Astronomy Center Frequently Asked Questions

What material will I find in AstronomyCenter.org?

This collection contains information about and links to a wide range of materials for teachers of introductory astronomy, including curriculum and lesson plans, laboratories, lecture demonstration materials, reference material, and education research. This information is organized for users to search or browse by subject, type of material, and grade level.

How do I find materials in AstronomyCenter.org?

You can search by keyword. The "Advanced Search" allows you to filter search results by several different pieces of information. You may also browse through all items by their topic or type (pedagogy, Student Resources, etc). Results of searches and browsing can be ordered using the links at the top of the resultant list of items.

What information do I get from searches?

Performing a search provides a list of items that match your search criteria. This list includes, for each item, the title, which is linked to a detailed description of the item, the URL, the first two lines of the description, the author, the grade level, and the subject. If you are logged in, you may also file the item in your filing cabinet and include a comment about the item.

How can I organize my search results?

Search results can be ordered alphabetically by the subject, title or the author, or sorted by the primary grade level of an item. The results of browsing can also be filtered by specific subject or specific resource type.

Is there a cost for AstronomyCenter.org?

AstronomyCenter.org is a free and open resource provided as a service by its partners. It is supported, in part, by funding from the APS Campaign for Physics and the National Science Foundation and is part of the NSF National Science Digital Library.

Do I need to join AstronomyCenter.org?

No, you may search and browse the database without joining the collection community.

What are the benefits of joining AstronomyCenter.org?

Members have additional tools that improve their use of the site. These include the ability to set preferences that sort materials according to their needs, a filing cabinet to store resources they find useful, discussion forums with other users, and the ability to recommend resources for inclusion in the database.

What is required to join AstronomyCenter.org?

To join, users must provide their name and email. Further information can be provided, if desired, to personalize the collection for the user and enhance interactions with others.

Why do pages on the collection change?

AstronomyCenter.org is a dynamic collection, meaning the information provided depends on a user's requests and the information that exists in the database. As the database grows, the displayed pages will change. A Filing Cabinet is provided to registered users for storage and simple recovery of information that they find important.

Who can I contact for further information?

You can contact the Astronomy Center staff using the feedback form.

Further information is available on the About page.