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A Science Odyssey - We don't care what you're doing right now. Just get on the net and visit this site. You will not be disappointed. Check out the Shockwave simulations in the You Try It section. In the Technology at Home area, you can scroll through the twentieth century and see what changes happen in the virtual home. Appliances appear and disappear, telephone equipment changes--what else will you notice? You can mouse over each item and see some facts about it: what it is, who invented it, and when it came into vogue or went out of style. Now try the other explorations: human evolution, radio transmission; probe the brain, atomic structure, and several more. When you get done with those, read the On the Edge comic books about various scientists and their discoveries. Did radio astronomer Jocelyn Bell really think she'd received a message from little green men in outer space? Find out here! Don't miss the hit game show That's My Theory! Question the three contestants to see which one is the real Einstein, the real Freud, and the real ENIAC.
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.
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.
Bradford Robotic Telescope - OK, here's the deal. You register (free) with this site, and then you get to use their telescope. Unfortunately, the 46-centimeter `scope is high on the moors in West Yorkshire, England. Fortunately, the Bradford Robotic Telescope is robotic, and an astronomer does not need to be present. Anyone can direct the telescope to look at anything in the northern night sky. The observations are completed as time allows, so be prepared to wait awhile for your results. If you don't want to wait that long, you can browse through some of the completed jobs. Oh wow, look at that! Wait, who's that waving from the Moon?
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.
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!
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.
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.
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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