Research Guide: Physics & Astronomy

Physics-Related Databases

Dictionary of Astronomy
Online version of the Oxford University Press dictionary.
Dictionary of Physics
Online version of the Oxford University Press dictionary.
Science Citation Index
A part of the Web of Science, the SCI searches the references (citations) found in journal articles in the sciences. (more info)

Multi-Disciplinary Databases

Academic OneFile
Peer-reviewed, full-text articles from leading journals and reference sources. (more info)
Academic Search Premier
Indexes and abstracts more than 8,300 journals; almost 4,700 of these titles are in full text. (more info)

Annual Reviews

Annual review of astronomy & astrophysics
Describes and evaluates recent noteworthy publications in the field. Chapters are written by specialists on topics of current interest and varying scope. Includes bibliographies. Online access is back to 1963.
Biophysics
Describes and evaluates recent noteworthy publications in the field. Chapters are written by specialists on topics of current interest and varying scope. Includes bibliographies. Online access from 1972, including previous titles: Annual Review of Biophysics and Biomolecular Structure, Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, and Biophysics and Bioengineering.
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Describes and evaluates recent noteworthy publications in the field. Chapters are written by specialists on topics of current interest and varying scope. Includes bibliographies. Online access is back to 1973.
Nuclear & Particle Science
Describes and evaluates recent noteworthy publications in the field. Chapters are written by specialists on topics of current interest and varying scope. Includes bibliographies. Online from 1952. (Continues Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science).

Physics websites

Climate Change
The history of climate change research, from the book "The discovery of global warming", by science historian Spencer Weart (director, Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics). The research is presented in more detail here, in a series of essays connected by hypertext links.
Frank Potter's Science Gems-Physical Sciences
"Great links to great science resources".
Help for Physics Students
Help for students includes Problem Solutions, Simulations/Animations, tables and constants, online textbooks and more.
HyperPhysics
An "interactive physics exploration environment which is written in HTML with Javascript calculation routines". Each topic includes exercises which allow the student to change the variables to see how the results are affected.
NIST Physical Reference Data
This National Institute of Standards and Technology site includes sections on physical constants, atomic and molecular spectroscopic data, ionization, nuclear physics and more.
NOVA: The elegant universe
Web site supporting the 3-hour PBS NOVA program on string theory; includes the entire program in 24 segments.
Physics 2000
Provides Java-based interactive modules for understanding key concepts of modern physics.
Physics-an annotated list of key resources on the internet
Categories include general physics metasites, specialized physics Web indexes, history of physics sites, reference sources, people in physics and professional societies.
Physics to Go
Produced by the American Physical Society, Physics to Go is a collection of websites where you can learn physics on your own, through games, webcasts, and online exhibits and activities. Browse by topic or use the advanced search to find resources.
PhysicsWeb
News, events, abstracts of papers, graduate programs, employment, conference listings; interactive Java applets; "Physics around the World" links, searchable by topic.

Astronomy websites

NASA Astrophysics Data System
A NASA-funded project which maintains four bibliographic databases with a total of nearly 4 million records: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Physics and Geophysics, and preprints in Astronomy.
Eight Planets
Multimedia overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons in our solar system.
Science@NASA
The Science Mission Directorate website (formerly online as Space Science at NASA). Main sections are on the Earth, the Sun, the Solar System, and the Universe. Also information on science strategy, missions, and multimedia resources. Specific information sections for scientists & engineers, educators, and kids & young adults.
Solar System Simulator
This NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory site allows the creation of color images of any planet or planetary moon, from Earth, the Sun, another planet or one of three spacecraft, on any given date.
StarDate Online
At 20 years, StarDate is the longest-running science radio program in the country. The site offers the day's sky watching tips, as well as a Resources section and Resource List.
U.S. Naval Observatory
The data center for the Astronomical Applications Department provides moon phases, eclipse times, sunrise and moonrise time tables, and more.
Views of the Solar System
A vast archive of photographs, scientific facts, text, graphics and videos of the Sun, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, and more.
Wikisky
Also called Sky-Map, Wikisky is an interactive, free, noncommercial website "that aims to consolidate astronomical information while letting an international audience participate by adding photos and comments and by communicating in forums". ... "A valuable feature of the tool allows users to browse major sky surveys, including the Sloan Digital Sky Survey" (Choice Reviews Online, April 2008).

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This page maintained by Joanna Haney haney@lclark.edu. Updated September 15th, 2009.