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

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

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://adc.gsfc.nasa.gov/adc/adc_amateurs.html 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.)

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. FREE http://www.skycalendar.com/skycal/index.html

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

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://members.cox.net/astro7/SFAStarCharts.html

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/observing/charts/

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

Look-Up Tools