Descriptive Astronomy 101
Reading Material

(Image courtesy of NASA)

The following is a list of links to reading material from a variety of sources. Use of some of this material is password protected and restricted to use by students currently enrolled in Descriptive Astronomy 101. This material may only be used for the purpose of completing the required reading assignments. All copyright laws apply. Electronic copying and distribution of this material is prohibited.

Some of the articles below are password protected on Blackboard. To access this material, login to myBlackHawk. Once into myBlackHawk go to My Courses and click on the Descriptive Astronomy course link, then click on the Reading link.

Essay Policy

Asteroids

Asteroid Belt - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Asteroids - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Trojan Asteroids - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Amor Asteroids - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Aten Asteroids - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Apollo Asteroids - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Dwarf Planets

Eris - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Kupier Belt - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Kupier Belt Objects - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Kupier Belt Objects - Largest - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Pluto - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Pluto's moons - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Plutoid - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Oort Cloud - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sedna - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Earth

Earth - The ~~Nine~~-8 Planets Solar System Tour
Plate Tectonics: This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics - United States Geological Survey web page
Volcanism: Miscellaneous Volcanic Facts - United States Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory web page
Impact Craters: Traces of Catastrophe - Lunar and Planetary Institute free online publication dealing with terrestrial impact craters. Focus on Chapters 1, 2 and 3 (PDF files).

Extrasolar Planets

Extrasolar Planets - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Extrasolar Planets: Detection - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Extrasolar Planets: Searches - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Jupiter

Jupiter - The ~~Nine~~-8 Planets Solar System Tour
Jupiter - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Jupiter: Moons - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Jupiter: Rings - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Jupiter: Io - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Jupiter: Europa - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Jupiter: Ganymede - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Jupiter: Callisto - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Mars

Mars - The ~~Nine~~-8 Planets Solar System Tour
Mars - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Mars: Atmosphere - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Mars: Canals - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Mars: Life - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Mars: Olympus Mons - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Mars: SNC Meteorites - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Mars: Valles Marineris - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Mars: Vegetation - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Mars: Water - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Mercury

Geological History of Mercury by Paul Spudis (PDF file)
Mercury - The ~~Nine~~-8 Planets Solar System Tour
Mercury - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Mercury: Caloris Basin - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Meteorites

Meteorites, Clues to Solar System History from "Exploring Meteorite Mysteries" - a NASA JSC ARES web page (673K PDF file)
Achondrites - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Chondrites - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Iron Meteorites - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Mesosiderites - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Meteorites - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Meteoroids - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Meteors - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Micrometeorites - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Stony-Iron Meteorites - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Stony Meteorites - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Tektites - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Pallasites - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Widmanstatten Pattern - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Moon

Teacher's Guide from "The Moon: Gateway to the Solar System" - a NASA JSC ARES web page (673K PDF file)
Moon ABCs Fact Sheet from "The Moon: Gateway to the Solar System" - a NASA JSC ARES web page (8K PDF file)
Rock ABCs Fact Sheet from "The Moon: Gateway to the Solar System" - a NASA JSC ARES web page (5K PDF file)
Tides, the Earth, the Moon, and why our days are getting longer - Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy web page
The Moon - The ~~Nine~~-8 Planets Solar System Tour
Lunar Phases - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Lunar Time - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Moon - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Moonquakes - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Tides - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Neptune

Neptune - The ~~Nine~~-8 Planets Solar System Tour
Neptune - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Neptune: Moons - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Neptune: Rings - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Neptune: Triton - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Cryovolcanism - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Planetary Geology

Impact Craters: Traces of Catastrophe - Lunar and Planetary Institute free online publication dealing with terrestrial impact craters. Focus on Chapters 1, 2 and 3 (PDF files).
Lava Flow: Aa - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Lava Flow: Pahoehoe - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Lava Flow: Pillow Lava - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Planets - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Volcanic Rock: Andesite - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Volcanic Rock: Basalt - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Volcanic Rock: Rhyolite - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Saturn

Saturn - The ~~Nine~~-8 Planets Solar System Tour
Saturn - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Saturn: Moons - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Saturn: Rings - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Roche Limit - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Saturn: Titan - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Solar System

The Evolution of the Universe - Scientific American, October 1994 (Article in Blackboard)
The Earth's Elements - Scientific American, October 1994 (Article in Blackboard)
The Evolution of the Earth - Scientific American, October 1994 (Article in Blackboard)
The Origin of the Universe, Earth, and Life - National Academy of Sciences web page
Big Bang Theory - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Doppler Effect - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Doppler Shift - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Edwin Hubble - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Milton Humason - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Planetary System Formation - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Population I Stars - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Population II Stars - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Vesto Slipher - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Revolution - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Rotation - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Ecliptic Plane - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Orbits - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Terrestrial Planets - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Jovian Planets: Gas Giants - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Sun

Solar Physics - NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center web page.
     Solar Structure
          The Interior
          The Photosphere
          The Chromosphere
          The Transition Region
          The Corona
          The Solar Wind
          The Heliosphere
     Solar Features
          Photospheric Features
          Chromospheric Features
          Coronal Features
          Solar Wind Features
     The Sun in Action
          The Sunspot Cycle
          Solar Flares
          Post Flare Loops
          Coronal Mass Ejections
          Surface and Interior Flows
          Helioseismology

Absolute Zero - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Atoms - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Isotopes - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Nuclear Fission - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Nuclear Fusion - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Nuclear Fusion: Proton-Proton Chain - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sun - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sun: Chromosphere - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sun: Corona - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sun: Granulations - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sun: Helioseismology - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sun: Hydrostatic Equilibrium - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sun: Photosphere - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sun: Solar Flares - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sun: Solar Prominence - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sun: Sunspot Cycle - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Sun: Sunspots - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Temperature - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Uranus

Uranus - The ~~Nine~~-8 Planets Solar System Tour
Uranus - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Uranus: Moons - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Uranus: Rings - Internet Encyclopedia of Science

Venus

Venus Unveiled - NOVA Transcript, 1995
Venus - The ~~Nine~~-8 Planets Solar System Tour
Venus - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Venus: Atmosphere - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
Greenhouse Effect - Internet Encyclopedia of Science
"Volcanism and Tectonics on Venus" - Annual Review of Earth & Planetary Sciences, 1998, Vol. 26

Click on the Ebsco link. You will first need to enter information for BHC student access. Follow the directions for logging in on that web page. Once in the Ebsco web page, select on the Academic Search Premier database. Then click the Continue button. Enter "Volcanism and Tectonics on Venus" in the Find box. Click on the Search button. Select the article "Volcanism and Tectonics on Venus".

Richard Harwood's Courses