One of my special interests is producing astronomy resource guides to help educators, astronomy students, and the interested public figure out the best books, articles, and websites for researching a particular topic in space science or astronomy education. The links on this page will take you to some of the resource guides that I have recently updated or compiled. Please let me know if you find them useful or have suggestions for them.
The page begins with a resource I am especially pleased to keep updated, on the history and present role of women in astronomy. It includes biographical material on women astronomers of the past and present, and discussions of the issues that have confronted and continue to confront women who want to contribute to the science of astronomy.
A controversial area to which I have tried to contribute is the debunking of astronomical pseudo-science — topics that sound like they might be based on science, but, in fact, turn out to be without scientific foundation. These topics include astrology, UFO’s being alien spaceships, various astronomical causes of immediate doomsday, the “young universe theory” favored by creationists, the so-called Face on Mars, crop circles, and more. If you get or have questions about such topics, the second resource guide below might be just what you need to come up with answers.
Also here are guides to plays about astronomers, links to find the best astronomy images, an introduction to the vexing issue of light pollution, an annotated catalog of music inspired by astronomy, resources about Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, and a guide to free lab exercises on astronomy.
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Women in Astronomy: Their Accomplishments and Challenges
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Web Resources for Debunking Astronomical Pseudo-science
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Sources of Astronomical Images
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Free Lab Exercises for Introductory Astronomy Courses
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Copyright-free Images of all the Objects in the Messier Catalog
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Pluto, the Kuiper Belt, and Planet Nine
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Plays (and some Films) about Astronomers
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Light Pollution (and Radio Interference)
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10. Science Fiction Stories with Good Astronomy
11. Black Lives in Astronomy
12. Free Astronomy Labs on the Web
13. Responding to Claims about Alien UFOs: A Skeptical Guide
14. Essential Websites for Astro 101 Instructors (A One-page Compact Guide)
15. Connecting Eclipses and Other Fields (fiction, music, art, films)
Open PDF File
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NEW! Download a 1-page List of all My Current Resource Guides (with short URLs)