php?Cat=0
If you're not a member, and you love astronomy, CN is a goldmine of information. The articles and reviews are useful. And the forums are the best! There's a forum to suit every interest you have.
A second must see is Astromart. http://www.astromart.com/
Do you want to buy or sell used astronomy equipment of virtually any sort. Astromart is the place! High quality astronomy goods typically retain 70 to 75% of their original value. If a deal is too good to be true, it likely is!
A third "you gotta see this to believe it" is Yahoo Groups. http://groups.yahoo.com/
Type a useful search string into the "Find a Yahoo Group" box and you'll be amazed. For example "astrophotgraphy" yields 97 hits. Too many, for sure. But a generic category is often the place to begin.
Last but not least is Google. http://www.google.com/
Of course I don't need to tell you this, eh? But Google will put you on the fast track to the information you want.
Enough again already.
Cheers.

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