Astronomy Web Resources

General Astronomy - Solar System, Planets, the Universe

Asteroid Watch

News, images, videos, frequently asked questions (FAQ), and more about asteroids. From NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Astronomy for the Public

Themes include Astromony in Everyday Life; How to Report a Discovery; Near Earth Asteroids; Defining Our Place in Cosmos; Controlling Light Pollution; Near Earth Objects; Buying Stars and Star Names; Naming of Exoplanets; How to Participate in Astronomy Research; Careers in Astronomy; Measuring the Universe; Naming Astronomical Objects; Pluto and the Developing Landscpe of Our Solar System. From the International Astronomical Union.

Astronomy Visual Dictionary

Colorful, labeled diagrams. Topics include Celestial Bodies, Astronomical Observation, and Astronautics. From the Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary Online.

The Constellations

Charts and tables "produced in collaboration with Sky and Telescope." Includes pronunciations and downloadble PDFs of star patterns (to be found as you scroll further down their page). From the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Cosmology

Cosmological theories concerning the scientific creation of the universe.

Eric Weisstein's World of Astronomy

Explore NASA Science

Topics include: Earth science, NASA space missions, Science and Technology, the Solar System, Sun, and the Universe.

The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia

A catalog/encyclopedia of exoplanets (planets found beyond our solar system). Follow their "Interactive Catalog" link to browse past and newly discovered worlds around other stars (arranged by methods of discovery).

Exploring the Planets

Covers the history and tools for studying the solar system. Compare planets, and explore comets. From the National Air and Space Museum.

Glossaries

Topics: Astronomy, Cosmology, Galaxies, Hubble Space Telescope, Light & Color, Other Observatories, Physics, Solar System, Asteroids & Meteors, Comets, General, Moons, Planets, The Sun, Start & Nebulae. From the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Imagine the Universe Dictionary

Goddard Space Flight Center's astronomical dictionary.

The Map of the Observable Universe

"From the Milky Way to the edge of what can be seen...This map, representing galaxies just as little dots, allows the viewer to understand different scales at the same time." Galaxies placed in accurate, relative positions to one another." From Johns Hopkins University Professor Brice Menard.

Origins on the Names of the Celestial Bodies

From Encyclopedia Mythica.

Pluto and the Developing Landscape of Our Solar System

From the International Astronomical Union regarding the change in Pluto's status and planets in general.

Solar Astronomy Resources

Topics include Education; Solar Research; Space Weather; Meta Astronomy; Images; FAQs; Databases, Catalogs, Maps; Abstracts; Other Space Science; Organizations and Journals; and Science Museums. From the Stanford Solar Center.

Space.com

News and resources concerning current and future space missions

Space Weather

"News and information about the Sun-Earth environment" from NASA.

Star Date: The Solar System

Find current information and images of our solar system and the explorations we have taken to explore them.

Tonight's Sky

Find daily articles of what to look for in the night sky, blogs, podcasts and much more. From EarthSky.org.

Why Pluto is No Longer a Planet

An article with the history of Pluto's discovery and a clear explanation why it lost the designation of Planet. Also includes a new video. From UniverseToday.

Windows to the Universe

Approached from a historical and cultural outlook the ties between science, exploration, and the human experience. Includes teaching resources.

Astronomy - Amateur Astronomy & Observation Basics

Amateur Astronomers Association of New York

Astronomical organization in NY.

From Sky and Telescope Magazine:

Astronomy Equipment

Includes Telescopes; Binoculars; Eyepieces; Filters; Videos and DIY projects.

Astronomy for Beginners

Stargazing Basics

"Whether you’re looking for your first telescope, trying to learn the constellations, or want to learn to use star charts, you’ve come to the right place."

Reflector

Online editions of the quarterly publication from the Astronomical League. From 2012 to the present.

Tonight's Sky

"Your guide to constellations, deep sky objects, planets, and events." Video podcasts from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI).

WorldWide Telescope

"Move around the sky by clicking and dragging the Field of View. Zoom in/out by scrolling the mouse wheel, pressing ­-/+ or Page Up/Page Down." And more. From American Astronomical Society.

Astronomical Observatories (Earth-based)

Arecibo Observatory

European Southern Observatory (ESO)

James Clerk Maxwell Telescope

Lowell Observatory

Mauna Kea Observatories

McDonald Observatory

Mount Wilson Observatory

National Optical Astronomy Observatory

Includes: Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), The NOAO Gemini Science Center (NGSC).

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

The Owens Valley Long Wavelength Array at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory

From Caltech (California Institute of Technology) and NASA/JPL.

Palomar Observatory

Royal Observatory, Edinburgh

Royal Observatory, London

U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO)

Vatican Observatory

W. M. Keck Observatory

Multimedia (Images, Photographs, Sounds, Videos)

Astrophotography Tips

Articles from Sky and Telescope Magazine.

Constellation Mythological Forms

"With the kind cooperation of the U.S. Naval Observatory's Library we digitally scanned a complete set of exquisite engravings from the 17th century Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia star atlas by Johannes Hevelius." Includes a web version (for previewing) and a full resolution version. From the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI).

HubbleSite Gallery

"Explore the universe through Hubble's eye, and witness the most dangerous, spectacular and mysterious depths of the cosmos." From Hubble Space Telescope / Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). See also Top 100 Images from ESA/Hubble.

From NASA.gov:

Chronology of Wakeup Calls

"In the honored tradition of playing wakeup calls in space, the chronology lists the verifiable songs played during both human spaceflight and robotic missions." Please follow this link for their PDF document. From NASA.gov.

Image Galleries

Includes Astronomy Pic of the Day and a search engine. See also NASA Images on the Internet Archive.

NASA on the Commons

NASA Planetary Photojournal

Find thousands of images from NASA of all the planets and more.

NASA Podcasts and Sounds

"A collection of our sounds from historic spaceflights and current missions. You can hear the roar of a space shuttle launch or Neil Armstrong's 'One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind' every time you get a phone call if you make our sounds your ringtone. Or, you can hear the memorable words 'Houston, we've had a problem,' every time you make an error on your computer."

NASA TV

See also NASA Television on YouTube.

Project Apollo Archive

"The Project Apollo Archive is an online reference source and repository of digital images pertaining to the historic manned lunar landing program."

Rocket Gallery

"A gallery of photographs of rockets used by NASA to launch a variety of payloads into orbit."

Rocketry Image Gallery

Space Images

NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and California Institute of Technology.

Video Gallery

Visible Earth

"A catalog of NASA images and animations of our home planet."

Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)

"SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, is a project of international collaboration between ESA and NASA to study the Sun from its deep core to the outer corona and the solar wind." Includes hourly images of the sun as well as news and information.

Space in Images

From European Space Agency (ESA). See also their Space in Videos website.

Space.com: Image of the Day Archives

This Is the Music That's Traveled to the Moon

From public radio station WRTI in Philadelphia, PA.

Space Telescopes

Allen Telescope Array

"The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) is a joint effort of the SETI Institute and the Radio Astronomy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley."

Arecibo Observatory

Famous radio telescope located in Puerto Rico. "Arecibo Observatory is part of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC), a national research center operated by Cornell University under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF)." Arecibo is also used in the SETI and SETI@home projects.

Chandra X-ray Observatory

"Since its launch on July 23, 1999, the Chandra X-ray Observatory has been NASA's flagship mission for X-ray astronomy." Includes news, images archived by year, as well as special features for students and educators. Website provided by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. NASA maintains its own Chandra Mission website.

European Southern Observatory (ESO)

"ESO, the European Southern Observatory, builds and operates a suite of the world's most advanced ground-based astronomical telescopes." Includes news, images, and scientific data of astronomical observations and research.

The European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT)

Future ground-based telescope for the European Space Observatory.

The Very Large Telescope Project (VLT)

Described as "the flagship facility for European astronomy." Includes information about the facility as well as an archive of astronomical images. See also this VLT page for more information and related links.

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)

"The Giant Magellan Telescope will be one member of the next class of super giant earth-based telescopes that promises to revolutionize our view and understanding of the universe. It will be constructed in the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile."

GLAST: The Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope

"GLAST is the first imaging gamma-ray observatory to survey the entire sky every day and with high sensitivity. It will give scientists a unique opportunity to learn about the ever-changing Universe at extreme energies." See also this Thrall blog post for more GLAST-related links.

Herschel Space Observatory

Sporting "the largest single mirror ever built for a space telescope," Herschel will focus on "the coldest and most distant objects in the Universe." It is also said to be "the only space observatory to cover a spectral range from the far infrared to sub-millimetre." From the European Space Agency (ESA).

HubbleSite: The Hubble Space Telescope

The official website of the Hubble Space Telescope. Includes pictures, news, and discoveries. See also Hubble's European Space Administration (ESA) home page and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI).

James Webb Space Telescope

"The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope, scheduled for launch in 2013. JWST will find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy."

Kepler and K2

"The Kepler Mission, NASA Discovery mission #10, is specifically designed to survey our region of the Milky Way galaxy to discover hundreds of Earth-size and smaller planets in or near the habitable zone and determine how many of the billions of stars in our galaxy have such planets." Website provided by NASA.

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (formerly WFIRST: Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope)

"NASA's current plans call for the Roman Space Telescope to study dark energy, measure the history of cosmic acceleration, complete the exoplanet census begun by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope and demonstrate technology for direct imaging and characterization of exoplanets. Launch is slated for the mid-2020s." From NASA.gov.

Planck Microwave Telescope

This space telescope will analyze "remnants of radiation that filled the Universe immediately after the Big Bang, which we observe today as the Cosmic Microwave Background." From the European Space Agency (ESA).

Very Large Array National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Includes news, images, FAQs, educational information for students and teachers, and more detailed data for astronomers.

Biology

All Living Things

Click on a group such as reptile, fungi, coral etc. to find photos, maps, identification guides and more.

Biodiversity Heritage Library

"The Biodiversity Heritage Library improves research methodology by collaboratively making biodiversity literature openly available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community. BHL also serves as the literature component of the Encyclopedia of Life

Biology

"Explore, Play, Discover: Websites, Activities and More" From The Exploratorium.

Biology

Topics include: Cell Structure; Cell Respiration; Cell Reproduction; Molecular Biology; Plants; Microorganisms; Evolution; and Animal Behavior. From Sparknotes.com.

Biology Library

"[B]rowse videos, articles, and exercises by topic." From Khan Academy.

Biology News

Features current news articles and resources on biology.

Biozone

Directory of biology websites.

Encyclopedia of Life

"The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is an ambitious, even audacious project to organize and make available via the Internet virtually all information about life present on Earth. At its heart lies a series of Web sitesone for each of the approximately 1.8 million known speciesthat provide the entry points to this vast array of knowledge. The entry-point for each site is a species page suitable for the general public, but with several linked pages aimed at more specialized users. The sites sparkle with text and images that are enticing to everyone, as well as providing deep links to specific data."

Integrated Taxonomic Information System

You will find authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world. Search by common name or scientific.

Life Science Teaching Resource Community

"The Archive contain[s] more than 2,200 peer-reviewed teaching resources including audiovisual materials, lesson plans, teaching journal articles, and scientific content materials." Allows advanced searching by Grades/Age levels, Title, Author, Cultural Aspects, Funding Sources, Difficulty Levels and more.

Plants Database

"The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories." A database of images can be found here. From the USDA: Natural Resource Conservation Service.

Tree of Life

Provides information about the diversity of organisms on Earth, their evolutionary history (phylogeny), and characteristics. Linked hierarchically.

What's It Like Where You Live?

Includes: Biomes of the World; Freshwater Ecosystems; and Marine Ecosystems. From the MIssouri Botanical Garden.

Chemistry

American Chemical Society

News and linked resources arranged by grade level for students and educators as well as professionals.

Landmarks Timeline

ChemEd DL (Chemical Education Digital Library)

"A storehouse of tested digital resources for education in the chemical sciences. Our aim is to be the place on the Web where you can contribute, share, organize, and use high quality chemistry education materials."

Chemistry

Includes many links and articles to chemistry information.

Chemistry Study Guides

Sections include: Fundamentals of Chemistry (Units, Scientific Notation, Significant Figures, Periodic Table, Atomic Structure), Bonding (Chemical Bonding, Properties of Chemical Bonds, Ionic / Covalent Bonds), Stoichiometry, Gases (Pressure, Kinetic Molecular Theory), Solutions (Chemicals, Compositions, Properties, Solubility), Acids and Bases (pH, Buffers, Titrations), Electrochemistry (Galvanic / Electrolytic Cells, Thermodynamics), Reaction Kinetics (Reaction Rate Laws, Mechanisms), Organic Chemistry. From SparkNotes.

Eric Weisstein's World of Chemistry

Comprehensive. Sections include Chemical Reactions, Experimental Chemistry, Geology, Inorganic Chemistry, Mineralogy, Organic Chemistry, Petrology, Quantum Chemistry.

Chemistry Glossary

"An online dictionary of AP Chemistry terms that you will need to know for the AP Chemistry Exam." From Course-Notes.org.

Directory of National Historic Chemical Landmarks

"The mission of the [National Historic Chemical Landmarks (NHCL or Landmarks)] program is to enhance public appreciation for the contributions of the chemical sciences to modern life in the United States and to encourage a sense of pride in their practitioners for chemistry's rich history." Browse the list by Year It Was Designated; by Landmark Category; by State; or by Country. From the American Chemical Society. See also the "Landmarks Timeline."

Element Discovery Timeline

"[A] table chronicling the discovery of the elements. The date is listed for when the element was first isolated. ... Click on an element's name to see its entry in the Periodic Table and get facts for the element."

General Chemistry Online

Contains the Common Compound Library, articles, FAQ, tutorials, a glossary, simulations, a trivia quiz. Provided by the Department of Chemistry, Frostburg State University.

Historical Biographies

"Meet the people behind some of chemistry's most important milestones." From the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

It's Elemental: The Periodic Table of Elements

Click on the element for basic uses and facts on each one.

Khan Academy Chemistry

"Videos on chemistry (roughly covering a first-year high school or college course)."

The Orbitron

"[A] gallery of atomic orbitals and molecular orbitals on the WWW." Topics include: Images representing atomic orbitals and molecular orbitals; Animated plots of wave functions; Animated plots of electron density; "Dot-density" plots of electron density; Plots of radial distribution functions. From the University of Sheffield, England.

Periodic Table of the Elements

This periodic table is geared toward elementary, middle school, and high school students. Information includes descriptions of the elements, the naming of new elements, what the periodic table is and how to use it, and "Chemistry in a Nutshell." From the Los Alamos National Library.

Science History Institute

"[C]ollects and shares the stories of the innovators and scientific discoveries that shape our lives. We preserve and interpret the history of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences. Includes a "Digital Collection" of over 8,000 "artifacts, photographs, advertisements, letters, rare books, oral histories, and more."

Visual Elements Periodic Table

"The Royal Society of Chemistry's interactive periodic table features history, alchemy, podcasts, videos, and data trends across the periodic table. Click the tabs at the top to explore each section. Use the buttons above to change your view of the periodic table and view Murray Robertson’s stunning Visual Elements artwork. Click each element to read detailed information." From the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Web Elements

Two versions of the periodic table exists at this site: the "Professional" edition for scientists and advanced students, and the "Scholarly" edition aimed at school students. Click on an element to get its description and essential characteristics, then choose other information, such as history, uses, compounds, and updates.

Who Discovered the Element Gold, Silver, Copper, Neon, etc.?

Each element is arranged alphabetically with the name of the discoverer (when known) and the year of its discovery. Click on the name of the element for more information. From the Jefferson Lab.

Cosmology - Theories of the Universe
Popular Theories of the Universe & History of Cosmology

Copernican System

Focuses on Nicholas Copernicus' theory, Galileo, and the "Copernican Revolution" that challenged and ultimately helped to overturn the Ptolemaic view of Earth as the center of the universe. From the Galileo Project at Rice University.

Cosmic Journey: A History of Scientific Cosmology

An examination of theories of the universe's origin including the Big Bang and Steady State theory. From the American Institute of Physics.

Cosmology

Overview and history of cosmological theories of the universe. From Encyclopedia Britannica.

Cosmology Articles

From Quanta Magazine.

Khan Academy: Cosmology and Astronomy

Free online courses.

Cosmology and the Big Bang

Overview as well as questions and answers. From the Astronomy Department at Cornell University.

Cosmology and Theology

Encyclopedic article. Topics include: The Big Bang, General Relativity, Quantum and String Cosmologies, Steady State Theory, and more. From The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. See also: Creation and Conservation, The Cosmological Argument, and Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics.

Cosmology Articles from Quanta Magazine

The Elegant Universe

From PBS Nova. This series examines modern cosmology, a history of cosmic theories, and the many questions arising from humanity's attempts to understand the cosmos. Apple QuickTime plugin required to play videos.

NASA: Introduction to Cosmology

Focuses on the Big Bang theory.

Neil deGrasse Tyson: Essays

Select essays on cosmology, astronomy, science, and related topics.

The Origin of the Universe

An introductory article for educators and students. From Scholastic.com.

Ptolemaic View of the Universe

Focuses on Ptolemy's Earth-centric universe and Aristotle related theories. From the Galileo Project at Rice University.

Stephen Hawking's (Almost) Last Paper: Putting an End to the Beginning of the Universe

From Science Magazine.

The Science of Superstrings

From PBS NOVA.

Stephen Hawking's Official Website

The Strange Second Life of String Theory

From Quanta Magazine.

String Theory for Dummies Cheat Sheet

From ForDummies.com.

Theories of the Universe

An overview of major scientific theories regarding the physical origin of the universe. From Infoplease.com.

A Theory of Everything?

From PBS Nova.

The Theory of Parallel Universes

From ForDummies.com.

Top 10 Weirdest Cosmology Theories

From New Scientist.

Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)

"The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) is a NASA Explorer mission that launched June 2001 to make fundamental measurements of cosmology -- the study of the properties of our universe as a whole." From NASA.

Alternative Theories

Biocosm Theory

Alternative cosmological theory of the universe proposed by James N. Gardner.

Electric Universe Theory

Overview of the theory.

Holographic Principle

Videos featuring Michael Talbot's theory of the universe as a hologram. See also Wikipedia's article on the Holographic Principle (please note their disclaimers).

Multiverse and Parallel Universes

Article from Wikipedia (please note their disclaimers).

Oscillating Universe Theory

Article from Universe Today. See also Wikipedia's Cyclic Model article (please note their disclaimers).

String Theory

Focuses on the "superstrings" theory of the universe. See also Michio Kaku's M-Theory website.

Earth Science Featured Resource

Salem Science

Includes: Earth Science - Earth Materials and Resources, Earth's Weather, Water, and Atmosphere; Earth's Surface and History; Physics and Chemistry of the Earth. Available to members of Thrall.

Other Resources

Climate Change

Special coverage web guide providing access to web and library resources about climate change, global warming, and related concepts. Provided by Middletown Thrall Library.

Earth

Current news articles about earth science. From Science News.

Earth Science World Image Bank

A collection of quality photographs in categories like volcanoes, weather, lakes, dunes, etc. Images are for the public, educators, and the science community.

EarthGuide - Educational Resources in Earth, Marine, Environmental and Planetary Sciences

Contents include: news, image database, animations, "Current Conditions on Earth" directory, resources for students and teachers, and more. From the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego.

EarthNotes

EarthNotes are summaries of interesting and timely information about Earth and Earth scientists. They are stand-alone, one or two page, illustrated reports that inform the general public about how Earth is part of their lives. The reports are contributed by knowledgeable Earth scientists on a wide range of topics. Topics include oil in the sea, hydraulic fracturing, Japan's 2011 earthquake and tsunami, groundwater, coalbed methane production and critical minerals. From the American Geosciences Institute.

Earth Visual Dictionary

Colorful, labeled diagrams. Topics include Geography, Geology, Meteorology, and Environment. From the Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary Online.

Environment Blog

Environmental news, issues, reports, and other resources on the web and in the library. A Middletown Thrall Library blog.

Faultline: Seismic Science at the Epicenter

Topics include: Live Eye on the Earth; Great Shakes; Quake Basics; Damage Control; and Active Zone. From the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco, CA.

The Global Volcanism Program

"The mission of GVP is to document, understand, and disseminate information about global volcanic activity. The Volcanoes of the World database provides a catalog of Holocene and Pleistocene volcanoes, and eruptions from the past 10,000 years." From the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History.

How Stuff Works - Earth Science Channel

Learn about carbon-14 dating, archeology, geology, fossils, diamonds, and much more.

From NASA:

Earth Mission Posters

Colorful posters of past and present NASA Earth Missions. Also includes posters for missions related to the Universe, Solar System, and the Sun. From NASA.gov.

Earth Observatory

"The purpose of NASA's Earth Observatory is to provide a freely-accessible publication on the Internet where the public can obtain new satellite imagery and scientific information about our home planet."

Earth Observing System

"NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) is a coordinated series of polar-orbiting and low inclination satellites for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans. As a major component of the Earth Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, EOS enables an improved understanding of the Earth as an integrated system."

The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of the Earth

"The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth hosts the best and most complete online collection of astronaut photographs of the Earth from 1961 through the present."

NASA: Earth

Topics include: Air; Climate; Hazards; Water, Oceans and Ice; Land; Benefits on Earth; Earth Expeditions; Addressing Global Challenges; and Hurricanes. Other related topics included.

NASA Earth Science

NEO: NASA Earth Observations

"Our mission is to help you picture climate change and environmental changes happening on our home planet. Here you can search for and retrieve satellite images of Earth."

WorldView

"Thanks to the efforts of several NASA teams, the public can now interactively browse all global imagery from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument quickly and easily from the comfort of a home computer. All global MODIS imagery dating back to the operational start of MODIS in 2000 is available through NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) for viewing using NASA's Worldview application. And there's a lot to see. This achievement is the result of more than a half-decade of work and represents the longest continuous daily global satellite observation record of Earth ever compiled. For researchers, the ability to rapidly access and explore all MODIS global imagery greatly improves their use of these data." For more details, please see the corresponding announcement.

NOAA Education Resources

Information about the Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric conditions, oceans (oceanography), and weather. Provided by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Science Daily - Earth and Climate News

National Geographic

News, images, videos, and other information about Earth science (and other topics).

Principal Types of Volcanoes

Includes some images and diagrams. From the USGS.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

"The USGS serves the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life."

U.S. Volcano Hazards Program

Click on the map to go to the specific U.S. volcano site. From the U.S. Geological Survey.

See also:

U.S. Volcano Hazards Program Glossary

The USGS Photo Gallery of Volcanic Terms

A visual glossary of volcano related terms. From the U.S. Geological Survey.

General Science

Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS)

"Published since 1823, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences is the Academy's premier scientific publication, offering commissioned review, perspective, and commentary articles in several topical areas, in addition to original research articles in select areas of biological sciences."

CalPhotos

Find photos of plants, animals, fossils, people, and landscapes from around the world. Scientific names can be entered to find photos of an organism.

Curiosity Online

"Curiosity Online is pursuing the answers to life's most curious questions." From the Discovery Channel. Click their "All Topics" button to expand the menu of browsable subjects.

EurekAlert!

Directory of science websites, a service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

EurekAlert! Science News

Science News, a service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Exploratorium: Explore

Blogs, apps, videos, activities, and websites to encourage exploration in science.

Fractal Geometry

A "collection of pages meant to support a first course in fractal geometry for students without especially strong mathematical preparation, or any particular interest in science." From Yale University.

HighWire Press

"A division of the Stanford University Libraries, HighWire Press hosts the largest repository of free, full-text, peer-reviewed content, with 968 journals and 1,390,068 free, full-text articles online. " Note: Not all articles in this database are free. Search results may contain articles only available by purchase. Some articles in PDF format require the Adobe Acrobe Reader.

NASA Toolkits

"Toolkits are compilations of free downloadable resources with various science themes. For example, toolkits may contain ready-to-print posters, social media graphics, or bookmark templates. Topics include Mars, total solar eclipses, and science calendars." From NASA Science.

NASA's Visible Earth

Provides a consistently updated, central point of access to the superset of NASA's Earth science-related images, animations, and data visualizations. These images are considered to be in the public domain.

National Geographic: Resource Library

Filter your search by Grades, and by Subjects such as Biological and Life Sciences, Earth Science, Ecology, Environmental, General, Geology, Human Geography, Meteorology, Oceanography and Physical Geography. From National Geography.

The Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)

"The Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) is the Department of Energy (DOE) office that collects, preserves, and disseminates DOE-sponsored research and development (R&D) results that are the outcomes of R&D projects or other funded activities at DOE labs and facilities nationwide and grantees at universities and other institutions."

SciCheck

"FactCheck.org's SciCheck feature focuses exclusively on false and misleading scientific claims that are made by partisans to influence public policy. It was launched in January 2015 with a grant from the Stanton Foundation."

Science Visual Dictionary

Topics include: Chemistry; Physics:Mechanics; Physics: Electricity and Magnetism; Physics: Optics; Measuring Devices; and Scientific Symbols. From Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary Online.

Science.gov

"Science.gov is a gateway to over 50 million pages of authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. government agencies, including research and development results."

ScienceDaily

An online magazine and web portal devoted to science, technology and medicine. Articles are up to the minute.

ScienceFriday

"Science Friday is your trusted source for news and entertaining stories about science. We started as a radio show, created in 1991 by host and executive producer Ira Flatow. Since then, we've grown into much more: We produce award-winning digital videos and publish original web content covering everything from octopus camouflage to cooking on Mars. SciFri is brain fun, for curious people."

The Why Files

The science behind current world events in the natural world.

World Library of Science

"The World Library of Science is a free online resource for a global community. Developed as a partnership between UNESCO and Macmillan Science and Education, this online Library offers quality Nature Education content in short eBooks and articles, serving a mission to equalize access to high quality resources for science education for all communities across the globe. All offerings are digital, allowing easy access to online tools and networks. The content of the World Library of Science is meant to inspire more learning and curiosity, and help train students and teachers alike, both in the content and cultural impacts of scientific discovery." From UNESCO and Nature Education.

WorldWideScience

Select a country to go to its specific scientific databases and/or journals. Or type in a keyword to search the whole site.

Genetics



Biotechnology - Genetic Engineering,
Genetically Engineered Organisms, GM Foods

Agricultural Biotechnology

Sections include: Biotechnology Glossary, Blogs, How the U.S. Government Regulates Biotech Plants, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Roles of USDA Agencies, and more. From the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Animals with Intentional Genomic Alterations

From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Biotechnology Factsheets

To select the factsheets, scroll down the page. From the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Food from Genetically Engineered Plants

Sections include: Consumer Information about Food from Genetically Engineered Plants, How FDA Regulates Food from Genetically Engineered Plants, and more. From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Genetically Engineered Foods

Topics include: Food Sources, Side Effects, and more. From MedlinePlus.gov.

Genetically Modified Food

News and articles from The New York Times.

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

"The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information."

Non-GMO Project

"The retailers who started the Non-GMO Project were motivated by a simple idea: they believed that consumers in North America should have access to clearly-labeled non-GMO food and products, now and in the future. That conviction continues to be the guiding force behind the Non-GMO Project, which offers North America's only independent verification for products made according to best practices for GMO avoidance."

What Is Agricultural Biotechnology?

From How Stuff Works.

General Information about Genetics

About Genetics

Topics include: What is a Gene?; How Do Genes Work?; Mutations ad Disease and more. See also "Commonly Asked Questions". From Stanford University at The Tech: Museum of Innovation.

Disease InfoSearch

"Simply type in the name of a condition above and Disease InfoSearch will locate quality information from a database of more than 13,000 conditions and thousands of support groups and foundations." From Genetic Alliance.

DNA Learning Center

Includes Programs, Websites and Resources, such as Biology Animation Library and 3-D Animation Library. From Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE)

"The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Consortium is an international collaboration of research groups funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). The goal of ENCODE is to build a comprehensive parts list of functional elements in the human genome, including elements that act at the protein and RNA levels, and regulatory elements that control cells and circumstances in which a gene is active. ENCODE data are now available for the entire human genome. All ENCODE data are free and available for immediate use." From University of California, Santa Cruz.

Fact Sheets about Genomics

Written for students, teachers and the general public, fact sheets explore the social implications of genetic research, and explain complex genetic concepts and research techniques.

Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD)

"The Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD) is a program of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and is funded by two parts of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NCATS and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). GARD provides the public with access to current, reliable, and easy-to-understand information about rare or genetic diseases in English or Spanish." See also:

• Glossary
• Support for Patients and Families
• Alphabetical List of Diseases

Genetic Counseling

From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Genetic Counseling

From MedlinePlus.

Genetic Science Learning Center

From the University of Utah to help people understand how genetics affects their lives and society. It has interactive and print based resources, information and activities, and teacher resources.

Genetics Home Reference: Your Guide to Understanding Genetic Conditions

Topics: Genetic Conditions, Genes, Chromosomes, Handbook, Glossary, Resources. From U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Genetics Journal

Online archive to the journal "Genetics" from 1916 to the present. From the National Library of Medicine.

National Human Genome Research Institute

"The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) led the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) contribution to the International Human Genome Project, which had as its primary goal the sequencing of the human genome. This project was successfully completed in April 2003. Now, the NHGRI's mission has expanded to encompass a broad range of studies aimed at understanding the structure and function of the human genome and its role in health and disease." See also these related sites:

Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms

Created to "help everyone understand the terms and concepts used in genetic research. In addition to definitions, specialists in the field of genetics share their descriptions of terms, and many terms include images, animation and links to related terms." Read and listen to a description as well as the pronunciation of each term.

Genomics and Medicine

"Genomic medicine is an emerging medical discipline that involves using genomic information about an individual as part of their clinical care (e.g. for diagnostic or therapeutic decision-making) and the health outcomes and policy implications of that clinical use. Already, genomic medicine is making an impact in the fields of oncology, pharmacology, rare and undiagnosed diseases, and infectious disease."

Newborn Screening Program

Topics include: Screened Disorders; Information for Families; Information for Healthcare Providers; Specialty Care Centers; Laws and Regulations; Funding; Selected Publications and History. From the NYS Department of Health, Wadsworth Center.

Primers in GENETICS

"Primers are a series of articles in the GSA Journal GENETICS designed to make current research articles useful in an undergraduate classroom or a senior seminar. Each Research Primer is tied to a current article, and lays out necessary background, explains the hypothesis or approach, describes the methodology, guides the readers through the results, and sums up the discussion. Each Model Organism Primer describes a genetic model system, including the organism's life cycle, history of use in the laboratory, available genetic and genomic tools, advantages of the system, discoveries made using the model organism, and more." Look for the "Open Access" or free Primers. From the Genetics Society of America.

Geology & Geological Eras

Alphabetical Listing of Mineral Species

America's Geologic Legacy

"Come and explore the world's most magnificent rock collection—your National Parks. The science of geology will help you to better understand park scenery and Earth systems." From the National Park Service.

The Basics of Rocks and Minerals and Polar Geology

"Rocks and minerals make up the earth around us. But what exactly are rocks and minerals? What is the difference between them? How do they form? Where are they found? This article provides content knowledge about minerals, the three types of rocks, the rock cycle, and polar geology as well as online resources for further learning and connections to the National Science Education Standards." From Ohio State University.

Department of Mineral Sciences

From the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Smithsonian GeoGallery

An alphabetical image gallery of the Smithsonian's minerals, gems, meteorites and rocks. Sort by type, country and state. Many, but not all, have a brief description and history of the sample.

Exploring Time and Space

"Explore the history of life through geologic time in North America." Click on a map or select a time period. You can see each state's rock and fossil time period.

Gem Encyclopedia

Search or browse. You can filter gem search results by color, country, rough, or polished. Includes tips for gemstone buyers. From the Gemological Institute of America.

Geologic Sites Throughout New York State

From the New York State Museum.

Geologic Time

Topics include: Age of the Earth; Fundamental Geologic Principles; Radiometric Age Dating; Geologic Time Scale; Fossils Through Geologic Time; and more. From the National Park Service.

Geologic Time Scale

From the National Park Service.

Geology

From Windows to the Universe.

Geology

Topics include: Basics; Types of Rocks; Geologic Features; Geologic Processes; and Plate Tectonics. From ThoughtCo.com.

Geology: Science Explorer

Topics from Earthquakes to Volcanology. From the US Geological Survey (USGS).

GSA Geologic Time Scale

PDF. From the Geological Society of America.

Mineral Identificaton Key II

"We wish to make this key available to one and all in the hope of correct identification of minerals in collections, rock gardens, and on windowsills everywhere. You may copy it, or any part of it, for non-commercial, personal use." Written by Alan Plante, Donald Peck and David Von Bargen.

Mineral Sciences

From the Natural History Museum (NHM).

Mineral Sciences Collections Search

Browse by gems and minerals, meteorites or rocks and ores. Also search by keyword or do a detailed search using name, color, location and more. From the Smithsonian.

Minerarology Database

"Mindat.org has been running since October 2000 with the aim of building and sharing information about minerals, their properties and where they are found. It is now the world's largest public database of mineral information with an army of worldwide volunteers adding and verifying new information daily."

See also:

The Chemical Elements and Mineralogy

"Click on an element to find out details about this element and related mineralogy. Elements in a darker shade of grey are not found in natural minerals but some may be found in trace amounts in the Earth."

How to Photograph Minerals

"Mineral photography is a skill requiring a good understanding of your camera settings and the lighting and positioning of your mineral specimen. This section gives easy access to some of our resources for mineral photography including important articles, message threads, equipment reviews and of course our messageboard where you can ask your own questions about how to make the perfect mineral photo.

The Most Common Minerals on the Earth

Mineralogy Specimen Database

Search by keyword. From the Natural History Museum of London.

Tour of Geologic Time

Geological eras and time scale / prehistoric timelines. "Here you can journey through the history of the Earth, with stops at particular points in time to examine the fossil record and stratigraphy." Includes information and animations about plate tectonics and continental shifts/movements. From Berkeley University.

Physics

The Basic Interactions

Short animations with a multiple choice question illustrating such things as speed, acceleration, sliding friction, velocity and more. From Fear of Physics.

Einstein Archives Online

"The Einstein Archives Online Website provides the first online access to Albert Einstein's scientific and non-scientific manuscripts held by the Albert Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, constituting the material record of one of the most influential intellects in the modern era. It also enables access to the Einstein Archive Database, a comprehensive source of information on all items in the Albert Einstein Archives."

Eric Weisstein's World of Physics

Encyclopedia and dictionary of physics that can be searched or browsed alphabetically or by topic. Good explanations of the various laws of physics. From Wolfram.

The Nature of Reality: The Physics of Nothing, Everything, and All Things in Between

A blog about physics from PBS NOVA.

NOVA: Physics + Math

Besides episode information you will find: Articles, Audio Stories, Interactives, Interviews, and more. From PBS.org.

PhysLink

Devoted to physics and engineering with a good deal of astronomy information. High quality links, "ask experts", online essays, and on online club for physics teachers. Sprinkled throughout with quotes from Einstein, Aristotle, Hawking and more.

Physics Study Guides

Topics include: Units, Scientific Notation, Significant Figures, Vectors (Addition, Multiplication), Kinematics (1D / 2D Motion), Dynamics (Newton's Three Laws, Uniform Circular Motion), Work, Energy and Power (Conservation of Energy), Linear Momentum (Conservation of Momentum, Collisions), Rotational Motion (Kinetics, Dynamics, Angular Momentum), Oscillations (Simple Harmonic Motions), Gravitation (Kepler, Newton, Potential, Orbits), Thermodynamics (Structure, Gas, Heat), Magnetic Forces and Fields, Optics (Light, Geometric Optics, Optical Phenomena), Special Relativity. From SparkNotes.com.

Physics World

Physics news, jobs, and resources maintained by the Institute of Physics. It features regular news, jobs, resources, enhanced highlights of Physics World magazine, events, free alerts, a buyer's guide, products & press, and advertising opportunities for businesses.

Why Are Things Colored?

Includes: Light Is Made, Light Is Lost, Light Is Moved, Vision. From the Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement (IDEA).

Quantum Mechanics / Quantum Physics

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Quantum Mechanics

Definition and encyclopedic article. See also these related articles:

Action at a Distance in Quantum Mechanics

Collapse Theories [of wave functions]

Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

Measurement in Quantum Theory

Quantum Approaches to Consciousness

Quantum Entanglement and Information

Quantum Field Theory

Quantum Logic and Probability Theory

The Uncertainty Principle

Quantum Computers & Computing

Directory of multiple resources.

Quantum Mechanics Made Relatively Simple

Video lectures from Cornell University.

Quantum Physics Overview

Topics include: Wave-particle duality, Schroedinger's Cat, Young's Double Slit Experiment, the Many Worlds Interpretation, Unified Field Theory, and more. From ThoughtCo.com.

Quantum Science

News and articles. From New Scientist.

ScienceDaily: Quantum Physics News

Stephen Hawking: "Does God Play Dice?"

Transcript of lecture on quantum mechanics, light, and randomness.

Uncertainty Principle

From the University of Oregon.

Wave-Particle Duality

From LibreTexts.

What Is Quantum Mechanics Good For?

An interview with physics professor and author James Kakalios explaining how quantum mechanics is useful to us. From Scientific American.