Kim Coble's Links and References

Here are some links to books, articles and websites to help you learn about astronomy, cosmology and physics. There are also links on teaching these subjects too, mainly geared towards college-level and museum/informal education.

Astronomy Links

Cosmology Links

Physics Links

Teaching Links

Astronomy Links

General Astronomy References:

Books/Articles:

The Essential Cosmic Perspective, by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit (2002). This is a great introductory astronomy text.
Universe, by Freedman and Kaufman (2002). Good introductory astronomy text.
Astronomy Today, by Chaisson and McMillan (2001). Good introductory astronomy text.
The Physical Universe, by Frank Shu. College-level astrophysics textbook.
Cosmic Evolution: The Rise of Complexity in Nature, by Eric Chaisson (2001). Somewhat technical popular book on our cosmic origins.
Children of the Stars: Our Origin, Evolution and Destiny, by Altschuler (2002). Popular book on our cosmic origins.
100 Billion Suns, by Kippenhahn and Steinberg (1993). Popular book on the lifecycles of stars.
Extreme Stars, by Kaler (2001). Popular book on stars.
Little Book of Stars,, by Kaler (2000). Popular book on stars.

Websites:

NASA Origins
Imagine the Universe
NASA Space Science
Chandra X-ray Observatory Field Guide
Star Child
Our Place in the Universe
Sea and Sky

Pretty Pictures:

Hubble Site
Astronomy Picture of the Day
The Nine Planets
NSSDC Photo Gallery
David Malin Photography

Astronomy References on Specific Topics:

Solar System:
The Nine Planets
Build a Model Solar System
Views of the Solar System

Stars:
Stellar Evolution, Chandra Observatory
How do stars live and die? SIRTF movie
Star Light Star Bright Excercise, Amazing Space
Star Formation, IPAC
Supernovae, Chandra Observatory
Supernovae, by the High-Z SN Search team (click on 'public', then on 'What is a supernova?')
White Dwarfs, Chandra Observatory
Neutron Stars, Chandra Observatory
Neutron Stars, by Cole Miller
Black Holes, Chandra Observatory
Falling Into a Black Hole, by Andrew Hamilton
The Truth About Black Holes, Amazing Space
AAVSO: American Association of Variable Star Observers

Milky Way and Galaxies:
Multi-Wavelength Milky Way
Galactic Center Research at MPE
Cambridge Cosmology: Galaxies
Chandra Galaxy Clusters

The Search for Life in the Universe:
SETI
CA and Carnegie Exo-Planets Search
NASA Origins Program
Planet Quest
Terrestrial Planet Finder

Cultural Astronomy:
eCUIP Cultural Astronomy

Cosmology Links

General Cosmology References:

Books/Articles:

The Whole Shebang, by Timothy Ferris (1997). This is my best recommendation for a popular cosmology book.
How the Universe Got Its Spots, by Janna Levin (2001). Popular, readable. Written in the form of a dairy, it explains her studies of the shape and size of the Universe as well as giving a personal, honest account of what it's like to be a cosmologist.
From Quarks to the Cosmos, by Leon M. Lederman and David N. Schramm (1995). Popular, readable.
Shadows of Creation, by Michael Riordan, David N. Schramm (1991). Popular, readable.
The Science of the Universe, by Edward Harrison (2000). Introductory college-level cosmology textbook.
Cosmos, by Carl Sagan (1993). Based on the popular TV series.
Cosmic Evolution: The Rise of Complexity in Nature, by Eric Chaisson (2001). Somewhat technical popular book.
The Physical Universe, by Frank Shu. College-level astrophysics textbook.
Flatland, by Edwin Abbott and Sphereland, by Dionys Burger. Great popular books for thinking about geometry in different numbers of dimensions.

Websites:

My Cosmology Course at the Adler Planetarium
Microwave Anisotropy Probe Cosmology 101
Ned Wright's Cosmology Tutorial
The Expansion Rate and Size of the Universe by Wendy Freedman
NCSA General Relativity
Cambridge Cosmology Public Home Page
Portland State University Cosmology Course Page
The Measure of Cosmological Parameters by Wendy Freedman. It is a scientific paper, but it is not too technical, so those who want to delve into details might find it useful.

Cosmology References on Specific Topics:

Measuring the Vast Distances to Objects in the Universe:
The Hipparcos Space Astrometry Mission-- a satellite for measuring positions and parallaxes of stars.
American Association of Variable Star Observers-- for info on cepheids and other variable stars.
HST Cepheid Variables in M100
University of Washington Lab on Several Distance Measures
University of Washington Lab and Information on Parallax
Another University of Washington Parallax Lab
University of Washington Labs on measuring the size of the Earth, Sun, Moon, distance to the Sun and Moon

Expansion of the Universe:
University of Washington Hubble Law Lab (short version)
University of Washington Expanding Universe Lab
Hubble Completes Eight-Year Effort to Measure Expanding Universe

Supernovae and cosmic expansion and acceleration:
The High-Z SN Search
Supernova Cosmology Project
SNAP (proposed satellite mission)

Large Scale Structure:
Sloan Digital Sky Survey(SDSS)
2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey
University of Chicago CfCP LSS Simulations
NCSA: Walls Within Voids
The Virgo Consortium
Gallery of CfA stuff

Cosmic Microwave Background:
Wayne Hu's CMB Tutorial
Max Tegmark's List of CMB Experiments

Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) Effect:
SZE Experiment

Dark Mattter:
MACHO
OGLE

Gravitational Lensing:
Deep Lens Survey
HST Gravitational Lensing 2001
HST Gravitational Lensing 2000

Physics Links

General Physics References:

Books/Articles:
Physics: Concepts and Connections by Art Hobson (2002). Introductory physics text for liberal arts students.

Websites:
How Stuff Works
Light and Matter

Physics References on Specific Topics:

Light:
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Observatories for Different Wavelength Regions
Introduction to Spectra
What You Can Learn From Spectra
Amazing Space: Star Light Star Bright Excercise
Essay on Light: An Example of the Methods Used in Astronomy

Energy:
Energy and Everyday Experience
Atoms and Light Energy
Energy
Hyperphysics (Click on energy and follow the links)
How Stuff Works: Energy

Teaching Links

I Highly Recommend:

Conceptual Astronomy and Physics Education Research (CAPER)Team. They often give workshops at AAS meetings and have a ton of useful material.
National Institute for Sciece Education: College Level One
Lecture Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy (Website)
Lecture Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy (Book)
Learner-Centered Astronomy Teaching: Strategies for ASTRO 101 (Book)

Online Journals:

Astronomy Education Review
American Journal of Physics
The Chronicle of Higher Education

Societies:

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
American Astronomical Society Home Page
American Institute of Physics - Home Page
American Association of Physics Teachers
APS Committee on Education
APS Forum on Education
APS Forum on Physics and Society

AAS Abstracts: Various Methods

College Student Learning about Theory, Evidence and the Interface between Science and Religion in an Astronomy Course
"It's ONLY a Theory": What Do Students Know about the Scientific Enterprise?
First Contact: Expectations of Beginning Astronomy Students
A Survey of Learning Goals for Introductory Astronomy Courses
Hands-on Astronomy in the Classroom: Good Teaching Ideas for Middle School, High School and Introductory College Teachers
Bringing Astronomy to the Classroom: A Model for Planting Seeds of Interest
Everything You Wanted to Know about Evaluating Your Astronomy Education Project But Were Afraid to Ask
Did You See the Moon Last Night? - Scientific Inquiry through Writing, Art, and Observation
Using Observational Journals in an Introductory Astronomy Course

Activities/Labs

Amazing Space Web-Based Activities
University of Washington Astro 101 Labs Clearinghouse
The Cosmic Distance Ladder
Project Clea
WMAP Teacher's Guide to the Universe
Hands-On Universe
Build a Solar System
SDSS Sky Server
The Universe at Your Fingertips: An Activity and Resource Notebook for the Teaching of Astronomy

Home Research Education Publications Links Hobbies Travel

Last modified Oct 25, 2003