Astronomy (General)
(QB:1-139)
QB 1 Periodicals, Societies, Congresses, Serial Collections, Yearbooks
Summary:
"This service provides access to about 210,000 astronomical abstracts
since 1975... [A] resulting [retrieved] list is ranked by how closely the paper matched
the query, and from this list, one can obtain all of the information
contained in the ADS [Astrophysics Data System] Abstracts database (including the bibliographic
code, title, authors, author affiliations, journal reference,
publication date, category, origin, keywords, and abstract text)."
Other specialized search options are available, including a
Table of Content (TOC) search of major astronomy and astrophysics
journals. For a complete description and explanation of these other options see the
ADS Abstract Service
Help page.
This site maintained by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
(CfA), Cambridge, MA and makes use of the NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstract Service.
To Search:
"Users can submit queries by author, [SIMBAD] object name, [NASA/STI] keywords, date range,
words in the title, and words in the abstract text."
Summary:
Astronomical Journal, a publication of the University of Washington,
Department of Astronomy, is distributed and detailed in this site, sponsored
by the American
Institute of Physics (AIP), an organization begun "...for the purpose of
promoting the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of physics and its
application to human welfare." The site is a compilation of available
issues of the publication, which are listed chronologically, beginning with
the most recent issue. No actual texts are open for viewing within the
site; users should seek ordering and subscription information through the
applicable link at the top of the site's main page.
Each issue listing features the volume and issue numbers, along with the
journal's individual release date. Users should select an issue of
interest; a listing of articles is then displayed, showing the texts, in
their order of appearance within the periodical. Each article's record
includes: (1) the title; (2) name(s) of author (initials, last name); (3)
the page numbers where the article is located within the issue; and (4) a
designation (via an icon) noting whether the text is available for
ordering. Users should scroll to view site listings and issue listings.
At the bottom of the site's main page are three major links. The first
gives access to the AIP homepage, for further information. The second opens
the "Titles in Physics" homepage, a service which allows users to search 47
AIP society journals for topics of interest. The last link, "Journal List,"
accesses a comprehensive listing of all AIP journals. The site is
maintained by the American Institute of Physics; New York.
To Search:
Select issue of interest from site's main page; then scan table of contents.
Ordering and pricing information found via top link within site page.
Summary:
The Astrophysical Journal and Supplement Series, a publication of the
American Astronomical Society, is distributed and detailed in this site,
sponsored by the American Institute of Physics (AIP). The site is a
compilation of available issues of the publication, which are listed
chronologically, beginning with the most recent issue. No actual texts are
open for viewing within the site; users should seek ordering and
subscription information through the applicable link at the top of the
site's main page.
Each issue listing features the volume and issue numbers, along with the
journal's individual release date. Users should select an issue of
interest;
a listing of articles is then displayed, showing the texts in their order
of appearance within the periodical. Each article's record includes: (1)
the title; (2) name(s) of author (initials, last name); (3) the page numbers
where the article is located within the issue; and (4) a designation (via an
icon) noting whether the text is available for ordering. Users should
scroll to view site listings and issue listings.
At the bottom of the site's main page are three major links. The first
gives access to the AIP homepage, for further information. The second opens
the "Titles in Physics" homepage, a service which allows users to search 47
AIP society journals for topics of interest. The last link, "Journal List,"
accesses a comprehensive listing of all AIP journals. The site is
maintained by the American Institute of Physics; New York.
To Search:
Select issue of interest from site's main page; then scan table of contents.
Ordering and pricing information found via top link within site main page.
QB 14 Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Summary:
The Astronomy Thesaurus, compiled by Robyn M. Shobbrook and Robert
M. Shobbrook,is "...endorsed by the International Astronomical Union and has
been compiled to try to standar[dize] the terminology in the field of
astronomy. It is for aiding unambiguous library cataloguing and more
precise recall of data from computer databases....[It] is intended for use
by astronomy librarians and scientists."
Onscreen links are provided for information on the site, an acknowledgements
area, a help area, and language conversion links, represented by flags.
Information on FTP access of the thesaurus is available under the compilers'
information area. To activate the search, users must choose one of the five
language options : English, French, German, Italian, or Spanish. The user
is then presented with the main search engine page.
Here, users may activate the system through a keyword search or by browsing
the alphabetical listings. Alterations to the searching language (changing
from one to another) can be made at any point in the search. Upon selecting
a letter in the browsing category, alphabetical listings reveal the entries.
Selecting a word to view then displays the word's translation into each of
the
thesaurus's five languages, as well as a list of synonyms. Each of these
synonyms, in turn, is an electronic link to its respective entry.
The thesaurus is presently under construction and is maintained by David
Fullagar; Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories (MSSO); the
Institute of Advanced Studies, the Australian National University.
To Search:
Select language flag at bottom on main page. Then search via alphabetical
listings or keyword activation. All words are links to respective entries.
Summary:
Astro-Web: Astronomy/Astrophysics on the Internet is a gateway for
astronomy-related information on the Internet. The site's database is
maintained by the AstroWeb Consortium, a group of seven institutions within
this field:(1) The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI); (2) the Mount
Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories (MSSSO); (3) the National Radio
Astronomy Observatory (NRAO); (4) the Villa Franca Satellite Tracking
Station (Villafranca); (5) the CDS yellow pages; and (6) the WWW Virtual
Library: Astronomy and Astrophysics (CERNWWW-VL). The seventh facility,
ST-ECF, is presently undergoing revisions to its links within the database.
Information within the database is sorted in two manners -- by protocol and
by category. Participating institutions are listed according to their
sorting preference. Within the main menu, users have access to the master
database, an input area for contributions or corrections, as well as an
e-mail area. To search the database, users need to submit keywords into
the provided fields; Boolean operators are allowed, and detailed
instructions on searching are accessible through the main menu.
Items within the database are in the following categories:(1) research
groups; (2) telescopes (radio, optical, solar, and space); (3) earth, space,
and planetary science sources; (4) data centers, archives, and surveys; (5)
preprints, abstracts, and bibliographical services; (6) people-related
resources; (7) software and computer-related sources; and (8)
education-related sources. When matching results of a search are shown, the
user will find: the name of the sponsoring individual, institution, or
organization; the location of the sponsor; and a brief description of the
site's content (if provided by the sponsor). Search matches are not
displayed in alphabetical order, so scrolling is required to find desired
records. Each entry's title is an electronic link to its WWW site.
The site is maintained by The AstroWeb Consortium and Anton Koekemoer of
the Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories (MSSSO)>
To Search:
Submit keywords in search field provided in main menu. Browse through
matching entries. Each entry's title is a link to its WWW site.
QB 35 Biography. Collective
Summary:
StarHeads is a "...searchable directory of personal WWW pages of...
astronomers and related space scientists...." The site currently contains
over 2,500 entries for searching. At the top of the site's main page, users
will find links to the copyright and disclaimer for the site, to the NASA
Astrophysics Data System (ADS), features of the directory, usage tips, and
hot news, an area of recent site additions or developments.
To search the directory, users should submit data to the character string
(keyword) field and the case sensitivity fields. Resulting matches will be
listed aplhabetically, according to last name. For each scientist,
the user is provided: (1) name (last, first); (2) institution or
organization
affiliation; and (3) city, state, and country. Selecting a name from the
list then connects the user to that individual's homepage on the WWW.
At the bottom of the site's main page are links to usage tips for the
directory, a list of national telephone, fax, and telex codes, papers on the
Star*s family of astronomy and related resources, to the StarGuides WWW
site, and to the StarWorlds WWW site. The directory and its site are
maintained by Andre Heck; the Astronomical Observatory; Strasbourg, France.
To Search:
Fill in provided keyword and case sensitivity fields. Within resulting
names list, selecting name then links user to that scientist's WWW homepage.
QB 47 Astronomy. Special Aspects of the Subject as a Whole
Summary:
The Astronomical Software Directory Service (ASDS) is a network service,
whose primary objective is "...to allow astronomers and astronomical
software developers to easily locate existing programs for their use and
re-use, providing a uniform level of high-level documentation (package
capabilities, system dependencies, installation requirements, etc.). The
ASDS attempts to catalog a comprehensive set of astronomical data reduction
and analysis software, along with ancillary programs of interest to
astronomers." The service is intended solely as a directory -- a query for a
certain kind of software results in instructions for obtaining relevant
packages. ASDA is under development and is a prototype of a database. Most
of the collection is kept at software providers' sites, rather than at a
central repository.
The service's collection is broken into two general classifications: (1)
high level package descriptions and (2) on-line documents. The first
category is made up of "...overviews of the capabilities, requirements, and
availability of every package in [the] collection...." The second contains
"...the documentation (user guides, programmer guides, on-line help files,
etc.) made available by the software providers." Within the collection,
these categories of software/data are available: (1) high level package
descriptions; (2) data reduction and analysis; (3) document preparation;
(4) graphics, plotting, image display, and visualization; (5) modeling and
simulation; (6) statistical methods, tools, and codes; (7) subroutine
library; and (8) utility programs.
Users have access to the following screen links: (1) ASDS search page; (2)
browsing the ASDS collection;(3) listing software on ASDS; (4) the ASDS
project; (5) project architecture; (6) ASDS-related publications; (7) ASDS
to-do list; and (8) the ASDS team (site creators). The collection search
page contains a keyword entry field to activate a search. Users can also
select from a subdirectory of topics. Extensive help instructions are also
provided. Software companies can list their holdings with the directory;
users can browse the history and structure of the collection. If choosing
to browse the collection, users will find the eight software groups as
search
topics. Selecting any one of these results in an alphabetical listing of
applicable software. Each record contains: (1) a description of the
software; (2) history of program; (3) how to obtain the software; (4) system
requirements; (5) online resources and other resources; (6) program
characteristics; and (7) recommendations from the site's creators.
The site and its service are funded by the NASA Astrophysics Data Program.
To Search:
Select topic of interest from main menu listings. Follow onscreen links to
desired information on software.
QB 88 Astronomical Instruments. Modern. Telescopes. Objectives. Mirrors
Summary:
Conversion Factors, Material Properties and Constants Related to Telescope
Design is a division of the WWW site, Telescope Documentation, a site
sponsored by the Apache Point Observatory, a facility of New Mexico State
University.
The top of the site features a table of contents, noting each major site
topic: (1) conversion factors; (2) material properties; (3) physical
constants; (4) astronomical constants; and (5) other tables. Users can
scroll to view site content or select a site topic to move directly to its
area within the site. Also within the main page is general information on
each subject; each topic offers either a link to view its table or presents
its table within the site's main page. Users should consult the site for
complete content of tables; noted here are the focal subjects of each table
within the site.
"Conversion factors" offers a table with various units, compared to their SI
equivalents; "material properties" details engineering material properties,
listed alphabetically, for common engineering and other materials. All
units here are in SI format. "Physical constants" offers a short list of
physical constants, reflected in SI units. "Astronomical constants" offers
a table of astronomical constants, shown in SI units. Lastly, "other
tables"
provides WWW access to: (1) MIT Materials Science Data; (2) NASA Constants
and Equations for Calculations; and (3) CIA Weights and Measures.
The site is sponsored by the Apache Point Observatory; a facility of New
Mexico State University, located in Sunspot, New Mexico.
To Search:
Scroll to view site contents or select subject link from top of site.
QB 136 Space Astronomy
Summary:
The Cambridge University Press Handbook of Space Astronomy and
Astrophysics ,is a guide to these scientific fields, available for
reading and study within this site. Authored by Dr. Martin V. Zombeck, the
work is reproduced, in its entirety, through the NASA Astrophysics Data
System (ADS) Virtual Library, of which this site is a division.
Upon accessing the site, the user finds the handbook's table of contents.
Major topics of interest in the text include: radio, infrared, ultraviolet,
x-ray, and gamma ray astronomy; cosmic rays; earth's atmosphere and
environment; relativity; atomic and plasma physics; electromagnetic
radiation; experimental astronomy and astrophysics; aeronautics;
astronautics; statistics; and radiation safety. Each chapter title is a
direct link to the contents of its section.
After selecting a chapter title, a detailed listing of that chapter's
contents is displayed, each topic accompanied by its respective
page number(s). Selecting the page number accesses the actual text and/or
images within the handbook. At the bottom of each page is a link for
returning to the table of contents, to aid in searching.
All material within the site is copyrighted by Dr. Martin V. Zombeck, of the
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory; Cambridge, Massachusetts. The site
is maintained by the NASA Astrophysics Data System and its Virtual Library,
Harvard University; Cambridge, Massachusetts.
To Search:
Select chapter title of interest from table of contents. Then select page
number(s) to view text.