Resources

Welcome! This page collects trusted astronomy resources for everyone, from first-time stargazers to experienced observers and imagers. Start with the basics below, or jump to a topic.

On this page: Start here · Resource pages · Tonight’s sky & conditions · Observing aids & software · Kids & families · Teachers & students · Other languages · From RASC Vancouver

New to astronomy? Start here

• Come to a free RASC Vancouver meeting – monthly talks at SFU Burnaby; everyone is welcome
• Borrow a telescope – members can try a telescope before buying one
• Telescope Basics (RASC) – what to know before you buy
• What’s Up: monthly skywatching tips (NASA)
• Stellarium Web – free planetarium in your web browser; see what’s in the sky right now
• NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe – classic beginner’s book by Terence Dickinson (5th edition, 2023, revised with Vancouver’s Ken Hewitt-White)
• The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide – the essential next-step book by Canadians Terence Dickinson & Alan Dyer
• RASC Observing Certificate programs – structured observing lists (Explore the Universe, Messier, and more)

Our resource pages

• General Astronomy – news, space missions, the Solar System and beyond, image galleries, interactive simulations and videos
• Astronomy Organizations – RASC, other BC astronomy clubs, planetariums and national/international organizations
• Equipment – buying your first telescope, used-gear marketplaces and vendors
• Star Parties – dark-sky gatherings in BC and the Pacific Northwest
• Astrophotography and Imaging – getting started, planetary and deep-sky imaging, software
• First Nations Sky Knowledge – Indigenous sky knowledge, with a focus on the Pacific Northwest

Tonight’s sky & observing conditions

What’s up tonight

• What’s Up (NASA) – monthly video and highlights
• EarthSky – Tonight – daily sky guide
• Interactive Sky Chart (Sky & Telescope)
• Evening Sky Map (Skymaps.com) – free printable monthly star chart

Weather & clear sky forecasts

• RASC Vancouver Clear Sky Forecast – local charts and how to read them
• Astronomy Weather Forecasts (Environment Canada) – cloud cover, transparency and seeing for all of Canada
• Clear Sky Charts (cleardarksky.com)
  • All British Columbia charts
  • Vancouver
  • Burnaby
  • Boundary Bay
  • Campbell Valley Regional Park
  • Merritt – Loon Lake Road
  • Mount Kobau

Aurora & space weather

• Space Weather Canada – Canadian aurora and geomagnetic forecasts (Natural Resources Canada)
• Aurora Dashboard (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
• SpaceWeather.com – daily news on solar activity, aurora and meteor showers
• Solar Cycle Progression (NOAA)

Satellites & the Space Station

• Heavens-Above – pass predictions for the ISS and other satellites
• Spot the Station (NASA) – ISS sighting times and alerts

Observing aids & software

Star atlases & charts

• Sky & Telescope’s Pocket Sky Atlas – compact, popular first atlas
• Uranometria 2000.0 and other Willmann-Bell atlases – detailed atlases for experienced observers
• The Messier Catalog (SEDS) – all 110 Messier objects, with a clickable picture sheet
• Moon Phases Calendar (Old Farmer’s Almanac)
• Virtual Moon Atlas – free lunar atlas software
• Moon Trek (NASA) – explore detailed maps of the Moon online

Planetarium software

• Free:
  • Stellarium – realistic sky for Windows, Mac and Linux
  • Stellarium Web – runs in your browser
  • Cartes du Ciel / SkyChart – printable observing charts
  • WorldWide Telescope – explore sky surveys and images in your browser
• Commercial:
  • Starry Night
  • TheSky Professional (Software Bisque)

Ephemerides (for advanced users)

• JPL Solar System Dynamics tools – very complete, but technical
• JPL Horizons – precise positions for planets, comets, asteroids and spacecraft

Kids & families

• H.R. MacMillan Space Centre – Vancouver’s planetarium and space science centre
• NASA Space Place – games, activities and explainers for kids
• NASA Kids’ Club
• Bring Science Home (Scientific American) – science activities for parents to do with kids
• Never Lost: Polynesian Navigation (Exploratorium) – wayfinding by the stars
• “Meet the Elements” (They Might Be Giants) – we are all made of star stuff (video)
• “The Elements” by Tom Lehrer – the classic song listing every element

Teachers & students

• Skyways / Explorons l’astronomie (RASC) – RASC’s astronomy handbook for teachers, in English and French
• Classroom activities (RASC)
• Curriculum aids (RASC)
• Discover the Universe – free Canadian astronomy training for educators
• Youth and educators (Canadian Space Agency)
• NASA Science: Learn
• SDSS Voyages – student activities using real Sloan Digital Sky Survey data
• SDSS SkyServer – explore the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Interactive simulations & animations – on our General Astronomy page: seasons, Moon phases, orbits, light, stars and the scale of the Universe

Resources in other languages

Français

• Société d’astronomie de Montréal – Centre francophone de la SRAC
• Le Canada sous les étoiles – exposition sur l’astronomie au Canada
• Explorons l’astronomie (SRAC) – guide pour les enseignants
• Jeunes et éducateurs (Agence spatiale canadienne)

中文 (Chinese)

• 香港太空館 Hong Kong Space Museum
• 香港太空館 教育資源 (Hong Kong Space Museum learning resources)
• 臺北市立天文科學教育館 Taipei Astronomical Museum

From RASC Vancouver

• Observing sites around the Lower Mainland
• Clear Sky Forecast for observers
• Telescope loans – for members
• Library – for members
• Imaging Group
• Light pollution resources
• Nova newsletter archive
• Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (national)

Links last reviewed September 2026. Found a broken link or have a suggestion? Please contact us.