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Astronomy
|
Below are a few major, frequently used sources for the study
of astronomy. The astronomy literature is international in scope
and organized into primary (the first public record of the research)
and secondary (works derived from primary sources) publications,
although this distinction is beginning to be blurred in some web
resources.
See also the research guide(s): Geology, Mathematics, Physics, and Science. For additional information on sources please consult a librarian. Internet resources require a Tufts I.D. number for off-campus access (authorized user statement). |
Facts and Background Information [back to top]
Reference Resources
Almanacs
The Astronomical Almanac
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QB8 .U6 A77 1997 plus supplement]
A compendium of tables giving celestial coordinates and astronomical
ephemeredes (measures of time) prepared at the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, California, in cooperation with the U.S. Naval Observatory.
Space Almanac: Facts, Figures, Names, Dates, Places, Lists, Charts,
Tables, Maps Covering Space From Earth to the Edge of the Universe
[Print. Tisch Reference QB500 .C87 1990]
Covers all aspects of space from observation to exploration in
seven topical sections.
Annual Reports
Annual
Reports of Observatories
A list of observatories publishing annual reports.
Atlases & Maps
The Aladin Interactive Sky Atlas
The Cambridge Atlas of Astronomy
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QB65 .T813 1994]
Presented in four sections: The Solar System, The Stars and the
Galaxy, The Extragalactic Domain and The Scientific Perspective.
The Cambridge Star Atlas
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QB65 .T56 1996]
Stars, clusters, nebulae and galaxies are presented in a series
of 24 monthly sky maps with 25 detailed star charts that can be
used from almost any observing point.
The Great Atlas of the Stars
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QB65 .B7813 2001]
Depicts 30 of the most well known of the 88 constellations.
Consolidated Lunar Atlas
A NASA project to assemble a compilation of the best photographic
images of the moon.
Your Sky
An interactive Planetarium of the Web by John Walker.
Catalogs
VizieR
Service
Database for online astronomical catalogs and data tables.
Astronomer’s
Bazaar
A collection of astronomical data catalogs of observations of
star, galaxy and other galactic and extragalactic objects from
The Strasbourg Astronomical Data Center (CDS).
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Astronomy and Astrophysics Encyclopedia
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QB14 .A873 1992]
Cambridge Astronomy Dictionary
[PRINT. Tisch Reference QB14 .C34 1996]
1000+ entries with concise definitions.
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Sun
[PRINT Book Stacks QB521 .L24 2001]
A fundamental reference source for information about the sun.
Dictionary
of Nomenclature of Celestial Objects
Provides references and usage for different acronyms.
Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Other version available: [PRINT. Tisch Reference QB14 .E534 2001]
Comprehensive compilation of articles on astronomy and its history. The electronic version has
full-text articles and links to primary literature. Choose "advanced search" or "browse",
or scroll down to the subject area; no username or password is required.
Oxford Reference Online--Dictionary of Astronomy
Physics
and Astronomy Glossary
An elementary glossary of technical terms in physics and astronomy.
Government Resources
CEPS/NASM Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution’s Air and Space Museum webpage.
Featured are the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies webpages.
Comet Observation Home Page
Resource for information on comets.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
NASA/JPL, located at California Institute of Technology, has a
mission to explore the universe, as represented in the Solar
System and Stars
and Galaxies.
Lunar and Planetary
Institute
Focus is on studies pertaining to the current state, evolution
and formation of the solar system.
National Aeronautics & Space
Administration (NASA)
U.S. government agency with the primary goal of furthering mankind’s
knowledge of the universe. Note: to fully view the site one needs
to install the free player Macromedia Flash Player 6.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory
Founded in 1982 to provide ground-based astronomical telescopes
and to help advance all aspects of U.S. astronomy.
Planetary Data System
An archive for NASA planetary missions and astronomical observations.
U.S. Naval Observatory
Time Service Department
Sun and moon rise and set times, eclipses, positions of solar
system object and other astronomical data.
Handbooks
Cambridge University
Press Handbook of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics
Reference for space astronomy and astrophysics by Martin Zombeck
(1990).
Images/Pictures
Astronomical Image Library
An index of astronomical images available on the Internet.
PDS Imaging Node
NASA’s digital image collections from planetary missions.
Solar System Simulator--JPL
NASA
A user can create color views of the solar system by inputting
a number of variables
Terranova:
Planet of the Day
Using random parameters, an image of a new planet is presented
everyday.
Welcome
to the Planets
A collection of images from NASA planetary exploration programs.
Reviews
Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 1984-
Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 1984-
Selected Astronomy Book and Software Reviews
Astronomy
Software Revue
Astronomy software programs for PC’s.
Societies & Associations
American Astronomical Society
Includes information on grants, jobs, meetings, and publications.
Astronomical Society of the
Pacific
Founded in 1889, it is the largest general astronomy society in
the world, with a mission to disseminate astronomical information.
The International Astronomical
Union
Founded in 1919 to promote the science of astronomy through international
cooperation.
Resources for Writing
Bibliographic Citation Manager(s)
RefWorks
A web-based reference/citation and bibliography manager. Allows
users to keep track of and download citations from our
Internet databases/indexes and then use these references in
writing papers and automatically formatting papers and the bibliographies.
This software works with EndNote too!
Dictionaries
Oxford Reference Online. Dictionary of Astronomy
Oxford English Dictionary Online
Style Manuals & Guides
Elements of Style by William J Strunk
A library’s catalog covers most aspects of a subject over centuries of publications in many languages. Catalogs can be searched by author, title, subject, and keyword. Tisch Library uses the Library of Congress (LC) classification scheme. LC classification brings similar books together on the shelves, which facilitates browsing. Astronomy books are classified in QB.
The Catalogs
Boston Library Consortium Catalogs
Harvard University Library System Catalog (HOLLIS)
National Research
Council of Canada
Includes Canada Institute for Scientific & Technical Information
(CISTI).
WorldCat.
FirstSearch.
Click on WorldCat or select WorldCat database from the search
box.
Covers almost all of the catalogs of the major research libraries,
as well as public libraries.
Other Sources for Books
Books
in Print
Lists books currently in print and available on the market for
purchasing.
Document Delivery
Borrow from other libraries, both books and journal articles.
The
Online Books Page: QB
List of online books that are freely available from the University
of Pennsylvania’s Digital Library.
To locate articles or research papers within periodicals and journals, it is necessary to use specialized databases known as indexes. Database Searching Tips (also available in PDF) provides valuable information on how to construct a search for best results.
Indexes
Science Indexes
INSPEC
1969-
Institution of Electrical Engineering. 1969-
Access is via Engineering Village 2, the Institute of Physics
AXIOM research service. Choose INSPEC in the Select Database
box on the EV2 homepage. For standard service a password is not
required. For enhanced service providing personalization, alerting,
and search history, you will need to create an account with a
password. INSPEC is the leading database for the world's literature
in physics, electrical and electronics engineering, computing,
and information technology. It corresponds to the print publications
Physics Abstracts, Electrical and Electronic Abstracts, and Computer
and Control Abstracts.
Science
Citation Index Expanded 1945-
Part of the ISI Web of Science, this index provides author, subject
and citation access to journal articles and book reviews in the
sciences as well as citation values for particular papers and
citation tracking and related records. Updated weekly.
Scopus. Elsevier, 1966-
An index to the world's scientific, technical and medical literature (14,000 scholarly titles),
including 2,700 titles in Social Science, Psychology and Economics. Updated daily. Non-English
titles are covered as long as English abstracts are available. Full-text linking is available
wherever the technology and the access arrangements permit and continues to expand as such
arrangements allow. Integrated web searching and patent searching by Scirus.
Current
Contents
An ISI current awareness database with an interdisciplinary focus;
covers science, social science and humanities; includes the latest
issue and table of contents from over 8,000 of the world’s
research journals and some evaluated scholarly websites. Can
create auto alerts for e-mail updates. Has search and journal
browse functions. Updated daily.
Specialized Astronomy Indexes & Databases
ARIBIB Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts
Astrophysics Data System 1975-
NED: NASA/IPAC Extragalactic
Database 1983-
Abstracts from1988.
SIMBAD Astronomical
Database
International database for the identification of astronomical
objects.
Electronic Journals
Periodicals are listed in the library catalog. Holdings in all formats are unified in one record, and most entries for journals held in electronic format contain a hyperlink to the source. Searches in the web-based catalog enable one to follow these links directly. A complete list of electronic journals is on the Tisch homepage under Electronic Journals.
Key Weekly Science Journals
Nature. Nature Publishing Group.
Current:
v387-, 1997-
Back volumes v. 54-84 (1896-1910) and v.132- (1937-): [PRINT.
Tisch Bound Periodicals Q1 .N2]
Back volumes v.112-131 (1923-1933): [MICROFORMS. R93]
Science
Current:
v270-, (1995- )
Back
volumes v.1-270, (1800-1995)
Collections of Electronic Journals
Blackwell
Synergy. Blackwell Publishing.
Provides full text access to 600+ scholarly journals. To browse
Astronomy & Astrophysics select Life and Physical Sciences.
ScienceDirect. Elsevier.
A database of over 1,700 journal titles covering the life, physical,
technical and social sciences. Titles start with the initial volume
of publication; all titles have tables of contents and abstracts,
and most have full text articles. Tufts has access to approximately
800 titles from 1995 to date. The titles formerly published by
Academic Press commence with 1993. Green boxes indicate subscribed
titles; white boxes are for non-subscribed titles. Please note:
ScienceDirect no longer provides access to non-subscribed titles.
Articles from non-subscribed titles must be obtained from Tisch
Document Delivery or purchased directly from ScienceDirect.
SpringerLink.
Springer Verlag.
Provides access to 460+ electronic journals with full-text and
some book series. The focus is on science and technology. Browse
the Physics & Astronomy Online Library. To gain access to
the Springer A-Z journal list, pull down the top right hand bar.
Other Sources for Research Papers
Pre-prints, conferences and proceedings, dissertations, and technical reports are other sources for original research.
ArXiv.org e-print archive
A preprint archive for physics and related disciplines. Originally
the Los Alamos National Laboratory E-Print Archive; now at Cornell
University.
Astronomy
Preprints and Abstracts
A list of astronomy preprint links. Maintained by the AstroWeb
consortium.
ISI
Proceedings
An index to the published literature of significant conferences,
symposia, and seminars.
Dissertation
Abstracts. First Search. 1861-
Indexes dissertations accepted at accredited institutions; covers
all disciplines. Updated monthly.
Tufts University
Dissertations. ProQuest, 1996-
Tufts dissertations and theses published in Dissertation Abstracts
from 1996 to date. Provides full-text access.
GrayLit Network. U.S. Government.
A science portal of technical reports from the Department of Energy,
Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, and NASA.
NASA Center
for Aerospace Information Technical Reports Server 1962-
Technical reports from NASA. Includes citations to reports from1915-1960.
Find Web Resources on the Internet
In the 1980’s the World Wide Web emerged and spawned publications of its own, independent of the print traditions. Information retrieved from the open web must be reviewed for authority, accuracy and authenticity. Keeping these limitations in mind, there are some excellent information resources available from the open web, especially those associated with government agencies and universities. See how to evaluate web resources.
General Web Search Engines
Google
A top ranked web search engine, with good relevancy. Uses tabs
at the top of the search box. The Groups tab leads to a usenet
news database: sci.astronomy.
The Directory tab is a Page Rank version of the Open Directory:
Astronomy.
There is also a tab for Images and News.
Alltheweb.com
Good web search engine. Indexes full webpage, PDF files, Microsoft
Word files, and text within Flash files. Also includes tabs for
databases of news, pictures, videos, audio and FTP files.
Science Web Search Engines
Scirus
A comprehensive science-specific search engine. Locates peer-reviewed
articles.
Astronomylinks.com
Astronomy and space related links from around the world.
Astroweb
A collection of astronomy and related information on the Internet
compiled by the Astro Web consortium.
Centre de Donnees astronomiques
de Strasbourg (CDS)
A resource for information pertaining to astronomical objects
produced by observatories from around the world.
CEPS/NASM Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution’s Air and Space Museum webpage.
Featured are the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies webpages.
The
Nine Planets
Text and images giving an overview of the solar system.
SciCentral
A portal to scientific and technical resources. Created and maintained
by professional scientists.
Scientific
Visualization Sites
Annotated bibliography of scientific visualizations sites. A service
of NAS (Numerical Aerospace Simulation).
SIMBAD Astronomical
Database
A database that provides basic data, cross-identifications, and
bibliography for astronomical objects outside of the solar system.
Views of
the Solar System
Calvin Hamilton’s compilation of images from the solar system;
includes history, glossary, and planetary data.
Contact a Librarian [back to top]
Miriam Allman.
Contact for questions about library collections.
Regina Raboin. Contact for reference questions and instruction requests.
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