Astronomy

Databases

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:59:08 -0700

View from the International Space Station

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:53:33 -0700

Current Research

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:00:21 -0700

"There's a well-known historical event that astronomers routinely cite whenever they wish to prove their modesty: it's called the Copernican Revolution. It taught us to always assume that our circumstances are typical, rather than special -- that we're just another kid on the block, another bird in the flock. But today, this comfortable modesty may be headed to a very uncomfortable extreme.

Unlike other revolutions, the one begun by Copernicus didn't feature peasants with pitchforks. Instead of taking on the aristocracy, it took on Aristotle -- who had flogged the appealing idea that all of creation pivoted around the Earth, a view that Copernicus challenged. Because Aristotle had been dead for two thousand years, he didn't fight back.

The new paradigm was that the planets orbited the Sun, rather than the Earth -- a seismic shift in cosmological thought that removed us from the center of the cosmos forever. Hubris was out, although not very far out. Copernicus shifted the nexus of the universe to the Sun which, as every school kid knows, is merely 93 million miles from the location favored by Aristotle."
Read more on HuffPost...

Other astronomy websites of note:

Cosmic Journey: A History of Scientific Cosmology
Online exhibit provided by the American Institute of Physics Center for History of Physics.

Handbook of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics
Handbook of Space Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2nd edition available for free online.

Lunary and Planetary Institute
The Lunar and Planetary Institute provides support services to NASA and the planetary science community, and conducts planetary science research under the leadership of staff scientists, visiting researchers, and postdoctoral fellows.

NASA
The NASA website is chock full of information for academic and amateur astronomers alike, including the Planetary Photojournal, Observatorium, Center for Aerospace Information, Mars Global Surveyor, and much more.

Nine Planets
Don't let the name of this site fool you; well-researched and frequently updated, Nine Planets is a multimedia tour of the solar system. Resources include NASA images, sounds, movies, history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of the planets, moons and other objects in our solar system.

Journals

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:33:36 -0800

Astronomy
Articles on all aspects of the universe, including astronomy & astrophysics; aeronautics and space sciences; and aviation & space exploration.

Astrophysics & Space Science
Research articles, reviews, and conference proceedings on astronomy and astrophysics. Journal also publishes data from ground-based, space, and atmospheric facilities.

Communicating Astronomy with the Public
Open access (free) journal focusing on the intersection of the scientific astronomical community and society-at-large. Regularly includes news, research articles, reviews, resource recommendations, innovations, best practices, and more.

MARS : The International Journal of Mars Science and Exploration
Open access (free), peer-reviewed journal articles on science, technology, and policy of Mars exploration.

Sky and Telescope
Articles on space science, astronomy, observatories, planetariums, telescopes and celestial events.

Sky Watch
Popular magazine for amateur astronomers, articles focus on news, equipment reviews, stargazing, and more. Be sure to check out the regular feature on sky events by month.

Solar System Research
Peer-reviewed journal with articles on the elements of the Solar System: planets & their satellites, asteroids, comets, meteoric substances, & cosmic dust.

Dark Matter and Dark Energy

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:07:03 -0700

"Physicist Patricia Burchat sheds light on two basic ingredients of our universe: dark matter and dark energy. Comprising 96% of the universe between them, they can't be directly measured, but their influence is immense." (16:06 minutes)

Deep Universe

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:39:56 -0700

In order to observe the most distant objects in the universe, one needs two things: very fine resolution and very long exposures. As a space telescope, Hubble provides the detailed view. However, getting several days worth of exposure for a single observation on this valuable resource is an extremely tall order, since there are many more requests from astronomers to use Hubble than there are hours available to use it. Nevertheless, Hubble has done a few deep images looking across the universe, and unveiled some dramatic findings. To call these observations mind-bending is an understatement, as one has to traverse several deep concepts about space and time before even grasping the nature of the results. Join us for a scientific story that takes place a long, long time ago in galaxies far, far away.

From Hubble's Universe Unfiltered.

Black Hole Caught Red-handed in a Stellar Homicide

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:49:22 -0700

This computer simulation shows a star being shredded by the gravity of a massive black hole. Some of the stellar debris falls into the black hole and some of it is ejected into space at high speeds. The areas in white are regions of highest density, with progressively redder colors corresponding to lower-density regions. The blue dot pinpoints the black hole's location. The inset is a close-up of the region around the black hole. The elapsed time corresponds to the amount of time it takes for a Sun-like star to be ripped apart by a black hole a million times more massive than the Sun.

Read the full story on HubbleSite...

Astronomy Clubs

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:05:06 -0700

Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Rose City Astronomers
Seattle Astronomical Society

Bad Astronomy Blog @ Discover Magazine

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:17:52 -0700

Scientific American: Space

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:02:31 -0700

Scientific American headlines relating to space and astronomy:

Get Help in Person or by Phone

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:34:41 -0700

You can ask our librarians a question during open hours at any PCC Library.

Need the phone number for your campus? Contact us! If you'd rather come by in person, check the PCC Library locations and hours.

Email Us

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:34:58 -0700

Need to ask a question by email? That's easy too. Use Ask a Librarian, or find your favorite librarian's email address on Library Staff.

Help from Tutors

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:35:15 -0700

Tutors are available to you both in person and online, and the service is free! Cascade, Sylvania, Rock Creek and Southeast Center each have a tutoring center with excellent in-person tutors in most subjects. If you're working on a paper, the writing tutors are popular (so don't wait until the last minute)! You can get more information about each campuses hours and locations at the links below:

Cascade Campus Learning Center

Rock Creek Student Learning Center

Tutoring at Southeast Center

Tutoring at Sylvania

Or get started working with PCC's online tutors:

eTutoring at PCC

Chat or Text a Librarian for Help

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:35:30 -0700

You can chat with a PCC librarian any time you see the PCC Ask A Librarian chat widget on any of the library's pages (like the PCC Library home page) or in a subject guide like this one. You can also get to us through AIM, Yahoo!, or Google Talk.

AIM/Y!: pcclib
Google Talk: pcclib@gmail

You can also text a librarian for help at:
971-259-TEXT (8398)

Need help when the library isn't open? Chat with an L-Net librarian 24-7.

Helping Yourself!

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:35:44 -0700

PCC Library has lots of resources that you can use on your own. You may already know that about the quiet study spaces as well as study rooms you can reserve.

Citing sources is another way you can help yourself! PCC Library has all the information you need on Cite Sources. The library also has video tutorials on everything from how to develop a topic for your paper to figuring out how to incorporate those citations. You'll find those videos, as well as information about using e-resources, at Tutorials and Handouts.

Sky Atlases & Almanacs

allinee.flanary@pcc.edu (Allie Flanary) — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:57:24 -0700

Aladin Sky Atlas
Astronomical Almanac Online
Stardate