It’s no secret that USENET is one of the best places to go if you want to discuss science related materials. The USENET system, in fact, is one of the favorite hangouts of people who are very advanced in the sciences. You’ll find everybody from PhDs to very knowledgeable amateurs on this system. If you’re interested in the science of astronomy, you’ll find plenty of newsgroups that can give you information about it that you should find very useful and, at the very least, very entertaining.

Astronomy in General

If you’re interested in general astronomy topics, there are some newsgroups that you can check out to get basic information. They include sci.astro.amateur, which is a great place for people to go if they just started with astronomy and they need some tips from people who like sharing them with beginners. If you want information about the latest research in cosmology and physics, as well as astronomy, check out sci.astro.research. You will find plenty of people on the newsgroup that will be willing to share and discuss the latest news and gossip from the space industry.

Sometimes, your Newtonian reflector just isn’t going to cut it when you want a great view of a nebula or other deep space objects. If you find yourself in one of these situations, head on over to sci.astro.hubble. This will give you all the latest information about what the Hubble space telescope has found and links to pictures where you can look for yourself at some of the most amazing objects in the universe planets in order.

If you’re a bit more advanced and don’t want to be in one of the beginner groups, check out sci.astro. This group is for astronomy in general and many of the participants are very advanced.

Some astronomy groups are incredibly specific. One of the advantages of the USENET system, in fact, is that the newsgroups are oftentimes far more specific than are Internet forums but that there are still many more groups to choose from than there are Internet forums about the same topics. You can check out sci.astro.planetarium, for instance, if you’re interested in planetarium programs or if you work in a planetarium in just want to know the latest news from the industry.

Moderated

Some of these groups are moderated. Moderated groups are generally more likely to be very family-friendly than are groups that are unmoderated. In many cases, people who have an interest in astronomy make it a family affair. If you’re interested in participating in USENET groups that the entire family can enjoy, look for the moderated groups. The topics are more likely to be adhered to by the participants and the discussions are likely to be much more constructive and enlightening. Unmoderated groups can be great, too, but the conversations have more of a tendency to stray into subject matters that may not be appropriate for all audiences and, in some cases, they can be full of trolls who just hang around the newsgroups looking for people to annoy and looking for new ways to start arguments.