RON MADER'S UNUSUAL MEXICO LINKS
(Mexico on the Web)

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Journalist and savvy webmaster Ron Mader sifts through the web to find the most interesting and unusual Mexico-related websites. Ron is the webhost of the popular Planeta.com: Eco Travels in Latin America website -- http://www.planeta.com -- and has written about the internet since the early 1990s.

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Star Reading:
Astronomy in Mexico

INSTITUTO DE ASTRONOMIA
MEXICO CITY SKY
MAYA ASTRONOMY PAGE
CARL SAGAN OBSERVATORY AT CERRO AZUL
OTHERS ASTRONOMY WEBSITES

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The history of astronomy in Mexico extends thousands of years. Pre-Hispanic civilizations, developed what today is called "archaeoastronomy," planning their cities, as well as much of their social, economic and political activities based on the movements of the stars. That said, such information was not considered of value to the Spanish conquistadors. In 1878 the National Astronomical Observatory was established in Chapultepec Castle, then on the outskirts of Mexico City.

In the 20th century, Mexico's National Autonomous University's (UNAM) Institute of Astronomy and the National Institute of Astrophysics have educated thousands of professional astronomers. The national university now operates two observatories, the larger being in the Sierra of San Pedro Mártir, Baja California. You'll find the directions to the observatory online, 132.248.3.38/Opciones/texto1.html#oanspm, as well as celestial maps, academic work and beginner's guides.

MEXICO CITY SKY

www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/uncgi/Yoursky
/5 Stars

This feature is courtesy of the "Your Sky" website, www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky, and provides a skywatcher's guide for residents of Mexico City-if the skies are clear and the smog isn't too thick above the megalopolis! The site is not limited to Mexico City. You can produce maps for any time and date, viewpoint and observing location.

MAYA ASTRONOMY PAGE

www.michielb.nl/maya/astro.html
/5 Stars

This reader-friendly guide intr
oduces basic details about Mayan astronomy, including their unique math system. Astronomical observations take center stage with explanations of the importance of Venus, the sun, moon and Milky Way Galaxy. The author also includes a brief summary of political aspects of Mayan cosmology www.michielb.nl/maya/politics.html. The website is geared toward beginners, but it also includes a lively forum, www.michielb.nl/cgi-bin/maya/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi, which welcomes reader interaction.

INSTITUTO DE ASTRONOMIA

www.astroscu.unam.mx
/5 Stars

Mexico's Institute of Astronomy is housed within the UNAM. This frequently updated site offers news of upcoming events and scientific colloquia as well as related Web links, including the observatories in Ensenada, Morelia, San Pedro Mártir and Tonanzintla. For the serious astronomer, this is a must-visit site.

CARL SAGAN OBSERVATORY AT CERRO AZUL

cosmos.cifus.uson.mx
/5 Stars
Located in northwestern Mexico, this observatory is part of a larger project run by the University of Sonora Physics Department, cosmos.cifus.uson.mx/index.htm. The site has not been updated for two years, but it documents the conceptualization and construction of the observatory. The website also provides helpful links in Spanish and English for budding astronomers.

OTHERS ASTRONOMY WEBSITES:

Astronomy In Latin America-Lanic
lanic.utexas.edu/la/region/astronomy

A regional index compiled by the University of Texas at Austin

This Week's Sky At A Glance
SkyandTelescope.com/observing/ataglance

A regularly updated feature courtesy of Sky and Telescope magazine

Latin American Astronomy Institutions
www.astro.ugto.mx/~ala/listal.html

A regional index to academic institutions in the region. The page has not been updated in some time.

World Beat - Mexico
www.aspsky.org/mercury/mercury/9506/mexico.html

This 1995 article by Marco Arturo Moreno-Corral and Mars A. Rodríguez traces the history of astronomy in Mexico.

© Mexico Connect 1996-2006