Get Started with Reference/Background Resources
Begin your research by seeking some general background information about your topic using reference resources. Some reference resource will be available in print at the library. Other reference resources are available electronically. This page will guide you in all types of reference resources.
Online Reference Resources
Begin your research by seeking some general background information about your topic using reference resources.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library (formerly Gale ebooks) This link opens in a new windowSpecialized encyclopedias and dictionaries on the arts, business, education, environment, history, law, medicine, science and social science
Reference Books
A variety of print reference books is available at your campus library.
Encyclopedia of the History of Astronomy and Astrophysics by Call Number: QB15 .L39 2013ISBN: 9780521899949Publication Date: 2013-05-20Downtown
The Firefly Encyclopedia of Astronomy by Call Number: QB14 .F575 2004ISBN: 9781552977972Publication Date: 2004-09-04East, West
Phillip's Astronomy Encyclopedia (ebook) by Call Number: ebookISBN: 0195218337Publication Date: 2002Downtown
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Universe by Call Number: QB14 .I588 2001ISBN: 0823025128Publication Date: 2001-07-01Downtown, East, Northwest, West
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Space and Space Exploration by Call Number: TL788 .I435 2014ISBN: 9781782741640Publication Date: 2016-07-01The Cosmos is a vast and fascinating subject. From the creation of the Solar System to the Moon landings, from the chances of life on other planets to how stars shine, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Space & Space Exploration investigates the Cosmos and humankind's efforts to understand it. Every spread is filled with artworks and photographs, data tables and explanations of the workings of the stars and planets, moons, astronauts, rockets and satellites. Did you know that: The Sun is our nearest star but it takes eight minutes for its light to reach us - we see the Sun as it was eight minutes ago. Alexei Leonov, the first astronaut to walk in Space, carried a suicide pill in case he was abandoned. Astronomers use gravity to measure the weight of stars - the pull of one star on another tells us how much mass must be doing the pulling. The book covers a wide range of topics, from the effects of the Moon on the Earth's tides to exploring the most distant stars, from the Great Bear to a white dwarf to the first dog in space, from the creation of the Cosmos to the politics of the Space Race to the journeys of the latest probes. Accessibly written for the general reader and including more than 2000 color photographs and artworks, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Space & Space Exploration will inspire and educate anyone interested in finding out more about the Universe.
The Cambridge illustrated history of astronomy by Call Number: QB15 .C36 1997ISBN: 9780521411585West
Library Tutorial 1: Getting Started with Research
Library Tutorial 2: Information Resources
