Useful Links
Weather forecasts
BBC - Weather Centre - for Lancaster weather
7Timer - astronomical weather forecast for Lancaster
Metcheck weather forecast for Lancaster
Met Office - Lancaster weather
Aurora forecasts
Aurora Watch - live magnetometer reading from Crooktree, Scotland, indicating likely UK auroral activity - run by the Lancaster University SPEARS group
KP Index - average magnetometer readings for the Earth - again indicating if auroral activity likely
Spaceweather - what is happening in space - includes auroral activity
WSA-Enlil - solar wind prediction - includes CME track predictions
Information
Heavens Above - predictions of visibility of satellites, International Space Station, space shuttle, Iridium flares... Observing site set to Lancaster.
Astronomy picture of the day - Great images
SpaceWeather.com - News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
Sky and Telescope magazine
Astronomy Now magazine
Lancaster University Space Plasma Environment and Radio Science (SPEARS) group
Lancaster University Planetary Science research group
Star catalogue sources
The STScI Digitized Sky Survey - source of FITS finder photographs
MAST Digitised sky survey - all-sky photographic surveys of the Palomar and UK Schmidt telescopes
General Catalogue of Variable Stars - details of variable stars
US Naval Observatory, Flagstaff - Catalogues, Charts and Images etc
SEDS Messier catalogue - online listing of Messier objects
American Association of Variable Star Observers for variable star information and finder charts
British Astronomical Society with links to the various observing sections
Manufacturers and suppliers
Telescope House - BCF telescopes and accessories
Celestron International - telescopes and accessories
Meade Instruments - telescopes and accessories
Jim's Mobile, Inc. (JMI) - focuser manufacturer, telescope accessories
SBIG Santa Barbara Instrument Group - CCD cameras
Software Bisque - CCDSoft software for SBIG cameras, The Sky
Starlight express - CCD cameras
Ian King imaging - astro imaging, high quality CCD Cameras, telescopes accessories...
SCS Astro - telescopes and accessories
SBTC - Stockport Binocular & Telescope Centre
Rother Valley Optics - telescopes and accessories
Names
Gazetteer of planetary nomenclature - US Geological Survey
Lunar Craters - (near side) names, positions, depths
Inconstant Moon - multimedia tours of the lunar surface
CCD/SLR imaging
Lodriguss astrophotography - tips and techniques and image processing in Photoshop
CCTV Camera Pros - General guide to lots of relevant astrophotography resources - recommended by Katey
Thiery Legault's astronomy images
Classic Astrophotography - film techniques but much material relevant to electronic imagers
Covington Innovations - astrophotography with an SLR camera
Pictures
Anglo Australian Observatory - David Malin's superb photographs from the AAT
Hubble Space Telescope image gallery
Nine Planets - multimedia tour of the Solar System with lots of information
Space missions
Curiosity - NASA's Curiosity Rover in Gale Crater
Mars Exploration Rover Mission
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: Home
Astro software
Registax - webcam/picture alignment software
DeepSkyStacker - Stacking software for jpegs, tiffs etc
Visual Spec - Astrospectrography software
K3's Astronomy Home Page - Webcam control software
Local Astronomy Societies
EAS - The Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal
LAMAS - Lancaster and Morecambe Astronomical Society
PADAS - Preston and District Astronomical Society