Tools for observers

• Local date/time in Owen Sound, ON is
  
• Local date/time in Greenwich (UTC) is
  
• Sky & Telescope - Weekly sky events
• in-the-sky.org - Comet viewing
• Canadian Space Weather Prediction Centre (Kr index)
• Real time satellite cloud view
• Clear Sky Chart for ES Fox observatory
• ES Fox Asgard camera
• Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
• Fred Espenak's site for solar eclipses - including info on the 2024 eclipse
• Climatology and weather for eclipses
• Predictions and information on eclipses of the Sun and Moon

General

• ESA Euclid slides as a pdf (Sept 23 meeting) - Julian Delf
• Solar Observing 101 slides as a pdf (Aug 23 meeting) - Frank Williams
• AstroPixels resources including annual astronomical events
• Finding summer deep sky objects using constellations - Frank Williams
• A recipe for quick and easy deep sky bake (astro imaging) - Frank Williams

Beginner astronomy

• Crash course in Astronomy: A 45 episode YouTube series presented by Phil Plait 'The Bad Astronomer'. It is based on a university level introductory astronomy course.
• LearnToStargaze: Canadian John Read's YouTube channel. A practical guide to stargazing with the naked eye as well as with telescopes and binoculars. John's excellent 'how to' books are possible gifts. He also covers introductory imaging.
• NightSkyGazing: Describes easy targets for observations, explains telescope types and characteristics, describes first steps for astrophotography
• Binocular viewing and basics
• Engadget telescope reviews: Reviews of several different types and price ranges
• RASC: Tips for new telescope owners
• Backyard astronomy: Lots of general links here for getting started in astronomy
• Used Schmidt Cassegrain telescope (SCT) buyer's guide: Rod Mollise's listing of SCTs with reviews
• Star hopping 101: Rob Hawley's four part Youtube series on star hopping and locating objects
• Lake County Astronomical Society: This group has a very extensive section of articles on everything an amateur could ever want to know. If you can't find it here, it doesn't exist.
• Beginner's guide to astronomy: Jen Brown hobby help site
• Astronomy for kids: A series of (mostly) monthly videos from University of Guelph Physics geared towards kids

Messier marathon items

• Messier marathon how-to: Contains an object list with map. All you need for a successful marathon
• Messier marathon tally sheet: Messier marathon checklist with columns for various data
• Brett's Messier marathon checklist: Lists Messier objects in order for doing a spring marathon

Astronomy software

• Starry Night planetarium software: The official Simulation Curriculum website which includes both Starry Night and SkySafari
• Other planetarium software: A collection of good star-charting software by Sky and Telescope (many are free)
• Stellarium planetarium software: Stellarium planetarium program for Mac, Windows, Linux
• Finder charts: Use this link to create custom finder charts for solar system objects.
• SkyPortal app by Celestron: For Android and iOS. Similar to SkySafari. It includes audio files for many objects and, best of all, it's free.
• iTelescope: A not-for-profit, iTelescope.net is the world's premier network of Internet connected telescopes, allowing members to take astronomical images of the night sky. There are 20 publicly accessible telescopes across four observatories in both hemispheres.

Magazines

• Astronomy Now: Up to date astronomy news from the UK
• Sky and Telescope : Home page of Sky and Telescope magazine
• Astronomy: Astronomy magazine home page

Star maps (downloadable)

• Sky maps: A two page handy all-sky monthly star map (downloads for nothern and southern hemispheres)
• Sky and Telescope interactive night sky map
• Beginner's star map by Ken Press

Eclipse observing (solar and lunar)

• Fred Espenak's site for solar eclipses - including info on the 2024 eclipse
• Climatology and weather for eclipses
• Predictions and information on eclipses of the Sun and Moon
• A student's guide to solar and lunar eclipses: A guide to solar and lunar eclipses
• Rainbow Symphony: A source for safe solar eclipse viewing glasses
• Keppel Henge (located at Keppelcroft Gardens, Big Bay): Steve Irvine's information page about this particularly robust solar observatory

ISS, satellites

• Heavens Above: Spaceflight, satellite visibility, comets, astronomy information
• ISS transit finder: Find interesting passes of the space station across the moon or sun

Meteor observing

• How to photograph a meteor shower
• The basics of meteor observing: Alan MacRobert gives advice on how to make this activity fun and scientifically useful
• International Meteor Organization: Reports on fireballs observed and past shower data
• 2023 IMO meteor shower calendar
• American Meteor Society: This video explains what the Society does and how to get involved in meteor science. The AMS site is here.
• UWO meteor science department: Dr. Peter Brown and his team are worldwide authorities on meteor science. UWO has installed an all-sky camera, part of over a dozen that constantly monitor the night sky for bright meteors with the aim of recovering any potential meteorites that may have reached Earth. The live camera image is available here.

Moon observing

• Guide to observing the moon (using binoculars and telescopes)
• Aldebaran Graze: Article from April 1983. Two local teachers' claim to fame

Auroras, weather and rainbows

• SpaceWeather: Solar and auroral activity
• Astrospheric: Astronomical viewing predictions
• Atmospheric Optics: Everything you need to know about halos, rainbows, green flash, etc.

Comets

• Bright comets: By Seiichi Yosida
• www.in-the-sky.org: By Dominic Ford

Canadian telescopes/astronomy

• Canada-France-Hawaii telescope: Home of the 3.6 m CFHT optical/infrared telescope - great images and more!

Discussion forums

• Cloudy Nights: Forum for discussion of astronomy, reviews of equipment, other topics

Astronomical societies

• International Dark Sky Association: The IDA promotes dark skies all over the world. Lots of resources here in the light pollution battle
• Royal Astronomical Society of Canada: Home page of the national astronomical body with its 29 centres
• British Astronomical Association

NASA and space programs

• NASA
• Spaceflight Now: Space launches and mission statuses
• Canadian Space Agency: Information about Canadian astronauts and space programs
• Project Apollo image gallery: The place to go for all of the Apollo imagery
• Hubble space telescope: The home page for Hubble space telescope images, information, status, etc.

Dark sky preserves (DSPs) and Bruce Peninsula environment groups

• Bluewater Outdoor Education Centre
• Bruce Peninsula Bayside Astronomy: Lion's Head astronomy program information
• Bruce Peninsula Environment Group: A group dedicated to preserving the daytime and nighttime ecology of the Bruce
• Gordon's Park Dark Sky Preserve: A dark sky campground on Manitoulin Island
• Wilderness Astronomy: Peter McMahon's website featuring the DSP at the BOEC

Projects and telescope building

• Jam jar magnetometer: From Northern Island Amateur Astronomy. Monitor Earth's magnetic field with a simple to build device
• How to build a Dobsonian telescope at home: Simple version (sonotube) and a more sophisticated version

Stores and used astronomical equipment online

• Astro Buy and Sell: Canadian buy and sell website for used astronomy equipment
• KW Telescope: New and used telescope equipment sellers for southern Ontario
• Telescopes Canada: Canada's largest dealer for many manufacturers like Celestron, Sky-Watcher, etc.
• Astronomy Plus: Supplier of most makes, based in Longueuil, Quebec
• All Star Telescope: We love astronomy, astrophotography, and birding and are enthusiastic about helping people
• David Astro: Supplier based in Boucherville, QC
• O-Telescope: Supplier including BackyardEOS and Nikon, based in Ottawa
• Brandon Optics: Astronomy, Photography, and lots of other supplies, based in Vancouver
• Ontario Telescope: Lots of various astronomical supplies, based in Bolton Ontario
• Khan Scope: Lots of various astronomical supplies, based in Toronto

Other

• Astropixels.com: Fred Espanak's personal website

Historical reference

• John Dobson's original paper: Describes Dobson's design (from Celestial Observer July-September 1973 issue)