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TopClicks
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Curiosities, Wonders & Interesting Facts
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Astronomy & Space
Abrams Planetarium - Would you like to know what interesting events are happening in the night sky? Visit this site for a day-by-day list of what to look for and where to look for it. The list is updated each month and includes an archive of past diaries. Check out the archive near the end of the month to take a peek at next month's diary.
Aeronautics Learning Laboratory - If you don't know your ailerons from your fuselage, you should make for a landing at this site. Learn about the parts of an airplane and the principles of flight. There are some fun experiments in airfoil design you can try, using simple household materials. Don't miss the history of flight in the History section, chock-full of details on early planes and aviators.
Asteroid Comet Impact Hazards - Fueled by recent blockbuster disaster movies, worries about the possibility of a huge chunk of space rock crashing into Earth are on our minds. Will this occur in the future? If it does, what happens to us? This site helps separate the facts from the hype. Check the very complete Links section for more.
Astronomy Online - Explore the Mysterious Universe - This site's stunningng sequence will leave you breathless! Once you recover, you'll be able to explore photos of many of the solar system's greatest hits. There's also a huge fact file per planet, plus a discussion board, and more links than we could count. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
Astronomy Picture of the Day - Today we see an image of NGC 4261, a Hubble Space Telescope photo of a neighboring galaxy that has a giant black hole at its center. Tomorrow will be a picture called "24 hours from Jupiter." Guess we'll have to return tomorrow to see that one. The descriptive captions are peppered with links to other materials.
Auroras: Paintings in the Sky - The Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco is famous for its outstanding online exhibits, and this one is no exception. View spectacular photos of aurora from Earth and from space. Find out why no two aurora are alike and why they come in different colors. One of the neat features of this site is the audio explanations, so you don't have to read; you can just listen and enjoy the dazzling pictures.
Breitling-Orbiter 3 - On March 21, 1999, the Breitling Orbiter 3 completed the first nonstop round-the-world balloon trip. The trip took 19 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes. At this site you can read about the celebrated balloon and its pilots, follow along in their trip journal, and imagine what it would be like to follow the high-altitude jet stream winds around the Earth.
Dome of the Sky - An online planetarium showing views of the stars and constellations at different latitudes and different dates through the year. The sky views are image maps. Click on a constellation or brighter star to learn its name. The latest version of the Dome also gives info on phases of the moon, eclipses of the moon and sun, the seasons, equinoxes, solstices, and the rising and setting times of the sun and the moon, currently or in selected years.
Hot Air Balloon Cyber-Ride - Up, up, and away! What happens when you take a balloon ride? This little adventure will let you experience it all on a virtual trip. Will you fly over the barn or make for that big mountain in the distance? The choice is up to you. Remember, although champagne is traditional at the end of a balloon journey, you'll have to stick to a nonalcoholic beverage!
How DO Things Fly? - It sounds weird, but spacecraft don't actually fly, they fall around the Earth! In space, astronauts just have to deal with two forces: thrust and gravity. There are a couple other minor details, such as getting to space in the first place, and staying there, but this Web site deals with those problems, too.
Hubble Space Telescope News and Greatest Hits Gallery - They say on a clear day, you can see forever. However, astronomers would rather do without the air, no matter how clear. Light waves become distorted as they travel through the air, and it's hard to get a good picture when you're trying to see very far away. That's the idea behind the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). With a powerful telescope in orbit above the atmosphere, scientists can get a much better picture of our universe. The images are sent back to Earth electronically. This way, they are not affected by the atmosphere. Be sure to check out the telescope's greatest hits!
Inconstant Moon - Speaking of the Moon, what's it doing tonight? This site has all the answers. Just click on today's date and you'll learn where and when to look for the Moon tonight, what phase to expect, and a guide to what you might see (you may want to try this viewing activity with binoculars, though). The photos are stunning. The background music is (what else?) "Moonlight Sonata."
Mars Millennium Project - Your mission is to design an off-world community to support 100 humans arriving on Mars in 2030. Got any ideas? This might make a great family, class, or club project. If you submit your registered project with NASA by June, 2000, it will be sent to Mars on a special microchip. Registration will also make you eligible for additional events. This project has numerous sponsors, so you'll probably be hearing a lot about it.
Mission to Mars - This exemplary site won the 1998 ThinkQuest competition's Math and Science category, entirely built by kids. You can learn all sorts of information about Mars, the Red Planet, here at Mars Academy. But the real fun starts when you can outfit and fly your own mission! You have to know a lot to design your mission, so you'd better go back to the Academy and make sure you did all the assigned homework. This site takes a long time to explore, and your mission may take many visits to complete.
Mount Wilson Observatory - Located above Los Angeles, California, this observatory has been at the forefront of astronomy for many years. The lights in nearby L.A. are about as bright as a full moon, so observations are limited to bright objects such as nebulae or star clusters. Still, scientific competition to use the telescopes at this facility is fierce! On the virtual tour, you'll visit all the `scopes on the mountain. Plus, you'll get a tour of the Monastery, which is the building where scientists sleep when not performing their duties. The building is divided into two parts: the "day" side (for scientists who sleep at night and work during the day) and the "night" side (for scientists who sleep during the day and use the telescopes at night).
Mythology of the Constellations - Ancient Greek and Roman myths about the stars and constellations.
NASA - JSC Digital Image Collection Home - Over 250,000 images have been captured, digitized, and stored by NASA. Come explore the universe through these photos
Our Universe - Dark matter. Wormholes, black holes, white holes. Superstrings. What about the theory of everything? This site provides nice concise explanations of these astronomy puzzlers and more. Plus, there's a "defend the earth" arcade game for fun. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
Sky and Telescope Magazine - If you really want to know what's up in the sky this week, today, NOW!, then you've got to visit this site. It's from the publisher of Sky & Telescope magazine and other magazines, books, star atlases, and much more. Included are check tips for backyard astronomers, including how to find and see satellites and spacecraft in the night sky overhead. You can also track the latest comet sightings, meteor forecasts, and eclipse data. There is a fabulous collection of links, too. If it's happening in space or astronomy this week, you'll find something about it here.
Sky Watch - Discovery Channel School - Astronomy observing tips, discussions, folklore, links, printable star charts and classroom resources on monthly celestial events. All on Discovery Channel School.
Skyphoto.com - A showcase of astronomical and sky photographs by Jerry Schad.
Space Camp - Ah, Space Camp, the ultimate place for all kids to go to be trained for their future lives above (the aliens are coming, you know). Well, even if that last part isn't true---at least, not yet---Space Camp is an awsome place. I actually took the Space Academy course for five days with some of my classmates and my math teacher Mr. Herbert. The guides are very cool, and you learn (a little bit) about how astronauts live in space and a lot about how they are trained. However, I offer you a word of caution: before going in the Multi-Axis-Trainer, make sure you have nothing in your pockets ;-)
StarDate Online - Non-technical information about astronomy and space exploration, including stargazing tips, FAQs, sky almanac, solar system guide, StarDate magazine articles, and K-12 teacher resources. StarDate Online is the web companion to the popular syndicated radio program.
Sun - It's big, it's hot, and it's the brightest thing around. No, we're not talking about glow-in-the-dark slime. We're talking about our very own star: the Sun. The Sun makes plants grow and keeps us warm. It's over 4.6 billion years old and is big enough to hold 1.3 million Earths. Read all about what it's made of and how it works.
The Planetary Society - This nonprofit group was founded by astronomer Carl Sagan and others. Its mission is to encourage planetary exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. Naturally, the Web site has links to the SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) pages, and now you can use your computer to help look for ET! You'll be doing some real science, and wouldn't it be cool if YOUR computer found the signal pattern that means off-Earth intelligence? But there's more. How about building your own Mars rover, which distant kids can control (don't worry, you can also drive their rovers).
The Sun: Man's Friend & Foe - The Sun: should it stay or should it go? Most people would say STAY, but the Sun is also a force behind terrible weather conditions and other disruptions. Find out science facts about our nearest star as well as cultural influences the Sun has had over the centuries. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest competition.
Total Eclipse of the Sun - When's the next solar or lunar eclipse? Where is the best place in the world to see it? Check this site! You'll also find a calendar of space events, a mailing list so you can keep up on eclipses, meteor showers, occultations, sightings, sunspots, rumors, and more. Lots of eclipse Web pages have great photography, and this one is no exception. But how many sites offer audio files? No, you can't hear the Sun say, "Hey Moon! Get out of my way!" but the assembled crowd of astronomers and spectators does have a reaction, and you can hear it here if you use Internet Explorer.
U.S. Space Camp - It's light-years away from any other camp experience! You can visit Space Camp here on the Web and see pictures of some of the things kids (and adults) get to do there. How would you like to ride a space shuttle simulator or build your own satellite? Beam yourself up to this site--you'll definitely find intelligent life here. Son of Net-mom was able to take the Space Academy training. (He was on the Coke team. Here's their yell: "OHH-OHH COKE *clap* Whoosh!!!) He can't wait to go back.
Views of the Solar System - What do you think of when you hear the word "Mars"? Mars, ah yes, one of my favorite candy bars. How about "Pluto"? Hey, that's Mickey's pet dog! "Saturn"? My dad's got one of those in the garage! OK, now what do they all have in common? They're all planets, of course. Did you know Mars has volcanoes and the biggest one is 16 miles high (the biggest one on Earth is only 6 miles high)? Did you know that for 20 years out of its 249-year orbit Pluto is closer to the Sun than Neptune? (This won't happen again until 2226.) Scientists also think that Pluto's atmosphere freezes and falls to the ground when Pluto gets farther away from the Sun--imagine shoveling clouds off your front walk! Did you know that you can drive a Saturn, but you can't make it sink? At least not the pla Net--it floats! There's lots more here, including many images and animations of planets, comets, and asteroids.
Weight on Different Planets - Do you know how many kilograms you weigh on Earth? (Hint: To convert pounds to approximate kilograms, take the number of pounds and divide by 2.2.) What would your weight be on other planets? Use this Shockwave simulation to experience the unbearable lightness of being on Pluto; then experiment with the others.
Welcome to the Planets - This collection centers on images taken from NASA's planetary exploration program. There are different annotated views of each planet, including close-ups. You'll also find pictures and facts about the spacecraft NASA used to take these photos, including Mariner, Viking, Voyager, Magellan, Galileo, and the Hubble Space Telescope.
What's Up Tonight? - Hey, did you see how clear it is tonight? I wonder what that star is over there--gosh, it's bright! Maybe it's a planet. Anyone got a clue? Anyone got a URL? Try this one--there's a picture of what the sky looks like from your backyard tonight! And don't miss the planet roundup, which explains where they all are, and whether they are visible tonight or not.
Woman in the Moon - You may have heard of the Man in the Moon, but have you ever seen the Woman in the Moon? Some people think she's actually easier to see! She looks a little like Wilma Flintstone to us, but study the pictures here and see what you think.
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