URL: http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/students/lazio/sci.astro.html
Posting-frequency: semi-monthly (Wednesday)
Archive-name: astronomy/faq/part0

------------------------------

Subject: Introduction
 
 sci.astro is a newsgroup devoted to the discussion of the science of
astronomy.  As such its content ranges from the Earth to the farthest
reaches of the Universe.
 
 However, certain questions tend to appear fairly regularly.  This
document attempts to summarize answers to these questions.
 
 This document is posted on the first and third Wednesdays of each
month to the newsgroup sci.astro.  It is also available via anonymous
ftp in the directory <URL:ftp://seti.tn.cornell.edu/pub/lazio/> and it
is on the World Wide Web at
<URL:http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/students/lazio/sci.astro.html>.
 
Questions/comments/flames should be directed to the FAQ maintainer,
Joseph Lazio (lazio@spacenet.tn.cornell.edu).

------------------------------

Subject: Copyright
 
 This document, as a collection, is Copyright 1995,1996 by T. Joseph
W. Lazio (lazio@spacenet.tn.cornell.edu).  The individual articles are
copyright by the individual authors listed.  All rights are reserved.
Permission to use, copy and distribute this unmodified document by any
means and for any purpose EXCEPT PROFIT PURPOSES is hereby granted,
provided that both the above Copyright notice and this permission
notice appear in all copies of the FAQ itself.  Reproducing this FAQ
by any means, included, but not limited to, printing, copying existing
prints, publishing by electronic or other means, implies full
agreement to the above non-profit-use clause, unless upon prior
written permission of the authors.
 
 This FAQ is provided by the authors "as is," with all its faults.
Any express or implied warranties, including, but not limited to, any
implied warranties of merchantability, accuracy, or fitness for any
particular purpose, are disclaimed.  If you use the information in
this document, in any way, you do so at your own risk.
 
------------------------------

Subject: Table of Contents

	[Dates in brackets are last edit.]

   A.00 The Internet and other information sources
    A.01 What are the sci.astro* newsgroups about? [95-06-26]
    A.02 What are the guidelines for posting on astronomy (sci.astro*)
         newsgroups? [95-07-10] 
    A.03 What should I do if I see an article that doesn't follow
         these guidelines?  (What about cranks?) [95-06-26]
    A.04 Can I get help on my homework from the Net? [95-07-26]
    A.05 What are good Net sites for astronomy info and 
         images? [96-10-16]
    A.06 What kind of astronomy software exists?  Where are reviews?
    A.07 How can I find contact addresses for 
          astronomers/observatories? [96-07-14]
    A.08 Which observatories offer tours or public viewing? [95-09-17]
    A.09 Is there a list of astro jokes?
    A.10 What are good books on astronomy (especially for beginners)?
         [95-06-27] 
    A.11 Are there other sources of information? [96-01-24]
    A.12 How can I find an astronomy club? [96-01-24]
    A.13 Where can I find out about public lectures or star parties? [95-09-17]

   B.00 General
    B.01 What are the largest telescopes? [96-06-14]
    B.02 What new telescopes/instruments are being built? [96-10-11]
    B.03 What is the resolution of a telescope? [95-08-23]
    B.04 What's the difference between astronomy and astrology? [95-08-23]
    B.05 Is there scientific evidence for/against astrology? [95-08-23]
    B.06 What about God and the creation? [95-08-27]
    B.07 What kind of telescope should I buy? [96-10-11]
    B.08 What are the possessive adjectives for the planets? [95-12-05]
    B.09 Are the planets associated with days of the week? [96-05-29]
    B.10 Why does the Moon look so big when it's near the 
         horizon? [95-10-05]
    B.11 Is it O.K. to look at the Sun or solar eclipses using
         exposed film? CDs? [95-10-08]
    B.12 Can stars be seen in the daytime from the bottom of a tall 
         chimney, a deep well, or deep mine shaft? [96-06-14]
    B.13 Why do eggs balance on the equinox? [96-06-14]
    B.14 How do I become an astronomer?  What school should I 
         attend? [96-07-03]

   C.00 Time, Calendars, and Terrestrial Phenomena
    C.01 When is 02/01/04? or is there a standard way of writing 
           dates? [95-10-04]
    C.02 What are all those different kinds of time? [96-06-13]
    C.03 How do I compute astronomical phenomena for my location? [95-07-03]
    C.04 What's a Julian date? [95-10-25]
    C.05 Will 2000 be a leap year? [95-07-05]
    C.06 When will the new millennium start? [95-07-05]
    C.07 Easter:
      07.1 When is Easter? [96-05-01]
      07.2 Can I calculate the date of Easter? [95-08-12]
    C.08 What is a "blue moon?" [95-07-07]
    C.09 What is the Green Flash (or Green Ray)? [96-07-03]
    C.10 Why isn't the earliest Sunrise (and latest Sunset) on the 
         longest day of the year? [96-05-01]
    C.11 How do I calculate the phase of the moon? [96-10-08]
    C.12 What is the time delivered by a GPS receiver? [95-10-04]
    C.13 Why are there two tides a day and not just one? [96-02-12]

   D.00 Astrophysics
    D.01 Do neutrinos have rest mass?  What if they do?
    D.02 Have physical constants changed with time? [95-10-02]
    D.03 What is gravity? [96-03-25]
    D.04 Does gravity travel at the speed of light? [96-01-24]
    D.05 What are gravitational waves? [96-06-12]
    D.06 Can gravitational waves be detected? [95-11-29]
    D.07 Do gravitational waves travel at the speed of light? [96-07-03]
    D.08 Why can't light escape from a black hole? [95-10-05]
    D.09 How can gravity escape from a black hole? [96-01-24]
    D.10 What are tachyons?  Are they real? [95-10-02]
    D.11 What are magnetic monopoles?  Are they real? [96-07-03]
 
   E.00 Sun and Planets
    E.01 What is the "Solar Neutrino Problem?" [95-09-20]
    E.02 Could the Sun be part of a binary (multiple) star system? [95-08-27]
    E.03 When will the Sun die?  How? [95-08-23]
    E.04 Could the Sun explode? [95-07-07]
    E.05 How are solar system objects and features named? [95-11-29]
    E.06 Where can I find pictures and planetary data? (ref)
    E.07 Could Jupiter become a star? [95-07-07]
    E.08 Is Pluto a planet?  Is Ceres?  Is Titan? [95-08-18]
    E.09 Additional planets:
      09.1 What about a planet (Planet X) outside Pluto's orbit? [95-08-27]
      09.2 What about a planet inside Mercury's orbit? [95-08-27]
    E.10 Won't there be catastrophes when the planets align in the
         year 2000? [96-07-14]
 
   F.00 Extraterrestrial Life
    F.01 Life in the Solar System
      01.1 Is there life on Mars? [96-09-03]
      01.2 Is there life in Jupiter (or Saturn)? [96-09-03]
      01.3 Is there life on Jupiter's moon, Europa? [96-09-03]
      01.4 Life on Titan?
    F.02 What is the Drake equation? [95-10-04]
    F.03 What is the Fermi paradox? [95-12-28]
    F.04 Could we detect extraterrestrial life? [95-12-28]
    F.05 How far away could we detect radio transmissions? [96-09-03]
    F.06 What is happening with SETI now? [96-04-20]

   G.00 Stars
    G.01 What are all those different kinds of stars? [96-01-02]
    G.02 Are there any green stars? [95-12-28]
    G.03 What are the biggest and smallest stars? [95-06-28]
    G.04 What fraction of stars are in multiple systems? [95-06-27]
    G.05 Where can I get stellar data (especially distances)? [96-01-24]
    G.06 Which nearby stars might become supernovae? [95-12-29]
    G.07 What will happen on Earth if a nearby star explodes? [95-08-28]
    G.08 How are stars named?  Can I name/buy one? [95-12-28]
    G.09 Do other stars have planets?

   H.00 Galaxies, Clusters, and QSO's
    H.01 How many stars, galaxies, clusters, QSO's etc. in the Universe?
    H.02 Is there dark matter in galaxies?
    H.03 What is the Hubble constant?  What is the best value? [95-07-19]
    H.04 How are galaxy distances measured? [95-06-29]
    H.05 What are QSO's ("quasars")? [95-06-29]
    H.06 Are the QSO's really at their redshift distances? [95-06-29]
    H.07 What about apparent faster-than-light motions? [95-06-29]
 

