Amateur Astronomy Tools and Resources
Online Tools
Hosted here
- Akarsh's DSS Query with the Dobsonian rotation calculator
- Astronomy Logbook Project
- Search interface for information on NGC objects from the former ngcicproject.org. The pages are hosted by John Pierce of TAC
Other online tools
Calculators- Mel Bartels' online Calculators for pretty much everything in amateur astronomy!
- Ned Wright's Cosmology Calculator to turn redshift values into things amateur astronomers like
- Mirror support calculator to calculate how to place a Glatter sling
- starlust.org information on Messier objects
- Sloan Digital Sky Survey data release 16: "Navigate" interface
- Digitized Sky Survey interface from the STScI
- Hubble Legacy Archive (raw images from HST)
- PanSTARRS-1 survey image cut-out server
Resources
Free star charts / maps Free books on astronomy- The late Prof. P. N. Shankar's books on amateur astronomy.
- Stellarium planetarium software
- Cartes du Ciel planetarium software
- KStars planetarium software
- Plop finite-element software for mirror cell optimization
- Mirror cooling calculator using finite-elements
- Astree -- telescope optics calculator
- CloudyNights, usually referred to simply as "CN". Most famous are the forums on CloudyNights for everything related to amateur astronomy.
- Deep Sky Forum, a forum dedicated to visual deep-sky observing.
- The Ultimate Deep-Sky Observers Resource on the Deep Sky Forum.
- Adventures in Deep Space -- observing projects, observing reports and more.
- Clear Skies Observing Guides (for digital use)
- Alvin Huey's downloadable observing guides
- Jerry Lodriguss' tutorials on imaging
- Stellafane: A very comprehensive resource on telescope making.
- Mel Bartels' articles
Have any more resources to add here? Tell us on the Telegram group.