Astronomy - What's Next?
There are many excellent books available from the library and large bookshops, including internet shops. Here are a few more ideas on how to continue your interest:
Observing
Using a star chart, take the opportunity, on a clear night, to look at the night sky yourself. Newspapers (Times, Telegraph) and monthly astronomical magazines (Astronomy Now, Sky at Night) publish sky charts and have information about how to find the planets, meteor showers and watch eclipses.
Internet
There is an enormous amount of information available on the Internet. Every aspect of astronomy is covered. Whether you want to watch a solar eclipse live or just read about the latest ideas in cosmology, your browser will take you there. Try http://www.heavens-above.com/. Tell the software where you live, it will then provide you with star charts, space station pass times and much more.
Television and Radio
Look out for the programmes, which cover astronomical topics e.g. The Sky at Night (BBC4). Horizon and Inside Science (Radio 4). Many of these can be watched /listened to again, via the Internet.
Local Societies
Norfolk and Suffolk are fortunate to have several active societies/clubs. New members are always welcome and all have open evenings when you have the opportunity to look through a telescope without joining. Contact details are often to be found in the local paper/astronomical magazine (e.g. Astronomy Now) or the Sky at Night website.
Norwich Astronomical Society – Seething Airfield, Toad Lane, Industrial Estate
http://www.norwich.astronomicalsociety.org.uk/
Breckland Astronomical Society –Recreation Hall, Great Ellingham.
http://www.brecklandastro.org.uk/membership.html
North Norfolk Astronomical Society – http://www.nnas.org/
National Societies
British Astronomical Association
http://www.britastro.org/ and Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1V 9AG 020 7734 4145
Society for Popular Astronomy http://www.popastro.com/
Books
Cambridge Astronomy http://www.cambridge.org/ 01223 326050
Astronomy Now http://astronomynowstore.com/
Earth and Sky http://www.earthandsky.co.uk/ 01328 820083
Visits
Greenwich Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London – museum and planetarium
http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/ 020 8858 4422
Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh
http://www.roe.ac.uk/ 0131 668 8405 - has a visitor centre and spectacular views over the city
Woolsthorpe Manor, Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, Grantham, Lincolnshire (just off the A1)
The house where the great man (Isaac Newton) was born and did some of his finest work. Visitor centre and exhibition.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ 01476 860338
Jodrell Bank, Cheshire – 20 miles south of Manchester, take J18 on M6, exhibition and planetarium, www.jb.man.ac.uk/scicen 01447 571339
Armagh Observatory, Armagh, Northern Ireland
http://www.arm.ac.uk/ 0128 3752 2928 – has a visitors centre and a planetarium. Good online shop.
National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, Leicester LE4 5NS – museum, theatre/planetarium
http://www.nssc.co.uk/ 0870 60 77223 and planetarium 0116 261 0261
Southend Planetarium, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea
01702 434 449 http://www.southendmuseums.co.uk/planetarium/planetarium.htm
Herschel Museum, Bath
http://www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/?id=8
Winchester Planetarium
http://www.intech-uk.com/folders/home/index.cfm
Star Party Kelling Heath, Norfolk
http://www.starparty.org/
Distance Learning
Liverpool John Moores University http://www.astrolivjm.ac.uk/
Introducing Astronomy, Open University, 0845 3008845 and www.openuniversity.co.uk/nasa
A range of courses: University of Central Lancashire, 01772 893540 and http://www.studyastronomy.com/
Jodrell Bank Observatory (Manchester University) www.jb.man.ac.uk/distance
http://www.starlearner.com/
University College London astrocert@ucl.ac.uk
plus others
Software
It is now possible to observe the sky from your computer, as it is now, or as it was thousands of years ago, or what it will look like in the future. Some software enables you to see the sky from any other part of Solar System.
There are many free software packages available via the internet eg http://www.stellarium.org/
Binoculars and Telescopes
A few possibilities:
http://www.warehouseexpress.co.uk/ http://www.darkstartelescopes.co.uk/ http://www.telescopesplus.co.uk/ http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/ http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/ http://www.green-witch.com/ http://www.telescopehouse.com/ http://www.celestron.uk.com/
http://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk
Magazines
http://www.astronomynow.com/
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/
http://www.skyatnight.co.uk/ – BBC Publications
Observing
Using a star chart, take the opportunity, on a clear night, to look at the night sky yourself. Newspapers (Times, Telegraph) and monthly astronomical magazines (Astronomy Now, Sky at Night) publish sky charts and have information about how to find the planets, meteor showers and watch eclipses.
Internet
There is an enormous amount of information available on the Internet. Every aspect of astronomy is covered. Whether you want to watch a solar eclipse live or just read about the latest ideas in cosmology, your browser will take you there. Try http://www.heavens-above.com/. Tell the software where you live, it will then provide you with star charts, space station pass times and much more.
Television and Radio
Look out for the programmes, which cover astronomical topics e.g. The Sky at Night (BBC4). Horizon and Inside Science (Radio 4). Many of these can be watched /listened to again, via the Internet.
Local Societies
Norfolk and Suffolk are fortunate to have several active societies/clubs. New members are always welcome and all have open evenings when you have the opportunity to look through a telescope without joining. Contact details are often to be found in the local paper/astronomical magazine (e.g. Astronomy Now) or the Sky at Night website.
Norwich Astronomical Society – Seething Airfield, Toad Lane, Industrial Estate
http://www.norwich.astronomicalsociety.org.uk/
Breckland Astronomical Society –Recreation Hall, Great Ellingham.
http://www.brecklandastro.org.uk/membership.html
North Norfolk Astronomical Society – http://www.nnas.org/
National Societies
British Astronomical Association
http://www.britastro.org/ and Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1V 9AG 020 7734 4145
Society for Popular Astronomy http://www.popastro.com/
Books
Cambridge Astronomy http://www.cambridge.org/ 01223 326050
Astronomy Now http://astronomynowstore.com/
Earth and Sky http://www.earthandsky.co.uk/ 01328 820083
Visits
Greenwich Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London – museum and planetarium
http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/ 020 8858 4422
Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh
http://www.roe.ac.uk/ 0131 668 8405 - has a visitor centre and spectacular views over the city
Woolsthorpe Manor, Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, Grantham, Lincolnshire (just off the A1)
The house where the great man (Isaac Newton) was born and did some of his finest work. Visitor centre and exhibition.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ 01476 860338
Jodrell Bank, Cheshire – 20 miles south of Manchester, take J18 on M6, exhibition and planetarium, www.jb.man.ac.uk/scicen 01447 571339
Armagh Observatory, Armagh, Northern Ireland
http://www.arm.ac.uk/ 0128 3752 2928 – has a visitors centre and a planetarium. Good online shop.
National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, Leicester LE4 5NS – museum, theatre/planetarium
http://www.nssc.co.uk/ 0870 60 77223 and planetarium 0116 261 0261
Southend Planetarium, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea
01702 434 449 http://www.southendmuseums.co.uk/planetarium/planetarium.htm
Herschel Museum, Bath
http://www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/?id=8
Winchester Planetarium
http://www.intech-uk.com/folders/home/index.cfm
Star Party Kelling Heath, Norfolk
http://www.starparty.org/
Distance Learning
Liverpool John Moores University http://www.astrolivjm.ac.uk/
Introducing Astronomy, Open University, 0845 3008845 and www.openuniversity.co.uk/nasa
A range of courses: University of Central Lancashire, 01772 893540 and http://www.studyastronomy.com/
Jodrell Bank Observatory (Manchester University) www.jb.man.ac.uk/distance
http://www.starlearner.com/
University College London astrocert@ucl.ac.uk
plus others
Software
It is now possible to observe the sky from your computer, as it is now, or as it was thousands of years ago, or what it will look like in the future. Some software enables you to see the sky from any other part of Solar System.
There are many free software packages available via the internet eg http://www.stellarium.org/
Binoculars and Telescopes
A few possibilities:
http://www.warehouseexpress.co.uk/ http://www.darkstartelescopes.co.uk/ http://www.telescopesplus.co.uk/ http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/ http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/ http://www.green-witch.com/ http://www.telescopehouse.com/ http://www.celestron.uk.com/
http://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk
Magazines
http://www.astronomynow.com/
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/
http://www.skyatnight.co.uk/ – BBC Publications
