A waxing gibbous Moon. Astronomy.com member "LATiger" photo
I have a love-hate relationship with the Internet. It makes getting information easier than ever, but it also can make getting the CORRECT information more difficult than ever. Sometimes, it takes a lot of sifting through less-than-reputable sites to find goods ones you can trust. So it’s a bonus when someone else does it for you.
The Astronomy Society of the Pacific has been working to collect series of resources on different astronomy topics for its “Family ASTRO” education program. Among them is
one about our nearest celestial neighbor, the Moon.
If you’re looking for complementary online resources to go with Astronomy.com’s “
Intro to the sky: The Moon and planets” or the “
Observe the Moon with a small telescope” how-to video, this resource is a great place to go. It has links for information about scientific understanding of the Moon as a world, the appearance of the Moon in our skies, and the Moon in popular culture and historical events. Andrew Fraknoi, chair of the astronomy department at Foothill College in California and the person behind this collection, admits that this resource guide is by no means complete, but it is a good place to start as it suggests some resources that may be useful for beginners.
What do you think of this collection of links? Is it a good start for beginners, or do you have other suggestions for sites? Where do you send people who want more information about the Moon?