Choice links to information about Astronomy.
This collection of links, to pages within and external to this site is an ongoing project. I hope it will contribute to your search for information about astronomy, astronomers and astronomical instruments. I would be delighted to add links to your site and add links to pages you have found useful. Send email through the link at the foot of this page.

Astronomy is the scientific study of the universe. Almost everything known about the the universe, beyond planet Earth, is learned by making observations of electromagnetic waves that were produced by very distant objects or have been reflected off the surface of distant objects, or absorbed by them Except for gravity, electromagnetic waves are the only phenomena that can travel over light years of distance bearing evidence of the nature outer
space.

Astronomers have developed instruments to detect electromagnetic radiation over a wide range of wavelengths and also a wide range of cameras that can form images of the heavens. Telescopes are cameras with the ability to collect
and concentrate electromagnetic radiation and to make images from it. Though we often think of telescopes as using visible light to form these images, there are very useful telescopes that are sensitive to very long wavelengths ( radio ) waves and infrared waves and telescopes that are sensitive to very short wavelengths; ultraviolet and X-rays.

From what is known about the ways that each wavelength of electromagnetic radiation can be formed, reflected, refracted ( bent ) and absorbed by various kinds of matter, a great deal can be learned about the distant universe by observing these rays. Astronomy is very tightly tied to physics and chemistry.