Diamonds in the Sky is an original anthology of astronomy science fiction. If you’re looking for free science fiction stories featuring a range of astronomical facts and mind-blowing concepts, you’ve found the right place. This collection was pitched to the National Science Foundation (NSF) as a way of doing some public outreach and as a potential resource for astronomy teachers. Thanks to NSF funding and our contributors, editors, and web designer you can now read Diamonds in the Sky. Enjoy! — Mike Brotherton

A sampling:

In the Autumn of Empire (Jerry Oltion)
The Freshmen Hookup (Wil McCarthy)
Dog Star (Jeffrey A. Carver)

The Physics Research Guide has just been updated. I discovered some physics/astronomy-related resources at Wikibooks that might be helpful supplements to lecture and course textbooks. Be mindful that in the wiki world anyone can edit and contribute to these resources. Use with discernment. Here are a couple examples from the Physics Research Guide:

Physics Study Guide–http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Physics_Study_Guide:_Contents

Solid Mechanics– http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Solid_Mechanics

Electric Motors And Generators–http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Electric_Motors_And_Generators

100 Hours of Astronomy project kicks off!

10 February 2009, Paris: The International Year of Astronomy 2009

(IYA2009) is about to reach new heights as the Global Cornerstone Project, 100 Hours of Astronomy, scheduled to take place from 2-5 April 2009, ramps up. The project invites amateur astronomers, educators, professional astronomers, planetaria, science centres and more to arrange events around the world during this 4-day period and to publicise them now on the project website. For those wishing to visit the frontiers of astronomy from their home, a 24-hour webcast from the largest telescopes on the planet will take a unique look behind the scenes at state of the art research facilities.

100 Hours of Astronomy is the single largest event taking place during IYA2009. It is a worldwide celebration composed of a broad range of activities aimed at involving the public. The event will take place over four days and nights, from 2-5 April 2009 (local time). During this period, people from around the globe will share the experience of observing the sky. For many, it will be their first glimpse of the wonders of the heavens through a telescope. For others, it is the perfect opportunity to impart their knowledge and excitement, helping unveil the cosmos to fresh and eager eyes.

The two highest profile activities are a live 24-hour observatory webcast from the largest telescopes in the world, and 100 hours of sidewalk astronomy events. The former will take place from 3 April 09:00 UT to 4 April 09:00 UT, when astronomers at professional observatories around the world will show their telescope domes and control rooms, giving an insider’s view of these cutting-edge scientific facilities.

The 89th edition of the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (online) has some new features.  Now you can do structure searching in this venerable resource using ChemAxon’s structure drawing applet MarvinSketch.  The tables are “interactive” meaning you can sort the columns and export sections to excel worksheets.