LibGuides: Astronomy: Getting Started

Find a Topic

Not sure where to start? Try these tips:

Start where you are. Think about topics that might be of interest to you. What do you already know? What would you like to know? What class papers or discussion caught your attention? Skim over your reading list or textbook for more ideas.
Search for relevant current events. Twitter, ScienceDaily's Space and Time section, and popular science magazines often cover recent events in the field. Do some searching and you're bound to find ideas!
Look for articles in your area of interest. See the short list below for some suggestions. Try focusing on review articles, which tend to provide a more general introduction to a field.
- Find comprehensive overview articles (reviews) on current astronomy topics in these journals:

Gather Background Information

Gather background information on your topic to help you:

Focus your topic
Hone your search
Define specific terms and phrases
Identify the big players or experts in the field

Encyclopedias, Biographies, or Handbooks are all excellent places to find more background information.

Use the resources below to start your search!

AccessScience This link opens in a new window
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Covers all major scientific disciplines and offers links to primary research material, videos and exclusive animations, plus specially designed curriculum maps for teachers.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
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A collection of several hundred current subject encyclopedias.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Encyclopedia of Astrobiology This link opens in a new window
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The most comprehensive reference resource for the field of Astrobiology, with over 2,700 entries. Covers the topics of Astrobiology, Bioorganic Chemistry, General Biochemistry, Planetology, Astrophysics and Astroparticles, and Biogeosciences.

Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.

Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers by Thomas Hockey (Editor); Virginia Trimble (Editor); Thomas R. Williams (Editor); Katherine Bracher (Editor); Richard A. Jarrell (Editor); Jordan D. Marché II (Editor); JoAnn Palmeri (Editor); Daniel W. E. Green (Editor)
ISBN: 9781441999177
Publication Date: 2014-09-02
The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers is a unique and valuable resource for historians and astronomers alike. It includes approx. 1850 biographical sketches on astronomers from antiquity to modern times. It is the collective work of 430 authors edited by an editorial board of 8 historians and astronomers. This reference provides biographical information on astronomers and cosmologists by utilizing contemporary historical scholarship. The fully corrected and updated second edition adds approximately 300 biographical sketches.
Use this link to the publisher's webpage to determine the articles you would like to read. https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-1-4419-9917-7
Then place an interlibrary loan request for that article(s). https://illiad.library.umass.edu/illiad/AMH/
Handbook of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics by Martin V. Zombeck
Call Number: UMass Amherst Science & Engineering Library: QB136 .Z65 2007
ISBN: 0521782422
Publication Date: 2006-11-09
Data from space-based observations and a comprehensive index and bibliography, this third edition contains the most frequently used information in modern astrophysics. As well as a vast number of tables, graphs, diagrams and formulae it also contains information covering topics including atomic physics, nuclear physics, relativity, plasma physics, electromagnetism, mathematics, probability and statistics, and geophysics. This handbook will be an essential reference for graduate students, researchers and professionals working in astronomy and the space sciences. A website containing supplementary information and databases can be found at www.cambridge.org/9780521782425.
Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy by Joseph A. Angelo; Joseph A. Angelo
Call Number: UMass Amherst Science & Engineering Library Reference Collection: QB136 .A55 2006
ISBN: 0816053308
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Offering a complete of the main concepts, terms, facilities, and people in astronomy, the encyclopedia pays special attention to space-based astronomy and space exploration. Broad coverage includes terms such as astrophysics, planetary science, and cosmology, as well as both American and international astronomy and space technology. Containing 600-700 entries, 10-15 essays, 75-100 line illustrations, and 75-100 black-and-white photographs, it focuses mainly on modern astronomy and space achievements but also includes accomplishments of classical astronomy. The impact of astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology is presented in terms of the development of the scientific method and also with respect to philosophy. History-related entries trace the evolution of astronomy and space technology from ancient times.
Encyclopedia of the Solar System by Lucy-Ann McFadden (Editor); Torrence Johnson (Editor); Paul Weissman (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780080474984
Publication Date: 2006-12-18
Encyclopedia of the Solar System, 2nd edition provides a framework for understanding the origin and evolution of the solar system, historical discoveries, and details about planetary bodies and how they interact.
The Astronomy Encyclopedia by Patrick Moore (Editor)
Call Number: UMass Amherst Science & Engineering Library Reference Collection: QB14 .P45 2002 +
ISBN: 0195218337
Publication Date: 2002-11-21
The Astronomy Encyclopedia covers everything both the researcher and general enthusiast wants to know from adaptive optics and cold dark matter to Islamic astronomy and the principle of equivalence. Also featured are tables which display relevant data such as the brightest stars in the major constellations, annual meteor showers, major variable stars, dwarf stars, and energy production processes in the sun.
Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics by Paul Murdin (Editor)
Call Number: UMass Amherst Science & Engineering Library Reference Collection: QB14 .E534 2001
ISBN: 0333750888
Publication Date: 2001-01-01
A collaboration between the Institute of Physics Publishing and Macmillan Reference Ltd, this work presents an extensive and comprehensive reference on astronomy and astrophysics. It has 800 contributors, over 2500 entries,. It should be of interest to undergraduates, graduate students, researchers and professionals, as well as to committed amateurs, librarians and lay people.