Astronomy online - Further resources 

Your suggestions and recommendations

If you have any recommended resources which you think it would be good to share, do please let me know at website@exmouthu3a.org.uk. It would good also to share any good programmes, videos, podcasts, radio programmes, apps, and online course material.

• The best book that we have found on The Universe is ‘Universe: The Definitive Visual Guide’, edited by Martin Rees (the Astronomer Royal) and published by DK. This has a great deal of detail and some dazzling graphics. See https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universe-Definitive-Visual-Guide-DK/dp/0241412749. The hardback book is probably the best format. You can read the first few pages free as an ebook sample - although this and the ebook itself took me an age to download, but worth the wait! (My thanks to Anthony for this recommended book).

• The national u3a (Third Age Trust) has an adviser for u3a Astronomy Groups, Martin Whillock FRSA, who has put together a very useful webpage which includes some excellent suggested websites. His webpage is at https://www.u3a.org.uk/learning/subjects/262-astronomy . Each week when we were doing weekly topics, we featured some of those resources from there and from his monthly updates , and I am very grateful to Martin for his support and advice.

Here are some of his recommendations:

• The Sun as seen from Earth: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/refraction-distortion-moon-sun-near-horizon

• Friday evenings need never be boring again!  Visit the Popastro Live at Facebook  facebook.com/popastro or YouTube https://www.youtube.com/popastro  or Twitter https://twitter.com/popastro just before 8 pm. These weekly broadcasts are hosted by the very jolly Vicky Duncalf with Cosmo the Telescope Sloth. Vicky has been isolated in a barn in Anglesey for months. She has two or three expert guests giving short talks on her whacky Friday evenings. Enjoy!

• Special thanks to Olivia for discovering an excellent website all about meteorites - 'Space Rocks: The Mineral Composition of Meteorites'. It's well worth a look, and has some further links to more resources to explore this in more depth - https://brite.co/education/space-rocks-the-mineral-composition-of-meteorites/

• Ian recommends these podcasts from the Radio 4 series 'The Life Scientific': =

  • Maggie Aderin-Pocock - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07d4xz5

  • Chris Lintott - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b046kwpv

  • Dame Jocelyn Burnell - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b016812j

• My thanks to Barbara for her recommendations, including the ‘Stargazing Live Guide to Telescopes’ (link to PDF here https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/stargazinglive/sgl_guide_to_telescopes.pdf) and the book ‘Philips Britain & Ireland 2021 Stargazing Month by Month Guide to the Night Sky’ (you can browse through a few of the pages: link here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Stargazing-Month-Britain-Ireland/dp/1849075417 ). She also recommends Meteorwatch on Facebook. It has alerts to meteor showers, ISS passes and other astronomical events. There is also a website: link here https://www.meteorwatch.org/

• Thank you also to Kate for recommending the book she has - ‘Collins Royal Observatory Greenwich 2021 Guide to the Night Sky’ by Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion (again you can browse through a few of the pages: link here https://www.amazon.co.uk/2021-Guide-Night-month-month/dp/0008389047).

• And some good news. I have tracked down the Sky at Night “Beginner’s Guide” programme that someone has now put on YouTube: link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFTw4W8A_vc&ab_channel=NikolMizer. Also, we looked at stars last week, and I have just found this BBC Sky at Night programme on ‘Stars: A Matter of Life and Death: link here https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000kxjy/the-sky-at-night-stars-a-matter-of-life-and-death

• We have a recommended book from Anthony: ‘Universe: The Definitive Visual Guide’, edited by Martin Rees, published by DK. You can read the first few pages here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universe-Definitive-Visual-Guide-DK/dp/0241412749

• Christine says: 'you will absolutely love a visit to the Norman Lockyer Observatory (website its below); we are so fortunate to have such a fantastic observatory nearby. We have been at least twice and were most impressed; it was absolutely  amazing!' - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtk1IYVJH6sLweU5FoqroTA

Meanwhile …. happy astronomy learning, planet-watching and stargazing!