Imaging Software • Observation Help • Star Charts & Atlases • Look-up Tools

Rather than delete inactive links they have a strikethrough.  I left these, at least temporarily, so that I can try to track them down if they still exist with a different URL. 

All of the websites are free, of course.  The "FREE" below refers to software downloads.

CAP Journal (Communicating Astronomy with the Public) This is a free journal, print or online, for those who do astronomy education for the public. http://www.capjournal.org/index.php

AstroCam Information about converting a webcam for astronomical imaging http://www.astrocam.org/english.htm

Messier45 and Deep Sky Browser Browser gives starmaps and data about selected objects http://www.messier45.com

Cloudy Nights Telescope reviews, telescope building, and observing notes http://www.cloudynights.com/index.php
    Also check out Tom Trusock's Small Wonders on this site. Nice guide to small telescope objects  http://www.telescopereviews.com/category.php?category_id=170

Sky Insight Keep in touch with others (our just eavesdrop) with newsgroups. Check on the latest space news. http://skyinsight.net/index800.html This site has not been updated since 2008.

Night Sky Network NASA/JPL Astronomy club network http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/

NJ Night Sky Amateur Astronomers resource. Lots of information for the beginner and a place for veterans to share.  http://njnightsky.com/nuke/html/index.php

Newtonian Telescope design software FREE Software to help you design your Newtonian telescope. http://home.att.net/~dale.keller/atm/newtonians/newtsoft/newtsoft.htm

Telescope Designer software from NOVA Optical Systems.  FREE Software to analyze your telescope design. http://www.nova-optical.com/Scope.htm  NOVA Optical Systems sells mirrors for your telescope building project.

Cosmic Voyage http://members.aol.com/billferris/index.html A general site for amateur astronomers by Bill Ferris. Bill Ferris has discovered many NEO's, Comets and an Asteroid.

American Association of Amateur Astronomers http://www.astromax.com

Amateur Astronomer Magazine http://www.amateurastronomy.com/

Spectroscopy, CCD and Astronomy http://www.astrosurf.com/buil/ Everything about CCD imaging and how to do it.

Astrophotography for the Amateur http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/astro/astrowhat.html Film photography may be on the way out (too bad).  Here's a place for information if you want to try it. 

Astrophotography Primer  http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/6529/primer.html Information on astrophotography all on one page.

QuickCam astrophotography http://www.vub.ac.be/STER/www.astro/AstroCCD/AstroQC.htm One amateurs attempts at astrophotography with an inexpensive webcam. Learn from another's experience.

Astronomy Basics from Sky & Telescope magazine http://skyandtelescope.com/howto/basics/

Telescope Basics from Celestron http://www.celestron.com/education/tel4ast.htm Good, overall information about telescopes.

Astronomical Data Center http://adswww.harvard.edu/ Find all your data here.

Amateur Radio Astronomers http://www.qsl.net/SARA/ Take you hobby to a new level. (or is that wavelength?)

Setting Circles printout software http://www.startrak.co.uk/MakingSettingCircles.htm

Hobby Space http://www.hobbyspace.com/index.html Lots of links and information on how to get involved in space/astronomy as a hobby from science fiction to building your own satellite.

Telescope Simulator  Spend a cloudy night showing a newbe how the moon, or a selection of other objects, would look if you could see it. Change eyepieces, aperture, etc. http://www.scopesim.com/

Imaging Software

IRIS astronomical image processing software. FREE software. http://www.astrosurf.com/buil/us/iris/iris.htm

StellaImage astronomical image processing software FREE TRIAL VERSION http://www.sciencecenter.net/hutech/a-arts/

Astra Image astronomical image processing software. FREE http://www.phasespace.com.au/

AstroSnap Software for combining webcam images. FREE and PAY versions http://www.astrosnap.com/

AstroStack Software to stack video images into a still image. FREE http://www.astrostack.com/

R-Spec  Software and grating for spectrography.  Use with your CCD or webcam.  Haven't tried it, but looks good.  (Not free.) http://www.rspec-astro.com/

Observation help

Tonight's Sky Website generates an observing list according to your criteria inputs. Nicely done. http://tonightssky.com/

GraphDark Software to create and print rise, transit, set charts for all planets, moon, and sun.  Plus more. FREE http://home.clara.net/rfleet/graphdark/gdkindex.html

ACME Mapper find your lat and long. http://mapper.acme.com/

CalSky Produce your own personal calendar of sky events. FREE  http://www.calsky.com/

Cartes du Ceil "Sky Charts" Sky Chart/Planetarium program. FREE http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/

CyberSky Sky Chart/Planetarium program. SHAREWARE http://www.cybersky.com/ 

Deep Sky Database Generates an observing list of the type of object selected. FREE http://www.virtualcolony.com/sac/

RTGUI "Real Time Astronomy" Observing planning with telescope control. FREE http://www.rtgui.com/

StarGaze Sky Chart/Planetarium program. FREE http://www.skymapper.co.uk/html/stargaze.html

Astronomy Lab "Astronomy Lab 2 is a comprehensive astronomy prediction, graphing, and simulation program" FREE http://www.personalmicrocosms.com/html/ss_alw32.html

Stig's Sky Calendar Rise - Set times for planets, the moon, etc. JAVA FREE http://www.skycalendar.com/skycal/index.html  Offline version http://www.skycalendar.com/download/ (not win7 64 bit compatable)

Astro Helper Astronomical viewing planning help. FREE http://casazza.net/astrohelper/

Astro Planner Astronomical viewing planning help. FREE TRIAL VERSION  http://www.ilangainc.com/astroplanner/index.html

SunTimes Sunrise/set calculator. FREE http://www.fv01.dial.pipex.com/suntimes.shtml

Star Date online sun rise and set calculator. Creates screen or print version for any month. http://www.stardate.org/nightsky/riseset/

Zipinfor.com Find your latitude and longitude by zip code. http://www.zipinfo.com/search/zipcode.htm

David Paul Green's Astro Software Helpful programs to help you keep track of your observing. FREE http://www.davidpaulgreen.com/software.html

Catskills Astronomy Club http://www.geocities.com/catskills_astronomy_club/calculator.htm A calculator to figure out your telescopes limiting magnitude.

NGC/IC Project http://www.ngcic.org/default.htm Information about NGC and IC galaxies. Database, Observing list generator. More.

Star Charts & Atlases

Binocular Sky http://www.wains.co.uk/  Free monthly pdf guide to binocular sky viewing.  Other information on this site also.

US Navel Observatory  http://aa.usno.navy.mil/   Create Sun and Moon rise and set time charts specific to your location.

Skygx http://www.skygx.com/  FREE "The SkyGX Project is the working group title for the ongoing efforts of a small cadre of dedicated individuals to create and ultimately publish the greatest general all-sky atlas ever: " Very nice star chart creator.

Deep Sky Browser FREE http://www.messier45.com/cgi-bin/dsdb/dsb.pl

Charts from SFA Observatory (PDF) Equitorial star charts and polar charts like the ones from Sky & Telescope FREE http://www.midnightkite.com/starcharts.html Star chart viewer based on the SFA charts - nice! http://observatory.tamu.edu/archive/sfachart/application/

Mag 7 Atlas Charts  Very nice set of charts in color or Black & White (PDF) FREE http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1052

Sky Maps (PDF) Printable monthly sky map. FREE  http://www.skymaps.com/

AAVSO charts for variable star observing FREE  http://www.aavso.org/charts/

Ultimate Messier Object Log & others. Sky maps, logbook. very versatile and useful. FREE http://www.davidpaulgreen.com/software.html

Look-Up Tools