Astrophysics Resources on the Web

In writing the pages for this site, I make use of many resources, including resources of the World Wide Web. The author lists web sites that he finds particularly useful and interesting, or that have a link to The Astrophysics Spectator. The list is regularly updated and expanded.

Online Publications

The following web sites present news, articles, and information on topics in astronomy and astrophysics. Some are associated with print magazines.

The Astronomy Cafe: Numerous articles on astronomy aimed at a general audience. The site includes the answers to question submitted to a professional astronomer. The site is written by Dr. Sten Oldenwald, and old friend of the author's from graduate school.
Sky and Telescope: One of the premiere magazines of amateur astronomy. The author grew-up with this publication.
SpaceBox.org: A web site for space enthusiasts. Site provides tables, databases, reviews, a dictionary and other resources in astronomy.
Universe Today: An online publication that presents news in astronomy and space exploration. The site links to the latest articles from across the Internet.

Astronomical Journals and Archives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS): The ADS is an online catalog of the astronomy and physics literature. Reprints of many journal conference proceedings articles are available from this site in a variety of formats, including the PDF format. Generally the articles that are available are several years old. The most recently published articles are generally only available as abstracts.
arXiv Preprint Archive: This site is the primary archive for preprints in the physical sciences. The preprints can be either for journal articles or for articles appearing in conference proceedings. The papers on astronomy are available under the Astrophysics link of the home page. This is the site to search for articles that are not yet available online at the primary journal site or are not yet in print.
Annual Reviews, Inc.: Annual Reviews is the publisher of numerous series of books that review the scientific literature. The series that covers astronomy is Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The articles in each issue cover narrow topics of study; they are written by experts in the field. The review articles are available for a fee or to those who subscribe to the annual series.
The Astrophysical Journal: This is the primary journal for astronomy and astrophysics in the United States, although the authors published in the journal are from around the world. All articles appearing in this journal are peer-reviewed. The journal is published under three separate sections: the main journal of moderately-long articles, which is called The Astrophysical Journal; the rapid-publication section for short articles, which is called The Astrophysical Journal Letters, and the section for very long articles and articles filled with tables of data, which is called The Astrophysical Journal Supplement. The main journal and the letters are published three times a month, while the supplement is published once a month. The journal is a publication of the American Astronomical Society. Abstracts are free, and journal articles are available for a fee.
The Astronomical Journal: This peer-reviewed journal specializes in astronomical observations. It is a publication of the American Astronomical Society, appearing monthly. Abstracts are free, and journal articles are available for a fee.

Astronomical Catalogs

ATNF Pulsar Catalogue: This is an online catalog of spin-powered pulsars maintained by the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF). The catalog contains all known pulsars, including pulsars that are members of binary systems. The catalog can be searched by name or characteristic, with results presented either as a table or as a graph.

NASA and ESA

Web sites associated with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration and with the European Space Agency. The list includes links to currently productive satellites and to astronomical databases.

NASA: The home page for the National Aeronautic and Space Administration of the United States.
ESA: The home page for the European Space Agency.
Cassini Mission to Saturn: The home page for the Cassini spacecraft, which is now orbiting Saturn. The site includes the latest results from Cassini.
Chandra X-ray Observatory: The home page for NASA's Chandra x-ray imaging satellite. The site includes the latest results from Chandra.
The High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center: The HEASARC is NASA's archive of x-ray and gamma-ray data from astronomical sources. The site includes links to public outreach and links to current x-ray and gamma-ray satellite home pages.
The Hubble Space Telescope: The home page for NASA's Hubble satellite. The site provide the latest news about the instrument and a gallery of pictures taken by Hubble.
The Spitzer Space Telescope: The home page for NASA's Spitzer infrared telescope. The site provide access to the data collected by this satellite.

Laboratories

Links to various government and university labs that conduct astronomical research.

National Space Science and Technology Center: The NSSTC, which is located in Huntsville, Alabama, USA, is affiliated with the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
The Space Research Institute (IKI): This research center, which is part of the Russian Academy of Science, is located in Moscow. It is the primary Russian laboratory for space science and astronomy.