Here's access to worlds of information about several possible
observing projects with the internet telescope:
GALAXIES, NEBULAE AND STAR CLUSTERS -- see websites:
Astronomy
Picture of the Day index
Messier catalog
MINOR PLANETS, ephemeris generator, follow instructions:
website =
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/mpc.html
See also end of this webpage...
COMETS: website = iau/Comets
and encke.jpl.nasa.gov
Note updates on currently visible comets (north and south
hemispheres)
SUPERNOVAE: lists of recent ones available at website =
Supernovae.net and
cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/RecentIAUCs.html
(Note: without a subscription, you can only view those OLDER THAN
about one week ago... still plenty of objects mentioned!)
VARIABLE STARS: website = www.aavso.org
This website provides general information, many star charts and light
curves, plus JD calculation, etc.
BRIGHT PLANETS: can be seen in binoculars and are too bright for many CCD
cameras without special filtering, etc. You might find the freeware at
this website helpful for planetary
studies: http://pages.infinit.net/merid/english.html
?NEED A COMPARISON STAR FIELD? website = Digital Sky Survey
and follow step by step to retrieve saved images, use GIF not FITS
display option
?NEED DETAILED INFO, CATALOGS, ETC?
Try websites Astrophys Data
Service and/or AstroWeb by
categories and/or Astro Data and
Catalogs... More to follow!
MINOR PLANET LIGHTCURVES: Suggstions by Dan Durda SWRI:
As for your lightcurve work, There are always objects in need of that
sort of observing. If you are interested in trying for objects that
have just recently been discovered and are in danger of being lost
again soon, the best bet would be to keep an eye to the Minor Planet
Center's NEO
Confirmation Page. NEO - Near-Earth Object. Even though this
page is geared toward astrometric follow up, you might well find
brighter objects there that will almost certainly have no lightcurve
info at all. It'd be very nice to have someone looking at these objects
for physical studies observations in addition to 'just' astrometric
follow up.
Up a link from the Confirmation page is the
general NEO
page. Here you should be able
to find lists (or generate your own) of ephemerides for brighter NEOs
or specific NEOs that you can choose yourself.
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