Astro Links – RASC Victoria

! Our Favourites !

All-Star Telescopes - retailer for astronomy hardware, books, workshops and travel - Edmonton, Alberta
Astronomy by Night - A Canadian amateur astronomy online magazine focused on observing and photographing the night sky from Canada, along with news about professional astronomy and space missions.
Astronomy Picture of the Day - Astronomy through photographs from NASA - daily photo and description
Bad Astronomy Blog - Debunking myths about astronomical subjects by Phill Plait
BBC – Astronomy - The Sky At Night, Explore the Solar System, and all things to do with astronomy and cosmology
ExoExplorations - Our new focus on exoplanets ties directly into BC Grade 6 school curricula on planets. We provide teachers, parents, and students with original lessons and activities material written by astronomers and educators told from a Canadian perspective.
Friends of the DAO - An NGO supporting public access to the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, the Centre of the Universe, and the historic Plaskett telescope on Observatory Hill, Victoria, BC, Canada

!! Victoria Centre !!

Archive website for RASC Victoria Centre - An archive of the RASC Victoria Centre website covering the years 1995 to 2013.
Gallery of RASC Victoria Centre members' photos and sketches - An online gallery of RASC Victoria Centre members' photos and sketches of the night sky, as well as photos of our Centre's public outreach events
Gallery of RASC Victoria Centre's videos - Videos of RASC Victoria Centre's events and member videos of astronomical scenes
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, with chapters across Canada.

Art

Free Learning resources from Robert Bateman - Free digital resources for home schooling, nature sketching and for educators - by the Robert Bateman Foundation

Astro Kids

Amazing Space - Astronomy news for older kids
Astronomy: Computer Software Games for Kids - Interactive games to show off our Universe in a fun way!
BBC – Astronomy - The Sky At Night, Explore the Solar System, and all things to do with astronomy and cosmology
Bill Nye the Science Guy - New York Times bestselling author Bill Nye shows you how thinking like a nerd is the key to changing yourself and the world around you.
ExoExplorations - Our new focus on exoplanets ties directly into BC Grade 6 school curricula on planets. We provide teachers, parents, and students with original lessons and activities material written by astronomers and educators told from a Canadian perspective.
Exploratorium - The museum of science, art and human perception
Eyes on the Sky, Feet on the Ground – Hands on astronomy - A collection of children's online astronomy activities
Free Learning resources from Robert Bateman - Free digital resources for home schooling, nature sketching and for educators - by the Robert Bateman Foundation
Galaxy Zoo - Amateur astronomers classify galaxies for researchers
Imagine the Universe - Learning about the universe - ages 14 and up
Navigating the Stars: A Young Learner’s Guide to Astronomy - A compass to understand the vast realm of astronomy, lead you through the cosmos, enhance your understanding of the world, and inspire you to discover your place within this universe.
Nine Planets - There are only eight now, but they kept the name!
NSTA – National Science Teachers Association - Teaching materials and publications for all grades
Powers Of 10 - View the Milky Way at 10 million light years from the Earth. Then move through space towards the Earth in successive orders of magnitude, ending up at the sub-atomic level of quarks
Schoolzone - UK-based, teacher-run free educational resources
SEDS: Students for the Exploration and Development of Space – High School/College - Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) is a 501(c)3 non-profit that empowers young people to participate and make an impact in space exploration.
Solar System Live - An interactive Orrery
Space Place - Explore fun facts, videos and pictures; do activities, books and colouring; play games, puzzles and quizzes. Created by NASA.
Space Scoop - news about space and astronomy for kids
Star Child - For ages 4-14
Understanding Evolution - Created by the University of California, Museum of Paleontology
Windows to the Universe - A user-friendly learning system on the Earth and Space Sciences by the University of Michigan. Games, info about space weather and space missions, space mythology

Astrophotography

Amazing Sky – Alan Dyer - Well-known Canadian astronomy author and master at multimedia keeps us current
AstroDoc - Astrophotography by Ron Brecher
Canadian Astronomical Images - A collection of photos taken by both amateurs and professionals, celebrating the International Year of Astronomy 2009
Catching the Light - All about astrophotography by Jerry Lodriguss
Deep-sky Imaging – Charles Bracken - An online resource for all astrophotography subjects by the author of "The Visible Universe", "The Deep-sky Imaging Primer", and other publications and tools. Charles offers: Pretty Pictures, Reviews & Analysis, Tutorials and more on his website.
Image Processing for Astrophotography - Warren Keller & Peter Proulx offer free online resources to learn to use PixInsight image processing software, and also offer subscriptions, blogs and workshops.
Lunar Photo Of the Day - LPOD gives us a photo of our nearest celestial neighbour - the Moon - to look at every day
Photography by Malcolm Park - Astrophotos and more from a remote observatory in the Atacama Desert in Chile
Photopic Sky Survey - A new full colour, full sky survey done over a year by a dedicated photographer, and Sky Guide app for iOS
TWAN – The World At Night - Superb astronomical scenic photos celebrating the wonder of astronomy worldwide

Current News & Links

Astronomy feed on Bluesky - Astronomy posts from astronomers on Bluesky social media.
Cosmic Dawn - Witnessing the birth of stars would require a telescope larger in diameter than many cities. Say hello to ALMA. A National Geographic article.
Universe Today - Current space and astronomy news

Dealers & Sales

All-Star Telescopes - retailer for astronomy hardware, books, workshops and travel - Edmonton, Alberta
Anacortes Telescope & Wild Bird - Our closest large volume astronomy dealer, Anacortes, WA, USA
Astromart - Buy or sell astronomy stuff to the US & Canada (fee charged for selling)
Astronomy Buy & Sell – Canada-wide - Buy or sell astronomy stuff in Canada
Canadian Telescope Astronomy Buy and Sell - A Facebook group to buy and sell astronomy gear within Canada
Kendrick Astro Instruments - Dew control & other astronomy gadgets, located in Toronto
Orion Telescopes and Binoculars - Huge direct-to-consumer astronomy dealer (US-based)
ScopeStuff - All sorts of astronomy gadgets (online, US-based)
ScopeTronix - Online retailer of astronomy hardware - website in German, based in Berlin, Germany
Takahashi - high quality Japanese optics - Telescopes, Swarovski Binoculars, CCD Cameras

Groups

Canadian Comet Catchers - Videos of comets and sky phenomena
Cowichan Valley Starfinders - A small group of astronomy enthusiasts from Vancouver Island - the Malahat to Chemainus
DarkSky International - Reduce urban and industrial lighting to return our dark skies to humans and other Earthbound animals. Promote responsible outside lighting, and reduce your own contributions to light pollution.
Fraser Valley Astronomer's Society - An astronomy group based in Abbotsford, BC, but covering the whole Fraser Valley. The group operates a Dark Sky Park near Abbotsford.
Friends of the DAO - An NGO supporting public access to the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, the Centre of the Universe, and the historic Plaskett telescope on Observatory Hill, Victoria, BC, Canada
Hamilton Amateur Astronomers - Largest independent amateur astronomy group in Canada.
Nanaimo Astronomy Society - A small group of astronomy enthusiasts from Vancouver Island based in Nanaimo and environs
RASC Sunshine Coast Centre - The Sunshine Coast group is the newest regional centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. They are based in Sechelt, but cover the complete Sunshine Coast, located north of Vancouver, BC.
RASC Vancouver Centre - Vancouver Centre is one of the larger centres of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, based in Vancouver, BC.
The Official Sidewalk Astronomers Organization - a public service amateur astronomy association, taking telescopes TO the public.

Manufacturers & Builders

Adirondack Video Astronomy - Stellacam CCD astronomical cameras
Antique Telescope Society -
Astro Hutech - Borg & Takahashi telescopes, modified Canon dSLRs, imaging hardware, IDAS filters, other astronomy accessories
Astro-Physics -
Bahtinov Focusing Mask Generator - Generates a template for a mask to help focus your scope - undoubtedly the best way to achieve perfect focus for astrophotography
Celestron - Manufacturer of consumer grade telescopes, binoculars, and other astronomical gear. Order Celestron products through your astronomy dealer or online.
Denkmeier Optical Binoviewers - A US-based manufacturer of fine quality astronomical binoculars for use with telescopes.
ITE Telescopes -
JMI Telescopes - A manufacturer and supplier of astronomical accessories and optics.
Kendrick Astro Instruments - Dew control & other astronomy gadgets, located in Toronto
Meade - Telescopes, instruments (includes Coronado)
Orion Telescopes and Binoculars - Huge direct-to-consumer astronomy dealer (US-based)
Skywatcher Telescope - Generic telescopes, mounts, eyepieces and other astronomical gear available through their website. A Richmond, BC importer and distributor.
Tele Vue Optics, Inc. - A US-based manufacturer of fine quality eyepieces and telescopes
Vixen North America - A manufacturer and supplier of fine quality telescopes, mounts and other astronomical optics.

Messier Marathon

Books – The Year-Round Messier Marathon Field Guide by Harvard Pennington - this book is highly recommended. It has excellent finder charts
Charts – Map and Constellation Key to Messier Objects for TELRAD Finders -
Charts – RASC Messier Object Lists & Charts -
Charts – Star Hopping Guide to the Messier Marathon (Charts) -
Charts – Star Hopping Guide to the Messier Marathon (Instructions) -
Charts – The Ultimate Messier Object Log -
Lists – Messier Marathon Search Sequence List - from Don Machholz' Messier Marathon Observer's Guide
Messier Marathon Log Sheets - Choose simple to complex logs to download and print
Messier Marathon Tips -
RASC – Messier Forms -
RASC – Observing – Certificates – Messier - You might as well try for the RASC Messier Certificate
Rose City Astronomers -
Rose City Astronomers Messier Log pages -
Rose City Messier Marathon Log -
Tips – List of Messier Goodies -

Missions to Space

Cassini mission to Saturn - Mission to Saturn - NASA & JPL
MESSENGER MErcury - Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging - On January 14, 2008, more than three decades after the third Mariner 10 flyby, the last spacecraft visit of Mercury, MESSENGER passed 200 kilometers above Mercury's surface
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, charged with leading space missions for the U.S.A.

News Magazines Blogs & Portals

Amazing Sky – Alan Dyer - Well-known Canadian astronomy author and master at multimedia keeps us current
Astro Photons - Astrophotography and Astronomy apps blog
AstroGeo – Science Outreach - Chris Vaughan, aka 'Astrogeoguy' - explore the Universe together with Skylights - what to see in the night sky, news articles, observing tips, planetarium and regular presentations.
Astronomy – Google News - Google's news clipping service, showing results for "astronomy"
Astronomy – Stack Exchange - Have a question about astronomy or cosmology? Find the answer here on this peer edited wiki.
Astronomy Cast - Weekly audio podcasts on a broad range of astronomy subjects
Astronomy feed on Bluesky - Astronomy posts from astronomers on Bluesky social media.
Astronomy Magazine - mainstream astronomy magazine
Bad Astronomy Blog - Debunking myths about astronomical subjects by Phill Plait
Dark Sky Travels magazine - astronomical travel locations, articles, forums, tutorials
Discover Magazine - Space news, articles and outer space pictures
HAMweather forecast for Victoria, Canada - Try the 3 hour interval for forecasts
History of Astronomy -
HubbleSite - Images and lots of info about Hubble
Lunar Photo Of the Day - LPOD gives us a photo of our nearest celestial neighbour - the Moon - to look at every day
Naked Astronomy - Don't worry...this isn't an x-rated site. Just some interesting podcasts about the latest astronomy projects and space missions
Observers Notebook- The Official ALPO Podcast - News and interviews about astronomy and what to observe in the night sky from the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers.
Portal to the Universe - learn about astronomical discoveries that don't always make it to the news
Sea & Sky - An amateur astronomer sharing his love of the seas and the stars.
SETI@home - a scientific experiment, based at UC Berkeley, that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
Sky & Telescope - mainstream astronomy magazine published by Sky Publishing
Smithsonian Air & Space Museum - Smithsonian Air & Space Museum - planetary and space exploration, and the universe
Space Blogs – Discovery Space – Discovery Channel - Astronomy, cosmology, physics, NASA, space travel, aliens & more
Space Weather Radio - Audio news and information about sunspots, solar flares and meteor showers
SpaceRef - Space News As It Happens
SpaceRef Canada - Your Space Reference - Canadian edition
StarDate - Short radio clips on astronomical topics, along with other useful resources - has been running since 1995!
Starry Messenger - An Electronic History of Astronomy
The Night Sky Guy - A very comprehensive collection of current information to help observers find celestial objects
The Universe in Mind- Ivan Semeniuk’s Embedded Universe - Weekly podcast & blog profiling scientists working on exploring the cosmos
Uncle Rod's Astro Blog - Rod Mollise's down-to-earth blog is mainly about astronomy equipment and observing on a budget
Universe Today - Current space and astronomy news
Women In Astronomy - professional astronomers who happen to be women

Observatories, Planetariums & Space Agencies

Astronomy Research Centre (ARC) – University of Victoria - The centres of excellence in astronomy - University of Victoria's Physics and Astronomy Dept., NRC's Herzberg Institute at Observatory Hill, TRIUMF at UBC in Vancouver, and the DRAO in Penticton.
Big Bear Solar Observatory -
Burke-Gaffney Observatory robotic telescope - BGO's Ralph Medjuck Planewave CDK24 telescope is a robot which can be used to remotely request astronomical images. (Signup required)
Canadian Space Agency - Canadian space technology and missions
Cassini mission to Saturn - Mission to Saturn - NASA & JPL
Cosmic Dawn - Witnessing the birth of stars would require a telescope larger in diameter than many cities. Say hello to ALMA. A National Geographic article.
Curious About Astronomy- Ask an Astronomer - http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/index.php
Gamma Ray astronomy – the Compton Observatory -
NASA – SDO – Solar Dynamics Observatory - Studies how solar activity is created and how space weather here on Earth comes from that activity. Very cool time lapse movies of the Sun.
NASA ScienceCasts - science videos produced by NASA
NASA Sun-Earth Connection Media Viewer - Live Solar Images, required Adobe Flash Player
NASA-ESA Hubble Space Telescope - European home page for the Hubble Space Telescope
NASA-IPAC Extragalactic Database – NED - An online database of nearly 200 million extragalactic objects - useful to find those obscure objects
Science, National and Civic Identity, and Tourism at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Victoria, BC - This exhibition tells the fascinating story of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, a scientific research center that propelled Canada into the world of modern astrophysics, brought it international recognition, and attracted visitors.
SpaceWeather.com - NASA's Space Weather Bureau - sunspots & Solar activity, aurora, meteors
STScI Digitized Sky Survey - The entire Palomar Observatory/National Geographic Sky Survey online and free
The Adler Planetarium - interactive science exhibits in Chicago, telescope observing from the city
The Griffith Observatory - views of Los Angeles, California, telescope views of the night sky, planetarium shows

Observing

AstroGeo – Science Outreach - Chris Vaughan, aka 'Astrogeoguy' - explore the Universe together with Skylights - what to see in the night sky, news articles, observing tips, planetarium and regular presentations.
Astronomy by Night - A Canadian amateur astronomy online magazine focused on observing and photographing the night sky from Canada, along with news about professional astronomy and space missions.
Atmospheric Optics - Ice halos, ray & shadows, water droplets, rainbows, other atmospheric phenomena
CalSKY - The most comprehensive online calculator for timing astronomical observations
Citizen Sky – Take part in Citizen Science! - Everyone, regardless of science background, can play a role in the Citizen Sky Project… discover yours! Get involved.
Comet Chasing - From Skyhound
Free Mag 7 Star Charts - Printable in B&W or colour on normal printers
Galaxy Zoo - Amateur astronomers classify galaxies for researchers
Heavens-Above - Satellite predictions
Near Earth Objects - NASA asteroid tracking
North American All Sky Cameras - Spotted a fireball? Report it here.
North American Meteor Network NAMN - Receive advance notice of upcoming meteor showers; contribute your observations if you wish; free membership
Observers Notebook- The Official ALPO Podcast - News and interviews about astronomy and what to observe in the night sky from the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers.
Reporting Meteor/Fireball - You saw something bright and fast? Like a huge shooting star? Report it: it may be a fireball.
San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers -
StarDate - Short radio clips on astronomical topics, along with other useful resources - has been running since 1995!
Telescopius - observing planning tools, including a planetarium, best tonight celestial events, telescope/eyepiece FOV simulator, astrophoto hosting - hosted by iTelescope
TRIATLAS Project - Three deep sky atlases up to 9, 11 and 13 magnitude in PDF format. Completely free to download and use!

Other

An Atlas of The Universe - Series of maps to show the scale of the universe
Fourmilab - Solar System, Earth and Moon Viewers, Star Charts and more
Space Environment Center -
The Aberrator -
The Greatest Women in Science History -
The Moon Illusion – An Unsolved Mystery -
Women In Astronomy - professional astronomers who happen to be women

Personal Galleries

Astro Garage - Stefano Cancelli, RASC Toronto Centre
Brian Whittaker - A personal collection of photos and info
Gary Seronik - A place for stargazing enthusiasts. Gary writes for Sky & Telescope magazine and is Editor of Canada's Skynews magazine
John Mirtle's Astrophotography - Superb astrophotographs taken by this Calgary Centre member
John's astronomy - personal website for John McDonald featuring his astronomical images
Miloslav Druckmüller - Eclipse and other astrophotos
Philip Perkins' Astrophotography - Superb personal astronomical photographs.
Photographing Star Trails - Discusses composition, technique and tools for photographing the night sky - by Dan Heller
Photography by Malcolm Park - Astrophotos and more from a remote observatory in the Atacama Desert in Chile
Samir Kharusi's Photo Galleries - Astrophotography mixed with other photography, lens & sensor comparisons for astrophotography. Samir is active in the digital_astro Yahoo! group (focused on digital cameras used for astrophotography)

astrodon.social - A Mastodon community server for anyone interested in astronomy, astrophysics, astrophotography, and adjacent sciences. A social media alternative to mainstreams services such as Twitter/X, Bluesky, Instagram, Tiktok, etc.
Astronomy feed on Bluesky - Astronomy posts from astronomers on Bluesky social media.

Software

AutoStakkert! - AutoStakkert! (AS!3, AS!2) is lucky imaging software for Windows used to automatically analyze, align, and stack images of the Sun, Moon and Planets that were taken through a telescope.
Bahtinov Focusing Mask Generator - Generates a template for a mask to help focus your scope - undoubtedly the best way to achieve perfect focus for astrophotography
DeepSkyStacker - Free astrophotography processing software
FITS Liberator - The "official" software supporting the FITS format from European Space Agency - free download for Windows or Mac
Hartman mask template generator - Generates a template for a mask to help focus your scope
Image Processing for Astrophotography - Warren Keller & Peter Proulx offer free online resources to learn to use PixInsight image processing software, and also offer subscriptions, blogs and workshops.
ImagesPlus - Free image processing and acquisition software for Windows platforms. No longer supported by Mike Unsold, but still works well and offers a rich set of features.
JPL Solar System Simulator - Generates views of any of our planets or their moons from any perspective
MaxIm DL - Observatory integration, astro image acquisition, and processing software for Windows - by Diffraction Limited
Neat Image - Noise reduction for digital cameras and scanners. Standalone Windows software or plug-ins available for graphics software.
Nebulosity - astronomical photography software that aligns and stacks a series of images, controls cameras, and is inexpensive and easy to use. Mac OS/X and Windows versions.
Photopic Sky Survey - A new full colour, full sky survey done over a year by a dedicated photographer, and Sky Guide app for iOS
PixInsight - an image processing platform specialized in astrophotography, available natively for FreeBSD, Linux, Mac OS X and Windows operating systems.
Pure Blend Debian Astronomy - Debian based Unix operating system software that fits the requirements of both professional and hobby astronomers, integrating a large number of software packages covering telescope control, data reduction, presentation and other fields.
Sequator - Free software to align and stack astronomical images - Windows-based
Siril - a full-featured, free astronomical image processing tool - Windows, MacOS, Linux
SkySafari - Planetarium apps available on iOS platforms - various versions available
Software Bisque - Astro image acquisition and processing software, and the SkyX planetarium software
Starry Night - Planetarium software - various commercial versions available
Startrails - Free software to create a star trails image from a series of images, also created time lapse video
Stellarium - Planetarium software available on a wide variety of platforms, some free and open source, other versions charge fees.